Questions about the open-source Claude Cowork alternative
Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. Evaluating Kortix against Claude Cowork comes down to a few questions: which models it runs, whether you can self-host, how approvals work, and what it costs.
Which open-source Claude Cowork alternative is best?
Kortix is the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work, with 20,000+ GitHub stars as of October 2026. For the details, see the comparison page or read the Kortix blog.
Is Kortix open source?
Yes. Kortix is open source: read it, fork it, audit it. Browse the code at Kortix on GitHub.
Can I self-host Kortix?
Yes. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free (the self-hosting guide covers the setup).
Which models can I use?
Kortix connects to any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Or sign in with your OpenCode Console account for OpenCode Zen and Go.
Does an agent ask before it acts?
In Kortix, approval gates are off until you set them. Set each tool to Allow, Ask or Block, down to the arguments of each call. An Ask holds the call until a person approves it, then the agent resumes.
What does Kortix cost?
On Kortix Cloud, Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. The team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled. See Kortix pricing for the current plans.
Is this site affiliated with Anthropic?
No. This is an independent comparison site with no affiliation with Anthropic. It recommends Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System.
What an agent may touch
The agents block in kortix.yaml sets what each agent may reach: connectors, secrets, and permissions.
# kortix.yamlagents: release-bot: file: agents/release-bot.md sandbox: ml connectors: [github] kortix_permissions: [project.gitops.push] secrets: [GITHUB_AGENT_TOKEN]The scoped agent block from the Kortix manifest reference: release-bot may reach GitHub, holds the project.gitops.push permission, and receives one secret, all granted in kortix.yaml.
Run the open-source alternative
Kortix is open source, and self-host is free.