# Is Claude Cowork free? What the open-source Kortix alternative costs

> Claude Cowork is not on the free Claude plan. It is included with paid plans from $17 per month, and usage limits apply. Kortix is open source, free to start with 200 credits a month, and free to self-host.

URL: https://claudecoworkalternative.com/is-claude-cowork-free

## What a plan includes

`pricing`

```
Free includes 200 credits each month for sandbox compute and 1 project.
Bring your own API key or connect your ChatGPT subscription for premium access.
$40/seat/month includes 2,500 pooled credits per seat, optional managed model access, and seats for the people on your team.
```

Source: https://kortix.com/pricing

Kortix pricing, quoted as written. Self-host is free, and you bring your own model keys and compute.

## What Claude Cowork costs

Claude Cowork is not sold on its own. Anthropic includes it with a paid Claude plan and states plainly that it is available "to paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise) only." The free Claude plan does not include it. On Anthropic's own plan picker the paid tiers start at $17 per month on Pro, the two Max tiers are listed at $100 and $200 per month, and Team is $20 per seat per month, with Enterprise quoted directly. Usage limits apply on every tier, and a Cowork task draws on the same usage pool as the rest of your Claude usage. These prices were checked in October 2026 on [Claude's Cowork page](https://claude.com/product/cowork).

## What "free" means when the system is open source

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, so the system itself carries no price. Self-host it on your own hardware for free, or run it on Kortix Cloud and pay only for the part you use. [Self-hosting](/self-hosting) sits at the bottom of the range: you bring a Linux box with Docker, a domain, and your own model keys, and the whole stack runs under your control. The managed cloud adds the convenience of not running it yourself. On Kortix Cloud, Free includes 200 credits each month for sandbox compute and 1 project, and free credits remain sandbox-only. You can bring your own API key or connect the ChatGPT subscription you already pay for, while models on Kortix keys are a paid option.

## The total cost for a team

Seat math only means something next to what a seat includes. Claude Team is $20 per seat per month. The Kortix team plan is $40/seat/month and includes 2,500 pooled credits per seat, optional managed model access, and seats for the people on your team, so one balance covers the whole group. A self-hosted Kortix instance has no seat fee at all: you pay your model provider and your compute, and nothing more. For a closer look at what a free plan really covers, read [the Kortix blog](https://kortix.com/blog/is-kortix-ai-free), and for the wider field see the [comparison on this site](/comparison).

## What each option costs to run

Plan prices and limits from each vendor's own page, checked October 2026.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Claude Cowork | Self-hosting Kortix |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes. | No, closed. | Yes, self-host is free. |
| Cost to start | Free to start. | Paid plans only, from $17 per month on Pro. | Self-host is free. |
| Included free | 200 credits each month and 1 project. | No Cowork on the free plan. | The whole stack, on your hardware. |
| Pay at scale | $40/seat/month, 2,500 pooled credits per seat. | Team $20 per seat; Max $100 and $200. | Your own model keys and compute. |
| What you own | Files in a git repo you own. | Your Claude account holds the setup. | The code and the data you control. |

_FAQ_

## Questions about the price

Short answers, each sourced from the vendor's own page.

### Is Claude Cowork free to use?

No. Anthropic says Cowork is available to paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise) only, and the free Claude plan does not include it. See [Claude's Cowork page](https://claude.com/product/cowork).

### How much does Claude Cowork cost?

It has no separate price. It is included with a paid plan, from $17 per month on Pro, with Max tiers at $100 and $200 and Team at $20 per seat per month. Usage limits apply.

### Is there a free open-source alternative?

Yes. Kortix is open source and free to start: self-host it for free, or use Kortix Cloud, where Free includes 200 credits each month and 1 project.

### What does Kortix's free plan include?

Free includes 200 credits each month for sandbox compute and 1 project, and free credits remain sandbox-only. You bring your own API key or connect the ChatGPT subscription you already pay for.

### What does a self-hosted team pay?

No seat fee. Self-host is free, and you pay your model provider and your compute. On Kortix Cloud the team plan is $40/seat/month with 2,500 pooled credits per seat.

## Run it yourself and see the cost.

Start free on Kortix Cloud, or self-host and pay only for your models and compute.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Compare the options](https://claudecoworkalternative.com/comparison)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem