The free, open-source alternative to Claude Cowork
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OpenWork vs Claude Cowork
22 capabilities, checked against each vendor's own docs. Yes, Partial, or No for what ships today.
| Capability | Claude Enterprise | Claude on 3P | OpenWork |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you use it | |||
| Desktop app for macOS and Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app for Linux | Partial1 | Partial2 | Yes |
| Full workspace in a web browser | Yes | No | Partial3Planned |
| Start work from your phone or Slack | Yes | No | NoPlanned |
| Your skills and connections inside Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor | No | No | Yes4 |
| What the agent can do | |||
| SKILL.md skills and Claude-format plugins | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP connectors with OAuth, set up once for everyone | Yes | Yes5 | Yes |
| Built-in browser the agent drives | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Artifacts and interactive app views | Yes | Yes | Partial6Planned |
| Memory across chats | Yes | Yes7 | Partial8 |
| Isolated sandbox for agent commands | Yes | Yes | Partial9 |
| Automations | |||
| Scheduled and triggered tasks | Yes | Yes | Partial10Planned |
| Keeps running with your laptop closed | Yes11 | No12 | Partial13Planned |
| Run history, retries, and approvals | Yes | Yes | Partial14Planned |
| Control and deployment | |||
| Any model, including open-weight and self-hosted | No | Partial15 | Yes |
| Prompts stay in your cloud, vendor telemetry off | No16 | Yes17 | Yes |
| Share skills, plugins, and MCP servers with your team | Yes | Partial18 | Yes |
| SSO, SCIM, teams, and custom roles | Yes | Partial19 | Yes |
| Desktop policies and version control | Yes | Yes | Partial20Planned |
| Spend limits per team or person | Yes | Partial21 | Yes |
| Usage analytics, OpenTelemetry, and audit log | Yes | Partial22 | Partial23Planned |
| Self-host the control plane, with open source code | No | No | Yes |
| Yes, of 22 | 17+1 partial | 11+6 partial | 12+9 partial |
| Price per person, per month | $20 + usage | No seat fee | Free, or from $10 |
- 1Claude Desktop on Linux is in beta. Source
- 2Linux settings are documented, but the 3P install guide lists only macOS and Windows. Source
- 3OpenWork Web is in preview as a paid add-on. Source
- 4One MCP URL carries your organization's skills and connections. Source
- 5Admins push managed MCP servers, including OAuth, by console or MDM. Source
- 6Artifacts ship today; live artifacts and MCP Apps are in preview. Source
- 7Stored on the device. Chat-history search is not available on 3P. Source
- 8The agent can search and read past chats when asked; nothing is remembered automatically. Source
- 9Docker or microsandbox workspaces, with platform and setup limits. Source
- 10Automations run on a schedule; event triggers are next. Source
- 11Scheduled tasks can move to the cloud. Source
- 12Sessions run on the device. Source
- 13Automations can run in OpenWork Cloud where enabled; hosted workspaces are in progress. Source
- 14Automations keep receipts and recover missed runs; full run history and approvals are next. Source
- 15Claude models; others only through an Anthropic-compatible gateway you run. Source
- 16Inference runs on Anthropic's API. Source
- 17On Bedrock or Vertex. On Foundry, Anthropic processes conversations. Source
- 18Through a plugin marketplace you host in git or over HTTPS, plus MDM. Source
- 19Through the Enterprise Admin Console, which is in beta and hosted by Anthropic. Source
- 20Allowed desktop versions are enforced; other policies are paused while they are redesigned. Source
- 21Per-user token limits; dollar budgets live in your cloud or gateway. Source
- 22OpenTelemetry export; no Analytics or Compliance API. Source
- 23Usage analytics and audit events ship; OpenTelemetry coverage is in progress. Source
Planned links to the public roadmap and never counts as Yes. Sources, checked 2026-09-27:3P feature matrix3P overview3P plugins and MCPClaude Desktop on LinuxClaude Enterprise pricingOpenWork roadmapOpenWork pricing
Cost calculator
What will your team spend?
50 people, over 3 years
Same model on both (Claude Sonnet 5)
You keep $108,900
$100 vs $40 per person / month
Claude Team $180,000 vs OpenWork $71,100
OpenWork with a 70/30 mix (70% DeepSeek V4 Pro, 30% Sonnet 5)
You keep $141,824
$100 vs $21 per person / month
Claude Team $180,000 vs OpenWork $38,176
Estimate only, not a quote. OpenWork prices here are for OpenWork Cloud (hosted by us). Self-hosted deployments have their own SLA, support, and pricing. Talk to sales for a quote.
- OpenWork
- Claude
- What you keep with the same model
| Plan | Seats a year | Tokens a year | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Team, Premium seatsUsage included up to plan limits | $60,000 | Included | $180,000 |
| OpenWork TeamClaude Sonnet 5 | $5,400 | $18,300 | $71,100 |
| OpenWork Team70% DeepSeek V4 Pro, 30% Claude Sonnet 5 | $5,400 | $7,325 | $38,176 |
How we calculate
- Both sides use the same Claude model; the first result compares them. The model mix result assumes that share of each person's tokens runs on the open model you pick and the rest on the Claude model. Per person figures are the monthly cost divided by team size, rounded to whole dollars. Tokens per person = input × (uncached × input price + cached × cache price) + output × output price. Light, Typical, and Heavy assume 5M, 25M, or 100M input tokens a month, 70% cached.
- SSO is included on both Team plans (Claude Team lists single sign-on on claude.com/pricing and in its Team plan article). Needing SCIM, an audit log, or desktop policies compares Claude Enterprise with OpenWork Enterprise. Claude Team: $20/seat billed annually ($25 monthly), 2 to 150 seats, usage included up to plan limits. Typical and Heavy use reach Standard seat limits, so they are priced on Premium seats ($100 annual, $125 monthly), which Anthropic positions for heavy and agentic use. Light use is priced on Standard seats. Team usage beyond limits is billed at API rates; we don't add it, so this still favours Claude.
- Claude Enterprise: $20/seat billed annually, 20 seats minimum, all usage at API rates.
- OpenWork Team on OpenWork Cloud: first 5 seats free, then $10/seat. OpenWork Enterprise on OpenWork Cloud: $20 a person a month for the first 250, $16 for seats 251–1,000, $13 above, billed annually. Tokens billed by your own provider or gateway.
- All OpenWork prices assume OpenWork Cloud. Self-hosted deployments are scoped and priced separately, with their own SLA and support terms, so they are not shown here.
- These figures are indicative. Your real cost depends on usage, model choice, and contract terms. Costs accrue monthly. List prices from models.dev (2026-09-26); Anthropic plans checked 2026-09-25. Committed-spend discounts are not included.
- Claude plansClaude Team planClaude Enterprise pricingOpenWork pricingModel prices from models.dev
Why people switch
Run local models with Ollama or LM Studio
Bring your own key or AI gateway
One app for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Share skills and MCP servers with everyone
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a free alternative to Claude Cowork?
- Yes. OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Does OpenWork work with local models?
- Yes. Use Ollama, LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible server, and nothing leaves your computer.
- Can I use my own API key or AI gateway?
- Yes. Connect keys from 50+ providers, or add your company's OpenAI-compatible gateway as a custom provider.
- Can I still use Claude models?
- Yes. Add an Anthropic key and switch to any other model at any time.
- Do my files stay on my computer?
- Yes. In desktop mode files stay local and prompts go straight to the provider you pick.
- How do I migrate from Claude Cowork?
- Open the same folder in OpenWork and connect a model; SKILL.md skills, plugins, and MCP servers use the same formats. The migration guide covers each step.
Bring your Cowork setup with you.
Skills, plugins, and MCP servers carry over.
macOS, Windows, and Linux.