OpenWork vs Claude Cowork on 3P
Keep Bedrock, Vertex, or Foundry. Add any model, and share skills and MCP servers with every teammate.
Enterprise binary deploys with your existing tooling.
Enterprise, 3P, or OpenWork
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
Why teams on 3P switch
Keep your cloud account and committed spend
Send routine work to lower-cost models
Share skills and MCP servers without MDM profiles
Run alongside Claude Desktop while teams switch
Frequently asked questions
- What is Claude Desktop on 3P?
- Claude Desktop, including Cowork, sending inference to Bedrock, Vertex, Foundry, or your own gateway. There is no seat fee. It is built for Claude models; others need an Anthropic-compatible gateway you run.
- Can OpenWork use my Bedrock, Vertex, or Foundry account?
- Yes, plus any OpenAI-compatible gateway. Your existing cloud commitments keep applying.
- How do we share skills and MCP servers?
- Admins publish them once in OpenWork Cloud and assign them to teams. Each person signs in to MCP connections as themselves.
- Can we self-host OpenWork?
- Yes, with Helm or Docker Compose. Enterprise costs the same cloud or self-hosted.
- Does OpenWork have a mobile app?
- Not yet; it is on the public roadmap. OpenWork runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, and in the browser.
Keep your cloud. Choose your models.
See OpenWork on your own gateway, with your skills shared.
Same price cloud or self-hosted.