# OpenWork alternatives: why open-source Kortix comes first

description: OpenWork alternatives compared: open-source Kortix plus OpenHands, Open WebUI, LibreChat and n8n, by licence, self-hosting and the job each does.

OpenWork is a local-first desktop app for AI agents, so teams that need an alternative running company-wide work should start with open-source Kortix. Kortix is the open-source AI Management System: your agents, their skills, your company memory and every connector live in one git repo you own, each session runs on its own isolated Linux sandbox, and finished work lands through a change request a person reviews. It is also the open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work for teams that want to own the stack.

## What OpenWork is, and who it suits

OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop application for macOS, Windows and Linux that runs AI agents on your own files. Built on OpenCode, it works with 50+ model providers using your own API keys or local models, and it keeps files on your machine because it is local-first. Teams share skills and MCP servers through a remote MCP gateway, while OpenWork Cloud adds SSO, an extension marketplace and an admin control plane. The desktop app and core are MIT-licensed, with the team control plane under the OpenWork EE License and free for organisations of up to five users ([OpenWork on GitHub](https://github.com/different-ai/openwork)). The first five seats on OpenWork Cloud are free, then the Team plan costs $10 per seat per month ([OpenWork pricing](https://openworklabs.com/pricing), checked October 2026).

OpenWork suits a person or a small team that wants a point-and-click workspace on a laptop. It does its best work when jobs stay on that machine, which is why teams that want shared agents, memory and connectors across a company look at what else is available. For a feature-by-feature breakdown, see [OpenWork vs Kortix](/openwork-vs-kortix.html).

## OpenWork alternatives compared

These are the options worth a look, judged on whether they are open source and self-hostable, which models they run, and the job each is built for.

| Tool | Open source / self-host | Models | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Kortix | Yes. Self-host free or managed cloud | Any model, your keys | Whole jobs: memory, connectors, change requests |
| OpenWork | MIT app. Self-host free up to five users | 50+ providers, your keys | A local-first desktop workspace on your files |
| OpenHands | MIT. Self-host locally or on a server | Any LLM | A coding-agent control center for engineers |
| Open WebUI | Open WebUI License. Self-host | Ollama and OpenAI-compatible | Chat and retrieval over your documents |
| LibreChat | MIT. Self-host | Many providers, local and cloud | A self-hosted ChatGPT-style chat for teams |
| n8n | Sustainable Use License. Self-host | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, open models | Fixed, visual workflow automation |

## Kortix: agents that finish the job

Kortix is the recommended pick for a team because the company is one git repo: agents, skills, memory, connector config and triggers are files you can grep, diff and roll back. Agents reach 3,000+ apps plus any MCP, OpenAPI, GraphQL or HTTP API, and connector credentials are brokered server-side instead of being pasted into the machine. Run any model with your own keys, chosen per agent or per session. Every session boots its own isolated Linux sandbox, and work reaches the main branch only as a change request you read as a diff. Self-host Kortix free on a laptop, a VPC or on-prem, or use managed cloud if you would rather not run it. The code is on [Kortix on GitHub](https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna) and the [self-hosting guide](/self-hosting.html) covers the install.

Pick Kortix if you want your agents, skills, memory and connectors in one repo you own, with each session on its own sandbox and a person approving every change before it lands.

## OpenHands: a coding-agent control center

OpenHands is a self-hosted developer control center for coding agents. It runs the open-source OpenHands agent plus third-party agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Gemini across local, Docker, VM or company infrastructure, and its Agent Canvas starts conversations and automations that can publish to Slack or break a GitHub issue into tasks. The code is MIT-licensed ([OpenHands on GitHub](https://github.com/OpenHands/OpenHands)).

Pick OpenHands if you want a control center for coding agents across an engineering team.

## Open WebUI: chat and retrieval over your own documents

Open WebUI is a self-hosted AI interface and retrieval layer. It connects Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API, adds retrieval over your documents with a choice of vector databases, and ships tools, channels, notes and scheduled prompts. It installs with pip, Docker or Kubernetes and uses the Open WebUI License ([Open WebUI on GitHub](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui)).

Pick Open WebUI if you want chat and search over your own documents and models.

## LibreChat: a self-hosted chat front end for many models

LibreChat is a self-hosted, ChatGPT-style chat front end for teams. It points at Anthropic, OpenAI, Azure, Google, AWS Bedrock, local providers and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and it supports MCP tools, agents, skills and sandboxed code execution while scaling from a single server to a Redis-backed deployment. It is MIT-licensed ([LibreChat on GitHub](https://github.com/LibreChat-AI/LibreChat)).

Pick LibreChat if you want a multi-user chat UI you host yourself across many providers.

## n8n: fixed workflows when the steps never change

n8n is a visual workflow automation platform with AI nodes. You build a fixed sequence on a canvas, add code where you need it, and run it self-hosted or in the cloud with 1,500+ integrations plus scheduled and webhook triggers. It is fair-code under the Sustainable Use License ([n8n on GitHub](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n)).

Pick n8n if your job is a fixed sequence of steps that runs the same way every time.

## Which OpenWork alternative fits your team?

Match the tool to the shape of the work. Company-wide, open-ended jobs point to Kortix. A workspace that stays on one laptop points to OpenWork. Coding agents point to OpenHands. Questions over your documents point to Open WebUI or LibreChat. A fixed pipeline points to n8n.

Read the [full alternatives overview](/index.html) or the [frequently asked questions](/faq.html) if you are still deciding. Start with open-source Kortix: [Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) and run your first session on a sandbox of its own.