What is OpenWork?
OpenWork, from Different AI, is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux in which an agent works directly on files in a folder you choose: drafting documents, reorganising data, running multi-step jobs. The agent engine is OpenCode, so it works with more than 50 model providers, your own keys, a ChatGPT sign-in or local models through Ollama, and it imports Claude-compatible skills, plugins and MCP servers.
The second half of the product is sharing. An OpenWork MCP server brings an organisation's skills and connections into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or OpenCode, and the Den control plane manages members, model access, desktop policies and a skills marketplace. The repository was created in January 2026, has about 24,500 GitHub stars and released v0.18.67 on 13 November 2026.
How much does OpenWork cost?
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Up to 5 users, own API keys |
| Team | $10/user/month | Unlimited users, SSO/SAML, shared keys, cloud automations |
| Enterprise | Custom | SCIM, desktop policies, audit logs, own inference |
Desktop app and core MIT, free with your own keys; self-hosted control plane free for up to 5 users. Team $10/user/month; Enterprise custom. Add-ons: Cloud Computer $50/member/month, managed OpenWork models $10/user/month.
Is OpenWork worth it?
OpenWork earns its place by building on OpenCode rather than writing yet another agent loop. The desktop app inherits OpenCode's model support (more than 50 providers, local models through Ollama, a ChatGPT sign-in) and its handling of files and commands, and spends its own effort on the parts Claude Cowork users actually miss when they leave: carrying skills, plugins and MCP servers over, and sharing them with colleagues. Release pace is relentless, with v0.18.67 on 13 November 2026 following v0.18.66 three days earlier, and the repository has about 24,500 stars after ten months.
The licensing deserves a careful read. Everything outside the ee/ folder, including the desktop app, is MIT. The Den control plane under ee/ is source-available: free in production for organisations of up to 5 users, free to evaluate for 30 days, and otherwise a paid subscription, with each release converting to MIT two years after publication. Team costs $10 per user per month whether you use OpenWork's cloud or self-host.
Computer use exists but is fenced. The agent can take screenshots and drive the mouse and keyboard on a Mac through a signed Swift helper, on Windows through a native helper, or on a remote Linux VM, but the feature is off by default and is switched on per organisation from Den. The agent also runs shell commands inside your workspace through OpenCode, so the folder you hand it is the folder it can change.
Telemetry is narrower than most. In our reading of the desktop source, error reports go to Sentry only while you are signed in to an OpenWork Cloud organisation, without default personal data, and an environment variable switches them off; signed out, nothing is sent. Against Eigent, OpenWork is weaker at parallel multi-agent jobs and stronger at administration; against Andrew Ng's OpenWorker it has fewer built-in approval floors but a much larger user base.
Where it earns its place
An operations lead at a 40-person agency moving off Claude Cowork
Keep the skills and connectors the team already built, without one vendor's subscription
Follow the migration guide to import skills, Claude-compatible plugins and MCP servers, then publish them through Den to each team. Team is $10 per user per month, about $400 a month for 40 people, plus model costs on your own keys.
A developer at a four-person startup
Use the same skills in Claude Code and Cursor that colleagues use in the desktop app
Add the OpenWork MCP with one command; it exposes four tools that search, run and read the organisation's skills and connections. Free for organisations of up to 5 users, including a self-hosted control plane.
An IT manager at a mid-sized law firm
Roll out a desktop agent with fixed versions, approved models and audit logs
Enterprise adds desktop policies, version controls, audit logs, SCIM and self-hosted inference on an annual contract with a 60-day opt-out. Keep computer use off unless a specific workflow needs it.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Download installers for macOS, Windows (signed) or Linux, add a model key or point it at Ollama, and pick a folder. From source it needs Node 24 and pnpm 11; pnpm dev launches the Electron app.
- Integrations
- OpenCode engine with more than 50 providers; MCP servers, skills and Claude-compatible plugins; Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Slack connectors; an OpenWork MCP for Codex, Claude Code, Cursor and OpenCode; self-host guides for AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.
- Data and privacy
- Files stay local and cloud is optional. Desktop error reports go to Sentry only while signed in to an OpenWork Cloud organisation and can be disabled with OPENWORK_DESKTOP_SENTRY_DISABLED. The agent runs commands in your workspace; when an admin enables computer use it can screenshot and control the mouse and keyboard. Pricing page links a SOC 2 Type II badge.
- Cost at scale
- Free for up to 5 users; Team $10 per user per month on cloud or self-hosted; a cloud computer per member adds $50 a month and managed models $10 a user. Enterprise is an annual quote.
- Limits
- Den features above 5 users need a subscription under the EE licence; computer use is a rollout flag that is off by default, and remote VMs also need sign-in to an organisation; frequent releases; about 426 open issues and pull requests.
What’s good
- Built on OpenCode, so 50+ providers and local models work
- Imports Claude Cowork skills, plugins and MCP servers
- One MCP brings shared skills into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor
- Error reporting only while signed in to an organisation
What’s not
- Den control plane is source-available, paid above 5 users
- About two releases a week means frequent change
- About 426 open issues and pull requests
- Computer use sits behind a rollout flag, off by default
Best for
Teams leaving Claude Cowork, or standardising on one set of agent skills and connections across several tools, who want an open desktop client and can live with an open-core admin layer.
OpenWork alternatives
OpenWork: common questions
- Is OpenWork worth it?
- OpenWork is the open Cowork alternative most likely to survive contact with a real team, because it treats shared skills and admin policy as the product, though its open-core split means the team half is not MIT. We rate it 4.1 out of 5.
- How much does OpenWork cost?
- Desktop app and core MIT, free with your own keys; self-hosted control plane free for up to 5 users. Team $10/user/month; Enterprise custom. Add-ons: Cloud Computer $50/member/month, managed OpenWork models $10/user/month.
- What are the downsides of OpenWork?
- Den control plane is source-available, paid above 5 users; about two releases a week means frequent change; about 426 open issues and pull requests; computer use sits behind a rollout flag, off by default.
- Who is OpenWork best for?
- Teams leaving Claude Cowork, or standardising on one set of agent skills and connections across several tools, who want an open desktop client and can live with an open-core admin layer.
- How much does OpenWork cost for a team or in production?
- Free for up to 5 users; Team $10 per user per month on cloud or self-hosted; a cloud computer per member adds $50 a month and managed models $10 a user. Enterprise is an annual quote.
- Is OpenWork safe for company data?
- Files stay local and cloud is optional. Desktop error reports go to Sentry only while signed in to an OpenWork Cloud organisation and can be disabled with OPENWORK_DESKTOP_SENTRY_DISABLED. The agent runs commands in your workspace; when an admin enables computer use it can screenshot and control the mouse and keyboard. Pricing page links a SOC 2 Type II badge.
- What are the best OpenWork alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are OpenWorker, Eigent, Interpreter Workstation, goose and OpenCode.
Answers checked Nov 14, 2026.
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