Alternatives / Claude Cowork
Looking for an open source Claude Cowork alternative? We compared 4 AI agent workspaces and desktop coworkers by licensing, self-hosting, model support, agent capabilities, and pricing. Not all four are fully open source: LobeChat is source available, and OpenWork and Agenta are open core.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| LobeChat | Teams of AI agents for long-running work | LobeHub Community License |
| OpenWork | Desktop agent workspace with any LLM | MIT core + EE |
| Eigent | Research and multi-agent desktop tasks | Apache-2.0 |
| Agenta | Taking agents from prototype to production | MIT core + EE |
We looked for agent workspaces and desktop coworkers that overlap with Claude Cowork: running AI agents on files, browsers, and tools, with shared skills and scheduled work. We then verified each project's license in its GitHub repository, its self-hosting options, model support, and pricing. Licensing matters here: LobeChat uses a community license with commercial restrictions, and OpenWork and Agenta keep enterprise features under separate licenses. See our methodology for the full criteria.
LobeChat is not standard open source. It uses the LobeHub Community License, based on Apache-2.0 with additional commercial conditions: a commercial license is required to develop and distribute a derivative work. OpenWork and Agenta are open core: their main code is MIT, but enterprise features in the /ee and ee/ directories are under a separate license. Eigent is the only project here that is fully Apache-2.0.
OpenWork and Eigent are desktop apps closest to Claude Cowork's experience: agents that browse, edit files, and run commands on your machine. LobeChat and Agenta are platforms for building, running, and operating teams of agents, with memory, scheduling, versioning, and tracing rather than a single desktop assistant.
Eigent is Apache-2.0 and Agenta is MIT outside its ee/ directory. OpenWork is MIT outside its /ee directory, with enterprise features under a separate license. LobeChat is licensed under the LobeHub Community License, based on Apache-2.0 with additional commercial conditions, so it is source available rather than standard open source.
Unlike Claude Cowork, all four projects are model-agnostic. OpenWork supports 50+ LLM providers and local models, Eigent connects to multiple providers and MCP, and LobeChat and Agenta work with many providers. Model and infrastructure costs still apply to whichever provider you choose.
Claude Cowork is a proprietary assistant that works on your files and tasks through Claude models. Teams look for open-source alternatives to choose their own models, run agents locally or self-hosted, share skills and workflows, and avoid vendor lock-in. The projects below take different approaches: desktop coworkers (OpenWork, Eigent), a multi-agent platform (LobeChat), and a workspace for building and operating agents (Agenta).
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LobeChat | Agent platform | LobeHub Community License | Yes | Agent teams |
| OpenWork | Desktop agent workspace | MIT core + EE | Yes | Any LLM, shared skills |
| Eigent | Desktop multi-agent app | Apache-2.0 | Yes | Research and reports |
| Agenta | Agent workspace | MIT core + EE | Yes | Production agents |
Want the closest desktop alternative
OpenWork is a desktop app that runs agents across 50+ LLMs with shared skills, browser automation, local files, and a local-first mode.
Want coordinated agents for research
Eigent coordinates browser, document, terminal, and multimodal agents for research-heavy work, with scheduled workflows and MCP support.
Want to operate teams of agents
LobeChat supports multi-agent coordination, a large skill library, memory, and scheduled work, but its license is source available rather than standard open source.
Want to move agents to production
Agenta adds chat-driven development, human approval controls, versioning, and run tracing with cost tracking.
Want a permissive open-source license
Eigent is fully Apache-2.0, while OpenWork and Agenta keep enterprise directories under separate licenses.