# Eigent vs Claude Cowork: which open source system can a team own?

> Eigent is an open-source Cowork desktop app. Claude Cowork is closed and runs on Anthropic's cloud or a customer's own cloud account. Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, is the option a team owns end to end: one git repo, agents on cloud computers, and work that lands through a change request a person reviews.

URL: https://eigentalternative.com/eigent-vs-claude-cowork

## Eigent vs Claude Cowork vs Kortix

Three Cowork-style agent apps, on the parts a buyer checks.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Eigent | Claude Cowork |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes. | Yes, open-source desktop app. | No. Closed and hosted. |
| Where it runs | Your cloud, your VPC, or on-prem. | Your desktop, local-first; optional hosted cloud. | Web, desktop, and mobile. Anthropic's cloud. |
| Model choice | Any model provider with your own keys. | Cloud APIs, enterprise gateways, local models, your keys. | Anthropic models only. |
| Who owns the config | Files in a git repo you own. | Space profiles stored on your machine. | In their product. |
| How finished work is reviewed | Work lands through a change request a person reviews. | You approve the result or ask for revisions. | Turn on permissions; Claude waits for approval. |
| Pricing shape | Free to start; per-seat team plan. | Free self-host; paid cloud tiers. | Paid plans per seat or per tier. |

## Eigent vs Claude Cowork, in one line each

Eigent is an open-source Cowork desktop application that runs a multi-agent workforce on your own machine. Its repository describes a local-first app built on the CAMEL multi-agent framework, packaged as an Electron desktop app with a FastAPI backend ([Eigent on GitHub](https://github.com/eigent-ai/eigent)). You install it like a desktop program, choose a model, and the agents work against files on that computer.

Claude Cowork is Anthropic's closed, hosted version of the same idea. You hand it a goal and it works across the folders and tools you choose, on web, desktop, and mobile, running on Anthropic's cloud or your own Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Foundry account ([Claude Cowork](https://claude.com/product/cowork)). It has no self-host option, so the agent and its orchestration stay inside Anthropic's product.

Kortix holds the whole system: your agents, skills, company memory, and connectors in one git repo your team owns, with each session running on its own cloud computer. It is the third option, and the one that owns every layer rather than one part of it.

## Where each app runs, and who can use it

Where an agent runs decides who can reach it. Eigent runs local-first on a desktop, so the machine holding your files is the machine doing the work. Claude Cowork runs in Anthropic's cloud and reaches the folders and tools you connect. Kortix runs on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free ([Kortix docs](https://kortix.com/docs)).

That difference is also the team split. A desktop app serves one person at one keyboard, with the configuration on that machine. A hosted app serves a team, but keeps the configuration inside the vendor's product.

## Model choice and where your keys live

Eigent is model-agnostic. Its repository lists cloud APIs, enterprise gateways, and local inference through vLLM, Ollama, or LM Studio, switched without rebuilding a workflow, and its product page offers free self-hosting with your own keys ([Eigent](https://www.eigent.ai)). Claude Cowork runs on Anthropic's models, chosen for you. Kortix is model-agnostic too: any model provider with your own keys, or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for.

## Pricing shape, with prices checked October 2026

Eigent's cloud platform lists a $19.99/month tier and a $99.99/month tier, plus a custom enterprise tier, and free self-hosting with your own API keys or local models (checked October 2026). Claude Cowork is included in paid plans listed as Pro $17, Max $100, Max 20x $200, Team $20, and a custom Enterprise tier (checked October 2026). Kortix is free to start, at $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project; the team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled ([Kortix pricing](https://kortix.com/pricing)).

## How finished work is reviewed

Each app returns work for a person to check, and each does it differently. Eigent shows each agent's progress and lets you approve the result or ask for revisions. Claude Cowork can be set to show its plan and wait for approval before it acts, and admin permissions decide which folders and tools a team can reach. Kortix lands work as a change request: a session commits to its branch, the change is read as a diff first, and merge is default-deny for agents.

## The part both named apps leave open

Neither Eigent nor Claude Cowork is a system a team owns end to end. Eigent is one desktop per person, with the agents and the configuration on that machine. Claude Cowork is closed and hosted, with the configuration inside Anthropic's product. Kortix holds the agents, skills, memory, connectors, and triggers as files in one repo the team owns, and each session works that repo on its own branch.

The [Kortix vs Eigent](/kortix-vs-eigent) head-to-head goes deeper on the open-source pair, and the [Eigent alternatives](/eigent-alternatives) page covers the wider field. [Eigent pricing](/eigent-pricing) walks the Eigent tiers on their own. To run the whole system yourself, [Try Kortix](https://kortix.com).

## One agent, as files in your repo

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
agents:
  support-triage:
    file: agents/support-triage.md  # what it does, in plain markdown
    connectors: all  # what it may reach
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

The agent's behavior and its reach are lines in a git repo, not settings in someone else's database.