# Eigent vs OpenWork: open-source desktop apps, and the platform a team owns

> Eigent and OpenWork are open-source desktop Cowork apps that run agents on your own machine. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System for a whole team: your agents, skills, memory, and connectors in one git repo, each session on its own cloud computer, every change reviewed.

URL: https://eigentalternative.com/eigent-vs-openwork

## Kortix vs OpenWork, on the parts that decide it

Both are desktop apps, so the split is where the agents run, whether the configuration is shared or local, and how the work is reviewed.

| | Kortix (recommended) | OpenWork |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes. Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Yes. The desktop app is open source; the control plane is separate. |
| What it is | An AI Operating System a whole team runs from one repo. | A desktop Cowork app for work on your own files. |
| Where agents run | One isolated sandbox per session. | The desktop app on your machine; hosted cloud workers optional. |
| Configuration | Files in one git repo you own, shared by the whole team. | Team skills and MCP servers shared; the rest stays on each machine. |
| How work is reviewed | Session work reaches main through a change request a person approves. | Results land in your local files and Library you control. |
| Model choice | Any model provider with your own keys. | Any model OpenCode supports, 50+ providers, local via Ollama. |
| Hosting | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or your own on-prem network. | Desktop app anywhere; self-host the team control plane. |
| Pricing shape | Self-host free; paid team and enterprise plans. | Free desktop app; paid cloud team and enterprise plans. |

## The team's agents and connectors, in one repo file

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
# kortix.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 block from the Kortix README.

## Eigent vs OpenWork: what each one is

Eigent is an open-source desktop application that runs multi-agent work on your own machine. Its README calls it "the open source Cowork desktop application", it is built on CAMEL's multi-agent framework, and its Spaces package the agents, skills, and connectors a person reuses.

OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It is built on OpenCode, works with any model through your own keys or a local model, and lets a team share skills and MCP servers. Its own site calls it the open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex.

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System. Your agents, skills, company memory, and connectors live in one git repo you own, and each session runs on its own cloud computer. Where Eigent and OpenWork keep most of the setup on each machine, Kortix keeps it in one repo the whole team reads and edits. For the Eigent side of this pair, see [Kortix vs Eigent](/kortix-vs-eigent).

## Where each one runs its agents

Eigent runs agents on your desktop. Its README lists a local deployment with a local backend and no cloud account as the recommended setup, and a managed cloud plan is offered for teams that want hosted infrastructure.

OpenWork runs agents in its desktop app and keeps your files local. Its site says hosted cloud workers are optional and run on sandboxed infrastructure, and the desktop app needs no account to start.

Kortix runs every session on its own cloud computer. One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch. Thousands of agents in parallel on one config, each on its own cloud computer.

## Shared configuration or local configuration

Eigent and OpenWork differ most on where the configuration lives. Kortix keeps the configuration in files inside a git repo you own. An agent is `agents/<name>.md` for behavior plus an `agents.<name>` block in `kortix.yaml` for governance, and `kortix.yaml` declares the machine image, connectors and triggers. One person edits a file and the whole team gets it.

OpenWork shares team skills and MCP servers, and its own control plane, OpenWork Den, publishes capabilities, manages access, and configures shared or individual connections. The rest of the setup lives with the app on each machine.

Eigent keeps the setup inside the desktop app, in a Space profile bound to your machine.

## How each one reviews the work

In Kortix, session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents, so a person reads the diff and decides. You can list the review queue from the CLI with `kortix cr ls`.

In OpenWork, the work lands in your local files and the Library you control, and you decide what to post or share. In Eigent, you follow an agent's progress, inspect sources and file changes, then approve the result or ask for revisions.

## Which one fits which team

Choose OpenWork if you want a desktop Cowork app that works on your own files and you will manage the team's shared skills through its control plane. Choose Eigent if you want local multi-agent work on one machine with reusable Spaces. Choose Kortix if the configuration must be shared, versioned, and owned by the whole team, with every change reviewed before it lands.

The wider field is covered in [Kortix vs Eigent vs Kuse AI](https://kortix.com/blog/kortix-vs-eigent-vs-kuse-ai).

## Questions before you choose

What buyers ask when they weigh a desktop Cowork app against a platform.

### Is OpenWork open source?

Yes. The desktop app is open source and its team control plane is separate. Kortix is open source too, so the choice is where the work runs and who holds the configuration.

### Can a whole team share one configuration?

OpenWork shares team skills and MCP servers. Kortix keeps every agent, skill, memory file, and connector as a file in one git repo you own, so the configuration is versioned and shared.

### Do Eigent and OpenWork run agents in the cloud?

OpenWork's hosted cloud workers are optional, and its desktop app runs agents on your machine. Eigent runs agents on your desktop. Kortix runs every session on its own cloud computer.

### How is an agent's work reviewed?

In Kortix, session work reaches `main` through a change request, and merge is default-deny for agents, so a person reads the diff first. In OpenWork the work lands in your local files, and you decide what to share.

### What does Kortix cost?

Free is $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. Self-host is free.

## Run your whole company from one repo you own.

Start free, self-host, or run it on Kortix Cloud.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [See the open-source alternatives](https://eigentalternative.com/eigent-alternatives)