OpenBot
OpenBot is a desktop workspace where several AI agents live on your machine, each with its own name, instructions and workspace. They message each other, hand off tasks and share files. You pick the provider - Codex, Claude Code, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, Cline, OpenCode or a local model - and your files, conversations and browser data stay local, running on subscriptions you already own.
What is OpenBot?
OpenBot is a free desktop application from Synthetify Labs that turns your own computer into a shared workspace for a team of AI agents. Instead of one chat window you get named teammates, each with its own instructions, workspace and conversation history. They message one another, hand off work, review each other's output and share files, so a task can travel from first draft to reviewed result without you relaying every message by hand.
The commercial idea is that you should not pay twice for AI. OpenBot sells no tokens and marks up no model usage. It drives the agent products you may already subscribe to: Codex signs in with a ChatGPT plan, Claude Code with a Claude plan, Gemini with Google AI Pro or Ultra, and Grok, Cursor, Cline and OpenCode are supported beside them. If you would rather skip subscriptions entirely, point OpenBot at any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or run local weights through Ollama and LM Studio. Because an agent is separated from the model behind it, you can move a running agent from Codex to Claude Code and it keeps its workspace, context and conversation instead of starting over.
Everything that matters stays on the machine that runs OpenBot. Workspaces, conversations, attachments and browser data are stored locally rather than on vendor servers. The only outbound traffic is the prompts your agents send to the provider you chose and the pages they open. That browser is built into the app, so an agent can open, read and click through sites, check a staging build or walk a sign-up flow without extra tooling.
Work arrives through a queue rather than blocking the app. You can hand an agent a second task while the first is still running, then pause, resume or cancel waiting messages, which suits long refactors, research passes or overnight routines. Channels put several agents and people in one room, and a plugin marketplace adds integrations such as Notion, Linear, Figma, Canva, Postgres, Firecrawl and Brave Search.
OpenBot is not open source in the strict sense. Its code is public on GitHub under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0, so reading, changing and running it for noncommercial purposes is allowed, while commercial use needs a separate license. The desktop app costs nothing and locks no features. Teams that need always-on agents can pay for a hosted Linux server, or run the self-hosted server on their own VPS or Mac mini. macOS, Windows and Linux builds are available now, with iOS and Android companions that connect back to your computer.
OpenBot Core Features
Agent teams
Named agents each keep their own instructions, workspace and conversation, and can message, hand off to and review one another.
Bring your own plan
Run Codex, Claude Code, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, Cline or OpenCode on a subscription you already pay for, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
Local-first storage
Workspaces, conversations, attachments and browser data stay on the computer running OpenBot rather than on vendor servers.
Provider hot-swap
Move a running agent from Codex to Claude Code or a local model and it keeps its workspace, context and history.
Built-in browser
Agents open, read and click through pages in an embedded browser, so they can test a build or walk a sign-up flow.
Task queue
Send more work while an agent is busy; messages wait in a queue you can pause, resume or cancel.
Channels
Several agents and people share one room, so handoffs, questions and reviews stay visible in a single thread.
Plugin marketplace
Integrations for Notion, Linear, Figma, Canva, Airtable, Postgres, Firecrawl, Brave Search, Resend and Composio.
Who is OpenBot for?
OpenBot is aimed at people who already pay for a frontier AI subscription and want more than a chat box, but do not want a second bill for tokens. Solo developers and indie founders: you have one ChatGPT or Claude plan, a laptop and too many small jobs. OpenBot lets a coding agent refactor a module while a second agent drafts release notes and a third watches the test suite, all billed through the subscription you already own. Small engineering teams: several agents with separate workspaces can take a bug report, reproduce it, patch it and review the patch, handing work along a channel instead of a ticket queue. Because the app runs on a normal machine, a team can also put it on a shared server and invite coworkers. Technical consultants and agencies: client work arrives in bursts, and a queue lets you stack tasks for an agent that is still busy. Separate workspaces keep one client's files out of another's context, and the provider switch means a cheaper model can handle routine passes. Researchers and analysts: an agent with the built-in browser can read pages, collect sources and write up findings, while a second agent checks the citations. Local storage matters when the material is confidential. Operations and admin staff: recurring chores such as triaging an inbox, updating a Notion database, filing Linear issues or checking dashboards can run on a schedule, with the agent working in the browser like a person would. Privacy-sensitive users and self-hosters: teams in health, legal or finance, plus homelab users, appreciate that conversations, files and browser data never leave the machine and that the server can be self-hosted. AI tinkerers: anyone who wants to compare Codex against Claude Code on the same task, or run a local Llama model through Ollama, gets one interface and one set of agent instructions for all of them. It is a weaker fit for non-technical users who expect a hosted chatbot, and for anyone unwilling to let an agent change files on their computer.
OpenBot Use Cases
Hand a failing test to one agent and let another review the fix before it merges.
Run overnight refactors while a queue holds the next task until the agent is free.
Collect sources in the built-in browser and have a second agent fact-check the citations.
Triage an inbox, file Linear issues and update a Notion database on a schedule.
Compare Codex, Claude Code and a local Llama model on one task without rewriting prompts.
Keep client work apart by giving every project its own agent workspace, files and context.
Put your team's agents on a hosted server so work continues when laptops close.
OpenBot Pros and Cons
Pros
- Zero license cost: the full desktop app is free with no locked features, so you only pay the AI provider you already use.
- Local data by default: files, conversations and browser history never sit on OpenBot's servers.
- Real teamwork: named agents hand off work, review each other and share files instead of running as isolated chats.
- Provider freedom: subscription, API endpoint or local model, swappable mid-task without losing context.
Cons
- Development preview: agents read and change files, run commands and browse without asking each time, so backups are on you.
- Noncommercial license: PolyForm terms block commercial use without a separate paid license from the company.
- Desktop-first: the phone apps only remote into your computer, and hosted servers for always-on work cost extra.
FAQ About OpenBot
OpenBot Pricing
The desktop app is free: $0, no locked features, no subscription of its own. Model cost is yours, paid through the ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok plan, API key or local model you already run. Teams can optionally buy a hosted Linux server (Starter, Standard or Pro, monthly or yearly with 20 percent off yearly), priced at checkout rather than published on the site.
Check official pricingFree
Full desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux with no locked features; connect your own subscription, API key or local model.
Hosted Starter
Managed Linux server in the EU for up to 3 team members, 12 GB storage, base speed; monthly or yearly billing.
Hosted Standard
Up to 10 team members, 50 GB storage and twice the Starter speed, aimed at small consultancies running several projects.
Hosted Pro
Up to 25 team members, 100 GB storage and four times base speed for heavier, browser-driven workloads.
Custom Deployment
Company-wide rollout with configured environments, permissions, integrations and onboarding support from the OpenBot team.
OpenBot Alternatives
ZooWork
ZooWork packages professional expertise into deployable AI agents. Experts describe their role, load company knowledge and working SOPs, set delivery standards and tool permissions, then publish an agent that plans tasks, calls real systems, pauses at human approval gates, and produces deliverables. A managed runtime handles orchestration, sandboxes, and model routing across OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and DeepSeek, plus Slack, Teams and API access.
Opengeni
Opengeni is a cloud harness for long-running AI agents. Each agent gets a sandboxed computer with git, a shell, Python and a browser, connected to your repos, Slack and MCP tools. Credentials sit in an encrypted vault, teammates can open and steer the same chat, and you can bring any model, including a Codex or SuperGrok subscription. Free includes $10 of monthly usage.
Rill
Rill is a free beta browser for Apple silicon Macs that puts Claude Code and Codex beside your browsing. Press Command-E on any page to send a task, with the page or selection attached, and Rill routes it to the right local project. Your existing agent plan powers everything, with no new subscription or API keys, and nothing to configure.