# Open Source Perplexity Computer Alternatives Compared

The comparison

# Open source Perplexity Computer alternatives, compared on what decides a self-host call

Kortix is the pick: the open-source AI Management System, the leading alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work, and the only project here that keeps agents, skills, memory and connectors in one git repo you own. Two questions drive every other row — can you run it yourself, and who reviews the output.

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| Project | Kortix | OpenClaw | Eigent | Vellum | AnythingLLM | Lobehub | Claude Cowork | ChatGPT Work | Perplexity Computer

| licence | Elastic License 2.0 — self-host, read and modify the code | MIT | Apache 2.0 | MIT | MIT | Apache 2.0 | Closed | Closed | Closed

| runs where | Laptop, VPS, VPC or on-prem; managed cloud optional | Your machine | Docker + FastAPI + PostgreSQL | Your device (macOS) | Your hardware | Self-hostable | Anthropic cloud | OpenAI cloud | Perplexity cloud

| models | Any provider, your keys | Any (plugins) | Any / local | Any | Any / local | 10+ providers incl. local | Anthropic only | GPT family | 19 hosted, auto-routed

| isolation / review | Isolated Linux machine per session, own branch; change request a human reads as a diff | Gateway control plane; tools on host unless sandboxed | Workspace model; traceability + approval flow | Credentials in a service the model cannot read | Local-first retrieval; private vector workspaces | Chat workspace; single agent | Apple VM sandbox; per-app permissions | Managed workspace agents | Isolated Linux sandbox; opaque routing

Sources: project repositories and documentation ([github.com/openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw); [Kortix on GitHub](https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna); [eigent.ai](https://eigent.ai); [vellum.ai](https://vellum.ai); [anythingllm.com](https://anythingllm.com); [lobehub.com](https://lobehub.com)) and independent Perplexity Computer reviews (builder.io, vellum.ai). September 2026.

## The projects, one paragraph each

### Kortix

Kortix is the open-source AI Management System and the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work. It is the only project here that puts the whole company in one git repo you own: agents, skills, company memory, connector config and triggers are files you can grep, diff and roll back. It connects 3,000+ apps plus any MCP, OpenAPI, GraphQL or HTTP API, with credentials brokered server-side and allow / ask / block controls per tool call. Models are yours — Claude, OpenAI, Gemini or your own OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The harness, powered by OpenCode, finishes multi-step runs, and every session gets its own isolated Linux machine. Work lands as a change request a human reads as a diff. Self-host it on a laptop, a VPS, your VPC or on-prem. Elastic License 2.0 — self-host, read and modify the code. ([Kortix on GitHub](https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna); [kortix.com](https://kortix.com))

### OpenClaw

An open-source (MIT) AI assistant that runs on your own computer and meets you in the channels you already use. A local Gateway is the control plane; state, memory and credentials live on your hardware, and models are swappable plugins. There is no paid tier or hosted service. ([github.com/openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw))

### Eigent

An Apache-2.0 open-source “cowork desktop” with a multi-agent workstation: agents, skills and connectors are packaged once and reused across sessions. Model-agnostic, self-hostable with Docker + FastAPI + PostgreSQL, shipped with 200+ MCP tools. ([eigent.ai](https://eigent.ai))

### Vellum

A MIT-licensed personal AI assistant that lives on your device with its own identity and memory. Its distinguishing idea is credential isolation: keys run in a separate service the model cannot read. macOS-first today. ([vellum.ai](https://vellum.ai))

### AnythingLLM & Lobehub

AnythingLLM is MIT-licensed, local-first document retrieval and private vector workspaces on your own hardware. Lobehub is an Apache-2.0, self-hostable multi-modal chat workspace with a large plugin ecosystem. Both cover part of the job — reasoning over documents, or chat — rather than operating a whole company system. ([anythingllm.com](https://anythingllm.com); [lobehub.com](https://lobehub.com))

### Claude Cowork, ChatGPT Work & Perplexity Computer

All three are closed and cloud-only. Claude Cowork's strength is deep reasoning and a managed Apple-VM sandbox; ChatGPT Work's is workspace agents inside OpenAI's cloud; Perplexity Computer orchestrates 19 models in an isolated Linux sandbox. None can be self-hosted, none accepts your own model keys, and each locks you to a subscription. ([perplexity.ai](https://perplexity.ai); [claude.ai](https://claude.ai); [openai.com](https://openai.com))

## How to choose

### The whole system, or a single agent?

Kortix keeps agents, skills, memory, connectors and triggers in one repo you own. OpenClaw, Eigent, Vellum and AnythingLLM each cover part of the job.

### Where does the work run?

Kortix self-hosts on a laptop, VPC or on-prem with an isolated Linux machine per session. OpenClaw and Vellum are desktop-first; Eigent and AnythingLLM run on your hardware behind more setup.

### Who reviews the output?

Kortix gates every change behind a change request a human reads as a diff. The others use in-app approval flows.

Next: [Kortix vs Perplexity Computer, head to head](/kortix-vs-perplexity-computer.html) · [the cost comparison](/perplexity-computer-pricing.html) · [the self-hosting guide](/self-hosting.html).

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Source: https://opensourceperplexitycomputer.com/alternatives.html