What OpenWork is
OpenWork describes itself as a free, open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex. It is a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux in which AI agents work on your own files. It is built on OpenCode, and it advertises 50+ providers, your own API keys, or local models. The desktop app is MIT-licensed, and no OpenWork account is needed to use it locally.
The project is young. Y Combinator lists it as founded in 2026, in the Spring 2026 batch, with a team of four. Jonker's framing is that OpenCode is a developer's terminal tool, and OpenWork puts a point-and-click interface on the same engine.
"Free" covers the app, not the model
The app costs nothing, but the model behind it may. OpenWork's own FAQ says you bring your own LLM provider keys. If you point it at a paid API, you pay that provider's rates and live with its limits.
Jonker lists several ways around this:
- Bring an Anthropic key. You keep using Claude models, billed through the API instead of a Cowork-style plan.
- Sign in with ChatGPT. OpenWork's README lists signing in with ChatGPT as an option alongside your own API key. Jonker says this works for Plus or Pro subscribers.
- Run local models. He describes an Ollama screen inside the app and says LM Studio connects through a config file. His warning is that smaller local models can be unreliable at calling tools, so he keeps a cloud model connected for heavier jobs.
- Use free hosted models. These come via OpenCode Zen. He names Big Pickle as free for a limited time, with a weekly cap. He also says data collected during that free period may be used to improve the model, so keep sensitive files away from it.
"Any model" is a marketing phrase. What actually works depends on the provider, the model and how you authenticate. OpenCode's documentation says it supports 75+ providers through the AI SDK and Models.dev, and OpenWork cites "50+". The documentation also notes that Anthropic explicitly prohibits plugins that let you use Claude Pro/Max subscriptions inside OpenCode. It says those plugins stopped shipping with OpenCode as of version 1.3.0. If you want Claude in this setup, use an API key. Don't assume a consumer subscription will carry over.
What stays local and what doesn't
OpenWork says that in desktop mode your files stay on your machine and prompts go directly to the provider you choose. Both halves of that sentence matter:
- Your files are not uploaded to an OpenWork service.
- A cloud model still receives whatever prompt and file content the task requires.
- A local model through Ollama or LM Studio avoids that transmission, but you are then responsible for setting it up correctly.
Jonker says the app only touches folders you authorize. That is a sensible boundary. It is not a guarantee against a bad edit inside the folder. Whichever agent you use, work from a backed-up copy and read what it proposes before approving it. Jonker says OpenWork asks before every click or keystroke in its browser, which he notes is safe but can get tedious.
Automations: the real differentiator
Scheduled tasks are the main draw. Jonker says setup takes four steps: write the instruction in plain language, pick a time, pick a model, and activate it. The per-model picker is the feature he rates highest. His example is a nightly job that pulls AI news into plain-text notes. That job runs on a cheap model, and a more demanding task can use a stronger one.
The limits matter just as much:
- Free-plan automations run on your desktop. Per Jonker, OpenWork must be open when the schedule fires, and the jobs need a free OpenWork account.
- Cloud automations are paid. OpenWork's pricing page lists a Team plan at $10 per seat per month. Its listed features include cloud automations, SSO/SAML and the Extension Marketplace. The pricing page also says the first five Cloud seats are free.
- Each run starts fresh. Jonker asked for a summary "since the last check" and the first run had nothing to compare against. His fix is to tell each automation to keep its own notes from the first run.
- Missed runs. Jonker says they get recovered once the app is back up. OpenWork's roadmap says missed and interrupted runs are shown. Treat the recovery detail as his observation until you test it yourself.
For Windows users, the desktop-versus-cloud split is the practical question. A laptop that sleeps or closes overnight is a poor host for a 3 a.m. job. If that describes your machine, the free tier suits daytime or on-demand work better than unattended scheduling.
OpenWork's roadmap also says some automation features are still being built. These include saved workflows from a chat, custom schedules and mid-run approvals. The site's own comparison table labels scheduled tasks "Alpha". That is a fair reminder that this software is moving fast and may not behave the same from one release to the next.
Migrating from Cowork
Jonker says OpenWork reads the same SKILL.md format as Claude Cowork and Claude Code, so existing skills appear in its library. OpenWork also offers a migration prompt that you paste into an agent such as Claude Code to move plugins and skills across. He says conversation history and scheduled tasks did not come over, so you rebuild those by hand.
What you give up
- Mobile. Claude works from a phone. OpenWork's phone app is on the roadmap. OpenWork's own comparison table marks phone task assignment and auto-refreshing dashboards as "coming soon".
- Always-on execution. Claude keeps working after you close your laptop, according to Jonker. Free OpenWork does not.
- Maturity. OpenWork's roadmap, last updated September 28, still lists several items as building or planned.
Jonker also says the built-in browser is roughly a tie now, because Claude added its own a few months ago. He says Anthropic retired the "Cowork" name and folded the workflow into the main Claude app. I could not confirm that independently, so read it as his account.
Verdict
OpenWork looks like a strong fit for a Windows user who wants a desktop agent, model flexibility and a local-model option. That includes people who would rather not spend their Claude limits on routine admin. It is a weaker fit if you need mobile access, scheduled jobs that run with the lid closed, or a polished, stable product.
One caution on sourcing. Jonker's "getting more done" is a personal result, and the feature comparison comes largely from OpenWork's own marketing. Test it on a copy of a non-sensitive folder first. Then decide whether the free tier's desktop-bound schedules fit how you work.