# OpenClaw vs Claude Cowork: which open-source option fits a team

> Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System. OpenClaw runs as one Gateway on your own computer, Claude Cowork runs in Anthropic's cloud, and Kortix keeps agents, skills, memory and connectors in one git repo you own, with each session on its own cloud computer.

URL: https://openclaw-alternative.com/openclaw-vs-claude-cowork

## Kortix, OpenClaw and Claude Cowork side by side

Kortix is the open-source option a team owns; OpenClaw is a personal assistant on your machine, and Claude Cowork runs in Anthropic's cloud.

| | Kortix (recommended) | OpenClaw | Claude Cowork |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No |
| Built for | A company's work, reviewed | A personal AI assistant | Non-coding knowledge work in Claude |
| Where work runs | Its own cloud computer per session | Your own computer, the Gateway host | Anthropic's cloud, or your cloud account |
| Your configuration | Files in one git repo you own | Configuration on your machine | Settings inside Anthropic's product |
| Models | Any provider, your own keys | Hosted and local models you configure | Anthropic's models only |
| Review before it lands | A change request a person approves | Tools run on the host; sandboxing is yours to set | Permissions you enable; Claude shows its plan |
| Reach | 3,000+ apps plus MCP, OpenAPI, GraphQL, raw HTTP | Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp and more | Connectors, plugins and skills |
| Self-host | Free on Kortix Cloud, VPC or on-prem | Runs on your own machine | No self-host |

OpenClaw and Claude Cowork facts come from each product's own documentation, checked October 2026.

## The review loop

`terminal`

```sh
$ kortix sessions new --prompt "Summarize this week's commits and open a change request"
$ kortix cr ls   # review what an agent proposes, then merge to keep it
```

Source: https://kortix.com/docs

Session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents.

## What an Anthropic OpenClaw alternative is asking for

The phrase usually means OpenClaw runs on one computer and the work now involves a team. OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI assistant: one Gateway process connects the chat apps you already use to an agent, state and credentials stay on your hardware, and tools run on the host unless you configure sandboxing ([OpenClaw on GitHub](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw)). Claude Cowork is Anthropic's agent inside Claude. It completes tasks you steer from anywhere, runs them in Anthropic's cloud, and works in the files and tools you choose ([Claude Cowork](https://claude.com/product/cowork)). Neither one is an operating system a company owns end to end.

## Where each product keeps the work

OpenClaw keeps its configuration on the machine that runs the Gateway, in a file such as `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`, and its memory and credentials on your hardware. Claude Cowork saves your sessions and files to your Claude account, and you can point it at your own Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry account ([Claude Cowork](https://claude.com/product/cowork)). Kortix keeps the setup in the repo instead. `kortix.yaml` declares the machine image, connectors and triggers, and secret names and grants, so the agents, skills, memory and connectors are files in one git repo you own.

## Who reviews the work before it lands

In Kortix, session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. OpenClaw acts and replies in the chat where you asked, and its safeguards are ones you configure. Claude Cowork shows its plan and waits for your approval when you enable permissions settings. When a company hands an agent work that matters, the review step is what makes it safe to hand over.

## Why Kortix is the open-source option

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, and the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work. Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it. One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch. Any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free.

The [Kortix vs OpenClaw comparison](https://kortix.com/blog/kortix-vs-openclaw) works the personal-assistant question through the same axis. [Kortix vs OpenClaw](/kortix-vs-openclaw) goes deeper on this site, [OpenClaw alternatives](/openclaw-alternatives) maps the wider field, and [OpenClaw for teams](/openclaw-for-teams) answers the shared-deployment question.

## Questions people ask before switching

### Is Kortix an Anthropic OpenClaw alternative?

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System and the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work. It keeps the agents, skills, memory and connectors in one git repo you own, with each session on its own cloud computer.

### Does Claude Cowork run on your own computer?

Cowork runs on web, desktop and mobile, and its tasks run in the cloud. You can use a Claude account or your own Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry account, and there is no self-host.

### Does OpenClaw run on your own computer?

Yes. One Gateway process runs the assistant on a machine you own, and from a phone you reach that Gateway. Tools run on the host unless you configure sandboxing.

### How does Kortix keep a person in the loop?

Session work reaches the default branch through a change request, and merge is default-deny for agents, so a person reads the diff before it lands.

## Start with the open-source option you own

Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [See the alternatives](https://openclaw-alternative.com/openclaw-alternatives)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem