# ChatGPT Work vs Claude Cowork, with an open-source option

> ChatGPT Work and Claude Cowork both ship as hosted agents inside one vendor's platform, OpenAI's and Anthropic's. This compares what each one runs on and where your work lives, then shows Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System a team can self-host.

URL: https://chatgptworkalternative.com/chatgpt-work-vs-claude-cowork

_Compare_

## ChatGPT Work vs Claude Cowork, with Kortix beside them

The two closed agents sit next to the open-source option a team can own, and each rival row states what that vendor documents publicly, checked October 2026.

| | Kortix (recommended) | ChatGPT Work | Claude Cowork |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | The open-source AI Operating System | An agent in ChatGPT that returns finished work | An agent on Claude that completes multi-step tasks |
| Open source | Yes | No | No |
| Where it runs | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or your on-prem network | OpenAI's cloud; the desktop app can use local files | Anthropic's cloud, or your own Amazon, Google or Microsoft cloud account |
| Self-host | Self-host is free | No | No |
| Models | Any model provider with your own keys | OpenAI's GPT models | Anthropic's Claude models |
| Your configuration | Files in a git repo you own | In OpenAI's product | In Anthropic's product |
| Agents | An agent is `agents/<name>.md` plus an `agents.<name>` block in `kortix.yaml` | Plugins, Sites and scheduled tasks | Plugins, skills and sub-agents |
| Price to start | Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project | See OpenAI's plans, usage-metered | See Anthropic's plans; Cowork is in paid plans |

Rival details checked October 2026 on each vendor's own page.

## Two closed agents, defined

ChatGPT Work is OpenAI's agent inside ChatGPT. You give it a goal and it works across your connected apps and files, then returns finished material such as sheets, slides, docs and sites. Claude Cowork is Anthropic's agent inside Claude. It works in the folders and tools you point it at and completes multi-step tasks while you watch each step. Both are closed products tied to one vendor's account, cloud and models.

## What you hand over when the agent is closed

Once your work sits inside [ChatGPT Work](https://openai.com/chatgpt-work) or [Claude Cowork](https://claude.com/product/cowork), three choices stay with the vendor. The host stays with them: neither product offers a self-hosted install, though Cowork can run on your own Amazon, Google or Microsoft cloud account. The model stays with them: ChatGPT Work runs on OpenAI's models, and Cowork runs on Anthropic's. The configuration stays with them: the agents, skills and prompts you build live inside the vendor's product.

For one person that trade is reasonable. For a team, it is the part that decides how much of the work you keep.

## The open-source option your team can own

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. Where the two closed agents hold your setup inside their product, Kortix keeps it as text you can read, diff and roll back.

```yaml
# kortix.yaml
agents:
  support-triage:
    file: agents/support-triage.md   # what it does, in plain markdown
    connectors: all                  # what it may reach
```

That manifest is from [Kortix on GitHub](https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna). Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free. Any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch. Session work reaches `main` through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. Approval gates you set. Off until you set them.

## How to choose between them

- Pick ChatGPT Work when the work is a deck, a sheet or a report that starts from ChatGPT context and the team already pays for a plan.
- Pick Claude Cowork when the work runs on files and folders you already keep in your own cloud account.
- Pick Kortix when you want the agents, skills, memory and connectors in a git repo your team controls, on any model, self-hosted or managed. [ChatGPT Work vs Kortix](/chatgpt-work-vs-kortix) takes that comparison further.

The Kortix team's own [Kortix vs Claude Cowork](https://kortix.com/blog/kortix-vs-claude-cowork) write-up goes deeper on the desktop assistant question.

_FAQ_

## Questions teams ask before they choose

Short answers, with the source for every rival claim.

### Is ChatGPT Work or Claude Cowork open source?

No. Both are closed products that run in the vendor’s cloud. Kortix is open source: read it, fork it, audit it. See [is ChatGPT Work open source?](/is-chatgpt-work-open-source).

### Can I self-host ChatGPT Work or Claude Cowork?

No. Neither offers a self-hosted install, though Cowork can run in your own Amazon, Google or Microsoft cloud account. Kortix is open source, and self-host is free. Read the [self-hosting guide](/self-hosting).

### Do these agents act without approval?

Both let you review a plan and approve significant actions, and both show each step as it happens. Kortix adds approval gates you set, off until you set them.

### Which models can each one use?

ChatGPT Work runs on OpenAI's models and Cowork on Anthropic's. Kortix runs on any model provider with your own keys, or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. See [models and your keys](/models-and-your-keys).

### What does each cost?

Cowork is included in Anthropic's paid plans, and ChatGPT Work is sold on paid, usage-metered plans. Check each vendor's pricing page before you buy. Kortix starts free: Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project.

## Run the agent layer from a repo you own.

Start with one job and grow from there.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Compare the other alternatives](https://chatgptworkalternative.com/chatgpt-work-alternatives)

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