OpenWork
OpenWork (Different AI, Inc.) is an open-source, local-first AI desktop app that lets individuals and teams run and share agentic LLM workflows across 50+ providers, serving knowledge workers, engineering teams, and compliance-sensitive enterprises.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What OpenWork does
OpenWork, operated by Different AI, Inc. (DBA OpenWork; incorporated in Delaware with a San Francisco registered address), is an open-source, AI-powered desktop application that lets individuals and teams build, run, manage, and share agentic workflows driven by large language models. It positions itself explicitly as an open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex, targeting knowledge workers, software/engineering teams, customer support and marketing functions, and enterprise IT/compliance buyers. Core use cases include browser automation, data extraction, code assistance, outreach, and cross-chat memory retrieval of prior work sessions.
Technically, the product is built on OpenCode primitives and ships as a free desktop client for macOS, Windows, and Linux with a local-first architecture (files remain on the user's machine in desktop mode). It supports 50+ LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and local models via Ollama) under a bring-your-own-keys model, integrates Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, offers built-in browser automation via the OpenWork Browser extension, and enables one-link sharing of skills, plugins, MCPs, and configurations across teams. Complementary components include OpenWork Cloud (a hosted control plane for shared workspaces, marketplaces, and managed providers), an Extension Marketplace, a REST API at api.openworklabs.com, and OpenWork Enterprise for self-hosted (Kubernetes Helm chart) deployment with SSO/SAML, SCIM provisioning, desktop policies, and audit controls.
The business model is product-led with a three-tier structure: a free open-source desktop tier (BYO LLM keys), a Team Starter subscription at $10/seat/month with the first five seats free (adding API access and the Extension Marketplace), and custom-priced Enterprise contracts (SSO/SAML, SCIM, bring-your-own inference, managed/self-hosted deployment, custom skill development, and MCP consulting) sold via direct outreach and booked calls. Go-to-market combines PLG acquisition (GitHub with 16.5K+ stars, documentation, Y Combinator visibility) with an enterprise field-sales motion aimed at organizations rolling out AI agents across 150+ employees in compliance-sensitive environments (HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, CCPA, GDPR). Revenue figures are not disclosed. Note: unrelated "OpenWork" entities in the source data — a Texas staffing firm and a Japanese HR-platform subsidiary of Link and Motivation Inc. — are distinct companies and are excluded from this analysis.
OpenWork firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenWork
- Legal name
- DIFFERENT AI, INC.
- Website
- https://openworkapp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OpenWork (Different AI, Inc.) is an open-source, local-first AI desktop app that lets individuals and teams run and share agentic LLM workflows across 50+ providers, serving knowledge workers, engineering teams, and compliance-sensitive enterprises.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenWork industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Productivity Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Desktop & Application Delivery (VDI/DaaS, Remote Apps) (BPAEAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Managed Workplace Services (DaaS/Workplace-as-a-Service) (BPAEAIAA)
Keywords
Where OpenWork is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
OpenWork business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
Revenue model
- Team Starter Subscription: Per-seat monthly subscription at $10/seat/month with first 5 seats free. Includes API access and Extension Marketplace. Paid monthly with cancellation anytime.
- Enterprise Custom Pricing: Custom pricing for enterprise deployments with SSO/SAML, SCIM provisioning, desktop policies, managed deployment, custom skill development, MCP consulting, and enterprise rollout support. Billed under custom commercial terms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Solo/Free - Open source desktop app |
| Subscription | Monthly | Team Starter - $10 per seat/month |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise - Custom pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
OpenWork product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenWork is an open-source AI desktop application that delivers a personal AI assistant for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It integrates 50+ LLM providers through a unified interface, supports a pluggable skills system, MCP server integrations, cross-chat memory, and browser automation, and offers cloud-hosted and self-hosted enterprise deployments with SSO/SAML and SCIM provisioning.
Product overview
OpenWork is a platform of AI-powered productivity tools built around autonomous agents and workflow automation. The core offering consists of the OpenWork Desktop App (free, open-source desktop client for macOS/Windows/Linux with local-first architecture), OpenWork Cloud (cloud-hosted control plane for team collaboration with shared workspaces and marketplaces), and OpenWork Enterprise (self-hosted deployment with SSO, SCIM, and compliance controls). Key product components include the OpenWork Browser extension for browser automation, the Extension Marketplace for distributing skills/MCPs/plugins, the OpenWork Cloud MCP server for API-based organization management, and Team Starter/Enterprise pricing tiers. Built on OpenCode primitives, the platform supports 50+ LLM providers and enables teams to share skills, workflows, and configurations via shareable links.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OpenWork Desktop App Free, open-source AI desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux that provides a personal AI assistant with support for 50+ LLM providers through a unified interface. Designed for individual contributors and small teams who want a desktop-native AI assistant with local-first architecture and pluggable skills.
- OpenWork Cloud Cloud-hosted control plane for managing AI workspaces, chat sessions, and organizational settings for OpenWork deployments. Accessed through a web app and intended for users who prefer cloud-hosted infrastructure rather than self-hosting.
- OpenWork Enterprise Self-hosted enterprise deployment of OpenWork with SSO/SAML authentication, SCIM user provisioning, and on-premises control of AI infrastructure. Targeted at organizations deploying AI assistance to 150+ employees with data sovereignty, audit, and compliance requirements.
- OpenWork Browser Browser automation extension that enables the OpenWork AI assistant to interact with web pages and execute browser-based workflows, complementing the desktop application with web automation capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Example customer organization achieved 68 daily active AI users out of 131 members (52% adoption)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenWork
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
OpenWork technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability7 records
Feature8 records
OpenWork partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
OpenWork competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cline: Cline is an open-source AI agent that operates autonomously in a CLI/IDE to execute coding tasks via browser automation and tool use. Directly comparable on agentic primitives, multi-LLM support, and open-source distribution.
- Anthropic: Anthropic builds Claude Cowork, the closed-source AI desktop coworker product that OpenWork explicitly positions itself against. Both target productivity workflows via AI agents; the key difference is open-source + multi-LLM + local-first vs. a single-vendor closed stack.
- Cursor: Cursor is a desktop AI coding IDE with agentic multi-step capabilities, BYOK model support, and team plans. It is the closest pure-play to OpenWork's agentic desktop category, focused on code rather than general productivity.
- Cognition: Cognition builds Devin, an autonomous AI software engineering agent that plans and executes multi-step coding tasks. Comparable to OpenWork on agentic architecture and team-licensing motion, with a narrower coding focus.
- Continue: Continue is an open-source AI coding extension for VS Code and JetBrains with multi-LLM support and team configuration sharing. Shares the BYOK + open-source + team-collaboration DNA with OpenWork, focused on developer workflows.
- Windsurf: Windsurf (formerly Codeium) is an AI-native IDE with Cascade agents that execute multi-step development workflows. Comparable on agentic desktop delivery, BYOK/managed models, and team-tier pricing structure.
- Replit: Replit offers an in-browser AI agent (Replit Agent) that plans and ships full-stack apps autonomously. Comparable on autonomous-agent GTM, team plans, and PLG-driven acquisition.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft Copilot is the broadest productivity AI suite spanning Office, Windows, Edge, and Teams. Overlaps with OpenWork in enterprise AI productivity and agentic workflows, but as a deeply bundled incumbent rather than a specialized productivity agent platform.
Emerging players
- Lindy AI: Lindy is an emerging AI agent platform for building custom workflow automations across productivity apps. Comparable on agentic workflow sharing and team enablement, focused on no-code business workflows rather than open-source desktop delivery.
Others
- Hugging Face: Hugging Face is the leading open-source AI model and tooling hub, including Hugging Face Agents and Spaces. Comparable on open-source AI distribution and multi-model support; adjacent rather than directly competitive since it does not ship a desktop agentic coworker.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OpenWork social profiles
Digital presenceOpenWork compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
OpenWork financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenWork leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
OpenWork funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenWork M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OpenWork
What does OpenWork do?
OpenWork is an open-source AI desktop application that delivers a personal AI assistant for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It integrates 50+ LLM providers through a unified interface, supports a pluggable skills system, MCP server integrations, cross-chat memory, and browser automation, and offers cloud-hosted and self-hosted enterprise deployments with SSO/SAML and SCIM provisioning.
Is OpenWork a public or private company?
OpenWork is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was OpenWork founded?
OpenWork was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OpenWork based?
OpenWork is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does OpenWork make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Team Starter Subscription is the primary driver. The others are enterprise Custom Pricing.
Who are OpenWork's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cline, Anthropic, Cursor, Cognition, Continue, Windsurf and Replit. Microsoft Copilot is listed as a broad incumbent. Lindy AI is listed as an emerging player. Hugging Face is listed as an others.
Does OpenWork have an API?
Yes. OpenWork provides a REST API accessible at api.openworklabs.com for managing organization resources including config objects, connectors, plugins, marketplaces, skills, workers, members, roles, teams, and LLM providers. The API supports OAuth authentication and is used by the OpenWork Cloud MCP server. API endpoints include: admin overview, organization API keys, config objects, connectors, GitHub integration, invitations, LLM providers, marketplaces, plugins, roles, skill hubs, skills, system health, teams, users, webhooks, and workers. Documentation available at openworkapp.com/docs/openapi.json Developer documentation is at openworklabs.com/docs/openapi.json.
What industry is OpenWork in?
OpenWork's product category is AI Productivity Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAIAC, Virtual Desktop & Application Delivery (VDI/DaaS, Remote Apps), with a secondary code of BPAEAIAA, Managed Workplace Services (DaaS/Workplace-as-a-Service). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7372.