Product comparison
Open-source alternative to Claude Cowork
Open Dots is an open-source, self-hostable AI workspace for people evaluating Claude Cowork and looking for a codebase they can inspect and adapt.
How Open Dots compares
Claude Cowork can work with files and use a computer to complete tasks in Anthropic’s product experience. Open Dots offers configurable chat, narrow connectors, approval-gated actions, audit events, and an optional Docker/Playwright computer runtime. It is not feature-equivalent to Cowork and lacks its polished desktop, cloud, and mobile experiences.
Product information: Claude Help: computer use in Cowork.
Who Open Dots is for
Developers who want to experiment with a self-hosted assistant interface and inspect the code behind its supported actions.
Trade-offs to consider
Claude Cowork provides a finished product experience for delegated computer and file tasks. Open Dots needs installation, provider configuration, and operational care; its computer runtime is optional and not hardened for hostile websites.
Open Dots features
- Self-hostable web client and API; app state is stored in local SQLite.
- Assistant personas, model selection, conversation history, and image attachments.
- Composio connectors with narrow GitHub issue actions.
- Deny-by-default action gateway, approval prompts, and audit events for higher-risk actions.
- Optional bot-scoped Docker/Playwright computer runtime or compatible remote service.
Frequently asked questions
Can Open Dots replace Claude Cowork?
Not feature for feature. Open Dots is an early open-source workspace with chat, selected connectors, approvals, audit events, and optional computer control. It does not have Cowork’s managed product experience.
Does Open Dots run computer tasks locally?
The project includes an optional Docker/Playwright computer provider and a compatible remote provider. The default provider is a development adapter, and the runtime is not a hardened security boundary for arbitrary web content.
Open Dots is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Claude Cowork or its owners. Comparison reflects public product descriptions and the current Open Dots README; capabilities can change.