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Search OpenBot and you will hit more than one product. This guide separates the two that dominate current AI-agent results — the desktop app at openbot.run and CopilotKit OpenBot — then covers install, platforms, pricing, and how to choose. A short note at the end flags an older same-name robotics project so you do not click the wrong GitHub.

Key takeaways

  • openbot.run OpenBot is a free ($0) local-first desktop workspace for persistent AI teammates. It runs on macOS 13+, Windows 10+, and Linux (AppImage), with phone apps that connect to your computer. Agents use plans or models you already have (Codex, Claude Code, Gemini, Grok, and others). Workspaces, conversations, files, and browser data stay on the machine that runs the app. Source is public under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0; commercial use needs a separate license.
  • CopilotKit OpenBot is a customizable agent application for employees, meant to run on infrastructure you own. Official pages emphasize company documents (Drive / OneDrive) with fail-closed permissions, per-agent computers, AG-UI agents, Docker Compose demos and Helm for production, and MIT-licensed source on GitHub.
  • They solve different jobs: personal / local multi-agent desktop vs company-owned coworker platform. Pick by where data must live and who operates the stack.

What OpenBot means (two products)

1) openbot.run — desktop AI teammates

openbot.run presents OpenBot as persistent AI teammates on your own computer. One desktop app runs a team of agents that message each other, hand off work, share files, and use a built-in browser. You connect providers you already pay for (or local / OpenAI-compatible endpoints), rather than buying a bundled model from OpenBot itself.

The public GitHub repo is nightly-labs/openbot (homepage openbot.run). As of this check it shows 1,344 stars. The README calls it a development preview: agents can read and change files, run commands, use the network, and control the embedded browser without asking each time after first-launch consent — so run only trusted tasks and keep backups.

2) CopilotKit OpenBot — company-owned agent app

copilotkit.ai/openbot and github.com/CopilotKit/OpenBot describe a fully customizable agent application for employees on infrastructure you own. Bring your choice of models and custom AG-UI agents; connect company knowledge; grant permissions and computer use in one place. Customize it yourself, or have CopilotKit engineers do it with you and hand it over.

The README frames it as a template to clone, not a hosted SaaS signup product, and labels the project alpha. License badge and LICENSE are MIT. GitHub shows 7,191 stars at this check.

Same name, different project (do not confuse)

An older OpenBot (ob-f/OpenBot) is an Android / smartphone-as-brain robotics stack for low-cost vehicles — person following and autonomous navigation, not the desktop or CopilotKit agent products above. Mentioned only so searchers do not open the wrong repo.

openbot.run: install, platforms, cost, and data

Platforms and download

Official download page (openbot.run/download) lists:

Platform Requirement (official) Package
macOS macOS 13 Ventura or later; Apple silicon or Intel DMG (notarized)
Windows Windows 10 or 11; x64 Installer (.exe)
Linux 64-bit distro; x64 or arm64 AppImage
iPhone iOS 16.4+; TestFlight beta Connects to your computer
Android Android 7.0+; Google Play Connects to your computer

Phone apps connect to the desktop install; they are not a standalone cloud agent host.

Price

The homepage states $0: no hidden fees, no locked features. You pay your AI providers through the plan or API key you already have.

Providers you can connect

Official FAQ / homepage list includes Codex, Claude Code, Gemini, Grok, OpenCode, Cursor, Cline, Muse Code, Pi, and Inception Mercury models; plus ACP agents, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, and local models via Ollama or LM Studio. When a plan hits a limit, an agent can move to a backup model and keep chat and workspace.

Where data goes

Per the site FAQ: workspaces, conversations, attachments, and browser data stay on the computer that runs OpenBot. The AI provider you choose receives the prompts your agents send; pages agents open use the network.

License (source-available, not “free for any business”)

All source is public on GitHub. You may change and run it for free for noncommercial use (personal projects, study, research). Commercial use needs a separate license. The license named on the site is PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0. The README attributes copyright to Synthetify Labs and points commercial licensing to licenses@openbot.run. Versions through 0.1.11 remain available under Apache-2.0 per that README — confirm the tag you ship against the repo LICENSE / NOTICE.

OpenBot for Teams (managed)

The same site offers OpenBot for Teams: managed servers, team environments, custom integrations, and implementation support. That is a separate commercial offering from the free desktop download; treat pricing and scope as sales-led, not as the $0 desktop claim.

CopilotKit OpenBot: when it fits

Use CopilotKit OpenBot when you need an internal agent surface your security review can describe:

  • Your infrastructure — Docker Compose for a demo; Helm called out as the supported production path on the product page. Data (documents, vectors, permissions, conversations) lives in your Postgres; nothing is sent anywhere you did not configure.
  • Your models, your keys — no bundled model; the built-in agent stays unavailable until an admin configures a provider. Keys are encrypted at rest with your key-encryption key, never returned, never logged, and revocable (company page claims).
  • Documents with fail-closed retrieval — connect Google Drive and OneDrive; an agent only sees files the asking person may open; ambiguous mappings return nothing rather than guessing; answers cite sources.
  • Computer use with visibility — each agent can get its own container, files, and signed-in browser; you can watch the screen and take the wheel mid-task.
  • AG-UI — any agent that speaks the Agent–User Interaction Protocol (LangGraph, Mastra, PydanticAI, or hand-written) registers as an endpoint and gets a channel. CopilotKit maintains AG-UI and ships a reference implementation.
  • Tool calls gated — sensitive MCP calls go through a gateway with an explicit per-tool allowlist; calls and outcomes are recorded.

README quick start needs Docker, Bun 1.3+, a CopilotKit Intelligence project/license path, and a model key. That is operator setup, not a one-click consumer install like openbot.run’s DMG/exe.

How to choose

  • Choose openbot.run if you want a desktop multi-agent workspace today, reuse ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini / Grok (etc.) plans, keep local workspaces on your machine, and accept PolyForm Noncommercial (or buy a commercial license / Teams).
  • Choose CopilotKit OpenBot if you need a company-deployable coworker app: own Postgres, fail-closed doc permissions, audit/gateway controls, AG-UI agents, and MIT-licensed template code your team can fork.
  • Do not treat star counts as quality scores; they only show relative GitHub attention at check time (CopilotKit OpenBot ~7.2k; nightly-labs/openbot ~1.3k).

FAQ

What is OpenBot?

In current AI-agent search results, OpenBot usually means either the free local-first desktop app at openbot.run, or CopilotKit OpenBot, a self-hosted customizable agent app for employees. They are unrelated products that share a name.

Is openbot.run OpenBot free and open source?

It costs $0 to download and use the desktop app with no locked features, per the official site. Source is public under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0: free for permitted noncommercial use; commercial use needs a separate license. That is source-available with a noncommercial license, not an unrestricted OSI “do anything” grant.

Does CopilotKit OpenBot host my company data?

The product page says OpenBot runs where your other internal systems run: one deployment per company, documents/vectors/permissions/conversations in your Postgres, and nothing sent anywhere you did not configure. Confirm against your own deployment and CopilotKit docs before a security sign-off.

Can phone apps replace the openbot.run desktop install?

No. Official download notes say iPhone (TestFlight) and Android (Play) connect to your computer, which must run OpenBot.

Sources

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Prepared with automated editorial assistance and checked against openbot.run, CopilotKit OpenBot, and GitHub sources on October 27, 2026.

Cover: AI Rank title card (no third-party photo).