AGNT alternatives, from the people who build AGNT.
AGNT is a local-first agent operating system: many agents, visual workflows and autonomous goals on your own machine, with approvals and a receipt for every run. It is not the right tool for everyone. People pick something else when they want thousands of ready-made connectors, an assistant they message from their phone, a pure coding agent, or an OSI open-source licence. Here is the option for each.
Disclosure: we build AGNT, the product these are alternatives to. Each option is described from its maker’s own documentation and pricing page, linked below, with the reasons to choose it over AGNT.
What are you actually trying to fix?
Each reason points at a different tool. Picking by the reason, not the brand, is how you avoid migrating twice.
| If the reason is… | Look at |
|---|---|
| You want thousands of ready-made app connectors and nothing to run yourself | Zapier, or Make for a richer canvas |
| Your team already runs a self-hosted workflow engine | n8n |
| You want a Zapier-style builder you can self-host | Activepieces |
| You want one assistant you message from WhatsApp, iMessage or Telegram | OpenClaw or Hermes Agent |
| The work is mostly code in repositories | Claude Code or OpenAI Codex |
| You want a personal agent with no setup at all | Meta Muse (US) or Claude Cowork |
| You need an OSI open-source licence | OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, or Activepieces’ community edition |
How we compared them
No invented scores. Each option is described on the six questions that decide whether it fits, and every price is quoted from the vendor’s own page on 23 September 2026.
- Where the work runs. Your machine, your server, or a vendor’s cloud — and whether local files and private networks are reachable.
- How it is priced. Flat, per execution, per step or task, or per credit. The unit decides what success costs you.
- What the AI can do. A single AI step, an agent inside a workflow, or agents, goals and memory as first-class objects.
- Model freedom. One vendor’s models, several, or any provider plus local models.
- Control and evidence. Approval gates before consequential actions, and a record of what ran and why.
- Openness. Licence and whether you can self-host, inspect and leave.
12 serious options
1. n8n
Best forTechnical teams who want a mature, self-hostable workflow engine with an AI Agent node, priced per full execution rather than per step.
- Runs
- Self-hosted Community Edition, or n8n Cloud
- Pricing
- Self-hosted free; Cloud Starter $20/mo and Pro $50/mo billed annually; Business $800/mo
- Licence
- Fair-code (Sustainable Use Licence)
- AI capability
- First-party AI Agent node inside workflows
- Watch out for
- Server-first; you patch, back up and scale it yourself when self-hosting. The licence restricts reselling it as a service.
2. Zapier
Best forNon-technical teams connecting SaaS apps fast, with the largest catalogue in the category (9,000+ apps).
- Runs
- Hosted only
- Pricing
- Free (100 tasks/mo); Professional from $19.99/mo; Team from $69/mo; Agents Pro $33.33/mo billed annually
- Licence
- Proprietary
- AI capability
- Zapier Agents, AI steps, Zapier MCP
- Watch out for
- Every step and AI call draws from a task allowance, so cost grows with success. No access to local files or private networks.
3. Make
Best forBuilders who want the most expressive hosted visual canvas — routers, iterators and aggregators — without running anything.
- Runs
- Hosted only (AWS, EU or North America)
- Pricing
- Free (1,000 credits/mo); Core $12/mo, Pro $21/mo, Teams $38/mo for 10k credits
- Licence
- Proprietary
- AI capability
- Make AI Agents (beta), Maia, MCP server
- Watch out for
- Each module action consumes credits, and credits expire at the end of the term. Cloud only.
4. Activepieces
Best forTeams who want a Zapier-style builder they can also self-host, with flat monthly plans.
- Runs
- Cloud or on-prem
- Pricing
- Free (100 credits/day); Plus $20/mo; Team $200/mo
- Licence
- Source on GitHub (self-hostable)
- AI capability
- Flows, agents and tables with MCP support
- Watch out for
- Smaller catalogue and community than Zapier or n8n; heavier use moves to pay-as-you-go credits.
5. Gumloop
Best forBusiness teams building AI agents and flows in a hosted, no-code canvas.
- Runs
- Hosted only
- Pricing
- Pro from $37/mo with a 14-day trial; Enterprise custom
- Licence
- Proprietary
- AI capability
- Unlimited agents across 35+ models
- Watch out for
- Cloud only, with no local or offline mode.
6. OpenClaw
Best forAnyone who wants an assistant they can message from WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram or Slack, running on their own hardware.
- Runs
- Your own computer; native apps on macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux
- Pricing
- Free — no paid tier
- Licence
- MIT, stewarded by a non-profit foundation
- AI capability
- Personal assistant reachable from 20+ messaging channels
- Watch out for
- Tools run on the host unless you configure sandboxing; no workflow canvas or graded goals.
7. Hermes Agent
Best forTechnical users who want one personal agent in their chat apps that writes and improves its own skills.
- Runs
- Local, Docker, SSH, VPS or serverless backends
- Pricing
- Free; you pay your model provider (optional Nous Portal subscription)
- Licence
- MIT
- AI capability
- Self-improving agent with a learning loop, memory, cron and a messaging gateway
- Watch out for
- Terminal-first, single operator, no visual workflow builder.
8. Claude Code
Best forDevelopers who want the strongest coding agent on Claude models, in the terminal or IDE.
- Runs
- CLI, IDE, desktop app and web; cloud routines
- Pricing
- A paid Claude plan or an Anthropic Console account
- Licence
- Proprietary
- AI capability
- Agentic coding with subagents, skills, hooks, MCP and scheduled routines
- Watch out for
- Built for code in repositories; tied to Claude models.
9. OpenAI Codex
Best forDevelopers who already use ChatGPT and want OpenAI’s coding agent locally and in the cloud.
- Runs
- CLI, IDE, ChatGPT desktop app and cloud
- Pricing
- Included with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise, or an API key
- Licence
- CLI is Apache-2.0
- AI capability
- Coding agent with cloud tasks, scheduled and event-triggered tasks, skills and plugins
- Watch out for
- Built for code; tied to OpenAI models.
10. Meta Muse
Best forPeople in the US who want a personal agent for everyday life with zero setup.
- Runs
- Meta-operated Muse Secure VM; iOS, Android, Mac, WhatsApp, web
- Pricing
- Free with a usage limit; paid plans for more
- Licence
- Proprietary
- AI capability
- Consumer personal agent with goals, approvals, audit trail and agent checkout
- Watch out for
- One model (Muse Spark), runs in Meta’s cloud, US-only rollout for adults.
11. Vellum
Best forIndividuals who want one assistant that knows them and follows them across every device.
- Runs
- Local, or Vellum Cloud
- Pricing
- Free locally; Vellum Cloud $30, $100 or $200/mo
- Licence
- Open source
- AI capability
- Personal AI assistant with long-term memory and permissions
- Watch out for
- Personal-first: one assistant rather than a system of agents and workflows.
12. Claude Cowork
Best forClaude subscribers who want finished documents, spreadsheets and research with no setup.
- Runs
- Anthropic cloud sessions; desktop, web and mobile
- Pricing
- Paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise)
- Licence
- Proprietary
- AI capability
- Agentic knowledge-work tasks with scheduling and sub-agents
- Watch out for
- Claude models only; being merged into Claude itself.
Every option in one table
| Option | Runs | Pricing | Licence | AI capability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Self-hosted Community Edition, or n8n Cloud | Self-hosted free; Cloud Starter $20/mo and Pro $50/mo billed annually; Business $800/mo | Fair-code (Sustainable Use Licence) | First-party AI Agent node inside workflows |
| Zapier | Hosted only | Free (100 tasks/mo); Professional from $19.99/mo; Team from $69/mo; Agents Pro $33.33/mo billed annually | Proprietary | Zapier Agents, AI steps, Zapier MCP |
| Make | Hosted only (AWS, EU or North America) | Free (1,000 credits/mo); Core $12/mo, Pro $21/mo, Teams $38/mo for 10k credits | Proprietary | Make AI Agents (beta), Maia, MCP server |
| Activepieces | Cloud or on-prem | Free (100 credits/day); Plus $20/mo; Team $200/mo | Source on GitHub (self-hostable) | Flows, agents and tables with MCP support |
| Gumloop | Hosted only | Pro from $37/mo with a 14-day trial; Enterprise custom | Proprietary | Unlimited agents across 35+ models |
| OpenClaw | Your own computer; native apps on macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux | Free — no paid tier | MIT, stewarded by a non-profit foundation | Personal assistant reachable from 20+ messaging channels |
| Hermes Agent | Local, Docker, SSH, VPS or serverless backends | Free; you pay your model provider (optional Nous Portal subscription) | MIT | Self-improving agent with a learning loop, memory, cron and a messaging gateway |
| Claude Code | CLI, IDE, desktop app and web; cloud routines | A paid Claude plan or an Anthropic Console account | Proprietary | Agentic coding with subagents, skills, hooks, MCP and scheduled routines |
| OpenAI Codex | CLI, IDE, ChatGPT desktop app and cloud | Included with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise, or an API key | CLI is Apache-2.0 | Coding agent with cloud tasks, scheduled and event-triggered tasks, skills and plugins |
| Meta Muse | Meta-operated Muse Secure VM; iOS, Android, Mac, WhatsApp, web | Free with a usage limit; paid plans for more | Proprietary | Consumer personal agent with goals, approvals, audit trail and agent checkout |
| Vellum | Local, or Vellum Cloud | Free locally; Vellum Cloud $30, $100 or $200/mo | Open source | Personal AI assistant with long-term memory and permissions |
| Claude Cowork | Anthropic cloud sessions; desktop, web and mobile | Paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise) | Proprietary | Agentic knowledge-work tasks with scheduling and sub-agents |
Prices as listed by each vendor on 23 September 2026; plans that bill annually are marked as such.
Where AGNT is the better choice
When the work touches local files, private repositories or data that should not leave your machine. When you want many agents, each with its own memory, tools and budget, plus visual workflows and goals that grade their own output. When you need approval gates and a record of exactly what ran and why. And when you want to choose the model per agent, across 20+ providers or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio. Community Core is free with unlimited local runs.
Reviewed 23 September 2026 against AGNT’s official pricing and documentation. Every product here ships often — verify current capabilities, prices and licence terms before you choose.
Frequently asked
What are the best AGNT alternatives?
It depends on why you are leaving. For trigger-and-action automation, Zapier, Make or n8n. For a self-hostable Zapier-style builder, Activepieces. For an assistant in your chat apps, OpenClaw or Hermes Agent. For coding, Claude Code or OpenAI Codex. For a personal agent with no setup, Meta Muse or Claude Cowork.
Is there a free alternative to AGNT?
Yes. OpenClaw and Hermes Agent are MIT-licensed and free; you pay only your model provider, or nothing with a local model. n8n’s self-hosted Community Edition and Activepieces’ community edition are free to self-host. AGNT’s own Community Core is free with unlimited local runs.
Is AGNT open source?
No. AGNT is source available under its own licence, not OSI open source. If you need an OSI licence, OpenClaw and Hermes Agent are MIT, and so is Activepieces’ community edition.
Can I use AGNT alongside one of these?
Yes. AGNT can delegate coding work to Claude Code, Codex or Hermes Agent, and it integrates with Zapier, so existing automations can hand the steps that need local access or reasoning to AGNT.