The 12 Best Free AI Agents in 2026 (Actually Free)

"Free AI agent" hides three different bills, and most lists only tell you about one of them.

1. The software. Is the agent itself free — open source, source available, or a free tier of a paid product?
2. The model. An agent is a loop around a language model. Unless you run the model yourself, someone charges for every token.
3. The machine. Free software still runs somewhere. A self-hosted agent that must stay on around the clock needs a computer or server that stays on.

An agent is only actually free when all three are: free software, a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, on hardware you already own. Every entry below says which of the three it covers, so you can see the real bill before you install anything.

How we chose

Each agent had to be usable for real work at no cost — not a 7-day trial, not a demo. Facts come from each project's repository or pricing page, reviewed 24 September 2026; stars and licences come from the GitHub API on the same day. We favoured agents that can run with a local model, because that is the only way the model bill reaches zero.

At a glance

Agent	What's free	Local model?	Best for
AGNT	Community Core, unlimited local runs	Yes (Ollama, LM Studio)	Recurring work with agents, workflows and goals
OpenClaw	Everything (MIT)	Yes	An assistant in your chat apps
Hermes Agent	Everything (MIT)	Yes, via your own endpoint	A self-improving personal agent
Goose	Everything (Apache-2.0)	Yes	A general agent on your desktop
OpenCode	Everything (MIT)	Yes	Coding in the terminal
Gemini CLI	Software (Apache-2.0) + free tier	No	Coding and research with Gemini
OpenHands	Everything (MIT)	Yes	Autonomous software tasks
Cline	Everything (Apache-2.0)	Yes	Coding inside your IDE
AnythingLLM	Everything (MIT)	Yes	Documents, RAG and agents in one app
n8n	Self-hosted Community Edition	Yes	Workflow automation with an AI node
nanobot	Everything (MIT)	Yes	A small, hackable assistant
Dust	Free seat, 500 lifetime credits	No	Trying team agents before paying

The list

1. AGNT

Disclosure: AGNT is our product. It is first here because this list is about running real work for free, and that is what Community Core is for — but we say plainly where others fit better.

A local-first agent operating system for Windows, macOS and Linux. You run agents with their own memory, tools and budgets, visual workflows, and autonomous goals that plan, execute, grade their own output and replan. Every run leaves a receipt with its reasoning and cost.

• What's free: Community Core — the full desktop app with unlimited local runs. Paid plans add a cloud instance that keeps running when your laptop is closed (Personal Cloud $29/mo).
• Model bill: zero with Ollama or LM Studio; otherwise whatever your provider charges, across 20+ providers
• Also reachable from: the web and the AGNT Chat mobile app
• Licence: source available (custom licence, not OSI open source)
• Watch out for: a smaller connector catalogue than hosted automation tools
• Source: download AGNT · github.com/agnt-gg/agnt

2. OpenClaw

The most popular open-source personal assistant: one Gateway on your computer routes 20+ chat apps — WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Teams — to the same assistant.

• What's free: everything. MIT-licensed, stewarded by a non-profit foundation, no paid tier.
• Model bill: your chosen provider, or zero with a local model plugin
• Source: github.com/openclaw/openclaw · 390k★

3. Hermes Agent

Nous Research's self-improving agent, which writes and refines its own skills from experience and talks to you from Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp or Signal.

• What's free: everything (MIT). Nous Portal is an optional paid model subscription.
• Model bill: any provider or your own endpoint, including a local one
• Source: github.com/nousresearch/hermes-agent · 248k★

4. Goose

A general-purpose open-source agent that runs on your machine as a native desktop app for macOS, Linux and Windows, a CLI and an API. Built in Rust, with 15+ model providers and MCP extensions.

• What's free: everything (Apache-2.0)
• Best for: research, writing, automation and code from one desktop agent
• Source: github.com/aaif-goose/goose · 55k★

5. OpenCode

The most-starred open-source coding agent. A terminal-first agent that works with many model providers, including local ones.

• What's free: everything (MIT)
• Best for: developers who want a Claude Code–style workflow without a subscription
• Source: github.com/anomalyco/opencode · 210k★

6. Gemini CLI

Google's open-source agent for the terminal, with Google Search grounding, file and shell tools, MCP support and a 1M-token context window.

• What's free: the software (Apache-2.0) plus a free tier of 60 requests a minute and 1,000 a day with a personal Google account
• Watch out for: the free tier is Google's to change, and the model is Gemini only
• Source: github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli · 107k★

7. OpenHands

An open-source platform for autonomous software agents that write code, run commands and browse the web inside a sandbox.

• What's free: everything (MIT); a paid cloud is optional
• Source: github.com/OpenHands/OpenHands · 89k★

8. Cline

An autonomous coding agent available as an IDE extension, a CLI and an SDK. It asks permission before editing files or running commands.

• What's free: everything (Apache-2.0); bring your own model key or a local model
• Source: github.com/cline/cline · 69k★

9. AnythingLLM

An all-in-one desktop and Docker app for chatting with documents, running agents and connecting local or hosted models, with everything stored locally by default.

• What's free: everything (MIT)
• Best for: private document Q&A plus simple agents, without a server
• Source: github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm · 66k★

10. n8n (self-hosted)

The mature workflow-automation platform, with a first-party AI Agent node that decides which connected tools to call.

• What's free: the self-hosted Community Edition. n8n Cloud starts at $20/mo billed annually.
• Licence: fair-code (Sustainable Use Licence), not OSI open source; it restricts reselling n8n as a service
• Watch out for: you run, patch and back up the server yourself
• Source: n8n pricing · how n8n compares with AGNT

11. nanobot

A small, readable, self-hosted agent framework in Python with memory, MCP, scheduled automation and chat apps built in.

• What's free: everything (MIT)
• Source: github.com/HKUDS/nanobot · 49k★

12. Dust

A hosted platform for building team agents over company data, included for teams that want to try hosted agents before paying.

• What's free: a Free seat with 500 credits, lifetime. Pro seats are $24/mo billed yearly.
• Watch out for: 500 lifetime credits is an evaluation, not a working budget
• Source: dust.tt pricing

Which free agent should you start with?

• To automate recurring work on your own computer: AGNT Community Core with a local model.
• For an assistant you message from your phone: OpenClaw or Hermes Agent.
• For coding: OpenCode or Cline with a local model; Gemini CLI if a generous free tier matters more than model choice.
• For chatting with your own documents: AnythingLLM.
• For classic trigger-and-action automation: self-hosted n8n.

For a wider field, see the best open-source AI agents and the best local AI agents.

FAQ

Is there a completely free AI agent?

Yes, when three things are free: the software, the model and the machine. OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Goose, OpenCode, OpenHands, Cline, AnythingLLM, nanobot and AGNT Community Core can all run with a local model through Ollama or LM Studio on a computer you already own — no subscription, no token bill.

What is the best free AI agent for beginners?

One with a desktop app and no terminal: AGNT, Goose or AnythingLLM. Install it, install Ollama, pull one model, and you have a working agent without an account or a card.

Are free AI agents safe?

Treat any agent with shell or file access like a new employee with admin rights. Prefer agents that ask before consequential actions, run tools in a sandbox, and log what they did. Only install extensions and MCP servers from sources you trust.

Do free AI agents work offline?

Only with a local model. The agent software runs on your machine either way, but reasoning happens wherever the model is. With Ollama or LM Studio, it happens on your hardware and works without internet.

What is the difference between free and open source?

Open source means the licence lets you use, modify and redistribute the code (MIT, Apache-2.0). Free can also mean a free tier of proprietary software, or source-available software under a custom licence. AGNT is source available; n8n is fair-code; most other entries here are MIT or Apache-2.0.

Sources

• GitHub repositories linked in each entry (licences and stars as of 24 September 2026)
• Gemini CLI README (free tier limits)
• n8n pricing · Dust pricing
• AGNT pricing

Reviewed 24 September 2026. Free tiers change without notice; check each maker's page before you rely on one.