Coworker
Free open-source desktop app for a team of AI coworkers with memory, skills, schedules and approvals, on local models or your own keys.
Free
Bottom line
Free, open-source desktop app for running a small team of AI coworkers on your own computer, with reviewed memory, skills, plain-language schedules and approval gates, reachable from Telegram or Discord. No subscription; you only pay for a cloud model if you choose one. Best for recruiters and agency owners who want a private desktop assistant without self-hosting a server.
Stands out for: It is a normal desktop app rather than a server you have to host, and it runs entirely on local models through Ollama or LM Studio if you want candidate data to stay on your machine. Every memory change, browser task and consequential action waits for your approval.
Watch out for: It is a young one-developer project at version 0.7 with a small user base, the installers are not code-signed so Mac and Windows warn on first launch, and you install updates by hand. Recruiting skills are not built in, so you add or write your own.
Overview
Coworker is a local-first desktop app built by Melvin Vivas (DonvitoCodes) and released as open source under Apache 2.0. It installs on macOS, Windows and Linux and keeps conversations, files and app data on your computer.
You create coworkers, each with its own model, memory, skills and folders. One can be marked primary to coordinate the rest, delegate work and post a daily team digest, and a Home feed shows running tasks, approvals waiting on you and finished work.
Coworkers learn new jobs from Agent Skills, search the web right after install, create documents, and can drive a visible browser one approved task at a time. Plain-language schedules run recurring work, a CLI and headless mode keep it running without a window, and each coworker can have its own Telegram and Discord bot with approval buttons.
The app is free with no subscription. It runs on local models through Ollama or LM Studio, or on your own key for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
Who it's for
Best for
- Recruiters who want a private desktop AI assistant
- Agency owners testing AI coworkers without a monthly seat fee
- Teams that want local models so data stays on the machine
Not ideal for
- Teams that need a supported, code-signed app
- Anyone wanting ready-made recruiting workflows
- Shared team use across many machines without setup
Key features
A team of coworkers. Mark one coworker as primary to coordinate the others, hand work between them and post a daily team digest; Home shows running work and approvals waiting on you.
Reviewed memory. Each coworker keeps its own Markdown memory across chats, schedules and restarts, and every proposed change waits for you to approve, edit or reject it.
Skills and browser control. Add Agent Skills from a SKILL.md file or link, search the web right after install, and let a coworker drive a visible browser one approved task at a time.
Telegram, Discord and schedules. Give each coworker its own Telegram and Discord bot with approval buttons, run recurring work from plain-language schedules, and keep it all going headless from the CLI.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Primary coworker delegates work to other coworkers and posts a daily team digest | Free |
| Reviewed memory per coworker, with every change approved by you | Free |
| Approval-gated browser control and web search through Agent Skills | Free |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
Pricing
Coworker is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, with no subscription. Your cost is any cloud model you connect with your own key; local models through Ollama or LM Studio cost nothing to run. The developer offers paid setup and customisation for teams. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 23 Oct 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Coworker expensive?
Coworker starts at Free. We list 27 AI assistants tools in total. 22 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $20 a month.
- 2 quote-based
- 22 free tier
- 18 public price
Worked out automatically from every AI assistants listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source with no subscription
- Runs fully on local models if you want
- Approval gates on memory, browser and actions
Cons
- Young one-developer project
- Installers are not code-signed
- No built-in recruiting skills
Integrations
Ollama LM Studio OpenRouter Anthropic OpenAI Google Telegram Discord
What's new at Coworker
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How Coworker compares
See all Coworker alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coworker (this tool) | ✓ | Free | – | – | |
 OpenClaw OpenClaw is the best-known open-source personal agent, with a huge skill library, but you host and secure it yourself rather than installing a desktop app. | ✓ | Quote | – | – | Compare |
 Hermes Agent Hermes Agent is the other big open-source agent, built to write its own reusable skills, and also self-hosted. | ✓ | Quote | – | – | Compare |
| | ✓ | $17/mo | – | ✓ | Compare |
OpenClawQuote Free tier
OpenClaw is the best-known open-source personal agent, with a huge skill library, but you host and secure it yourself rather than installing a desktop app.
Hermes AgentQuote Free tier
Hermes Agent is the other big open-source agent, built to write its own reusable skills, and also self-hosted.
$17/mo Free tier API
Claude is a hosted assistant with nothing to install and paid plans, if you would rather pay than run models and apps yourself.
Your next step
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