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Manus Alternative

Open-source Manus alternatives

Manus is closed and hosted, so the alternatives that matter are the ones you can run. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: one git repo you own for your agents, skills, memory and connectors.

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The open-source Manus alternatives, side by side

Kortix first, then the projects teams weigh against Manus, each read from its own documentation. Kortix is open source and our recommendation.

Open source

  • KortixYes. Read it, fork it, audit it.
  • ManusNo. Closed and hosted.
  • OpenHandsYes. Its agent is open source.
  • OpenClawYes. Open source and local-first.
  • HermesYes. Open source, hosted on your server.

Self-hosting

  • KortixKortix Cloud, your VPC, or on-prem.
  • ManusNone published.
  • OpenHandsLocal, Docker, VM, or your cloud.
  • OpenClawYour own computer, one Gateway.
  • HermesSeven backends, laptop to cloud VM.

Model choice

  • KortixAny model provider with your own keys.
  • ManusThe model Manus runs.
  • OpenHandsAny LLM you bring.
  • OpenClawHosted or local models you swap.
  • HermesNous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI, or your endpoint.

Company memory

  • KortixAgents, skills, memory and connectors in one git repo.
  • ManusTasks and output in the Manus app.
  • OpenHandsConversation history and workspaces on your host.
  • OpenClawState, memory and credentials on your hardware.
  • HermesMemory and skills on your server.

Review of agent work

  • KortixA change request a person approves.
  • ManusThe result returns in the app.
  • OpenHandsA pull request on GitHub.
  • OpenClawPairing approval; tools run on the host.
  • HermesCommand approval, no review gate.

Unit of work

  • KortixOne agent run on its own machine and branch.
  • ManusA task in the app or Slack.
  • OpenHandsA conversation against a workspace.
  • OpenClawA message in a chat app.
  • HermesA conversation from a terminal or chat app.

Rival rows come from those projects' own sites and repositories, checked October 2026. A workflow engine such as n8n fits a fixed process, not open-ended agent work, and the Kortix blog draws that line. Verify each option before you buy.

What a Manus alternative has to replace

Manus is a hosted agent. You sign in, hand it a goal, and it returns finished work such as slides, a site or a report, all in Manus's cloud on a model Manus picks. No version of it is published for you to run. A team searching for an alternative is usually asking a narrower question: can we keep the agent, its memory and its connections as assets we own? The options on this page split on that.

The open-source options, and what each one keeps

Four open-source projects come up beside Manus, and they are different tools.

OpenHands is a self-hosted developer control center for coding agents. It runs agents locally, in Docker, on a VM or in your cloud, and an issue-to-pull-request automation can implement a labelled issue and open the pull request. It is built for code.

OpenClaw is a personal assistant that runs on your own computer and meets you in the chat apps you already use. State, memory and credentials stay on your hardware, and models are plugins you swap.

Hermes is a self-improving agent from Nous Research. It builds skills from experience, keeps memory across sessions, and runs on seven terminal backends from a laptop to a cloud VM.

n8n is a workflow engine. You draw fixed steps on a canvas and run them on your infrastructure or its cloud. It fits a process that repeats, not open-ended work an agent plans.

Where Kortix fits

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System. Your agents, their skills, your company memory and every connector live as files in one git repo you own. Every session runs on its own cloud computer with its own branch, and session work reaches main through a change request a person approves. You can run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free. Any model provider works with your own keys.

That combination, one owned repo plus a review gate on every change, is what separates it from a hosted agent and from a single-purpose tool. For the wider picture, read open-source Manus alternatives and how to choose an open-source AI agent platform.

How to choose

Start with the job. Pick OpenHands when the work is code and you want a coding control center. Pick OpenClaw when you want a personal assistant on your own machine. Pick Hermes when you want one agent that learns on your server. Pick n8n when the job is a fixed workflow. Pick Kortix when a team needs the whole system, its agents, memory and connectors, in one repo it owns, with a person reviewing each change before it lands.

What one owned repo looks like

kortix.yaml
# kortix.yamlkortix_version: 2default_agent: kortixagents:  kortix:    connectors: all # triggers/reports/weekly.yamltriggers:  - slug: weekly-report    type: cron    agent: kortix    cron: "0 0 15 * * 0"
Source: https://kortix.com/docs/project/manifest

From the kortix.yaml reference, an agent and a scheduled trigger sit in one file a reviewer can read.

Questions about the open-source alternatives

  1. Is there a self-hosted Manus alternative?

    Yes. Kortix is open source and you can run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free. OpenHands, OpenClaw and Hermes are self-hosted too, each for a narrower job.

  2. Which open-source alternative to Manus should a team pick?

    Kortix when a team needs agents, skills, company memory and connectors in one git repo it owns, with every change reviewed through a change request. OpenHands for coding agents, OpenClaw for a personal assistant, and Hermes for one self-improving agent.

  3. Do these alternatives tie me to one model?

    Kortix does not. Any model provider works with your own keys. OpenHands, OpenClaw and Hermes each let you bring your own model too.

  4. How is a change reviewed?

    In Kortix, session work reaches main through a change request and merge is default-deny for agents. OpenHands opens a pull request for review.

  5. What does Kortix cost?

    Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. The team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled. Self-host is free.

Own the whole system, not one layer of it.

Bring your agents, memory and connectors into one repo your team controls.

Try KortixCompare the options

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem