What are the best open-source Grok Bot alternatives?
Rakazo is the closest open-source Grok Bot alternative: named AI teammates, each with its own computer, on the web, desktop, iPhone and Android, under Apache-2.0, on any OpenAI-compatible model you connect. OpenMausBot is the local-first desktop option, CopilotKit's OpenBot and OpenDots are templates for a company's own coworkers (both need a CopilotKit key), and Octop suits a team that chats through Telegram, Discord or Chinese work apps. Grok Bot and OpenAI dots can't use your own model or API key. Grok Bot is still easier: no server, a managed cloud computer and native apps that work on day one.
The open alternatives that take your own API
Each one documents a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint in its own docs. Ordered by how close they come to Grok Bot's shape: several named bots, each with a computer, that keep working while you are away.
1. Rakazo
Calls itself an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Grok Bot, Meta Muse, OpenAI Dots and Instinct. Persistent bots with their own computers, apps for the web, desktop, iOS and Android, and bridges into iMessage, Slack, WhatsApp and Telegram. Each user connects a model under Settings → Models → OpenAI-compatible. Apache-2.0, v0.2.0 beta (October 10).
Wrong pick when you don't want to run a server. Rakazo Cloud is not generally available, so you host the Docker Compose stack yourself, and the operator must set RAKAZO_OPENAI_COMPAT_ALLOW_PUBLIC=1 before anyone can connect a hosted API.
2. OpenMausBot
Calls itself "the open-source Grok Bot alternative": a team of bots in a desktop chat app that runs on your own machine (macOS, Windows, Ubuntu). Its built-in chat engine takes any OpenAI-compatible key and base URL under Settings → Connections → Model providers, and bots can also run your Claude Code, Codex or Grok CLIs.
Wrong pick when you want bots that keep working with your laptop closed or from your phone today. Hosted and mobile connectivity are still being built, and the enterprise folder is not open source.
3. OpenBot (CopilotKit)
Open-source AI coworkers that each get a computer of their own, reachable in Slack, Microsoft Teams or by text. One OPENAI_BASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY and BOT_MODEL point the whole deployment at your endpoint, using Chat Completions. MIT, v0.2.0 alpha.
Wrong pick when you want a finished product. It describes itself as a template, not a product, and the server will not start without a CopilotKit Intelligence key.
4. Octop
Tencent Cloud's self-hosted, multi-user, multi-agent assistant: several people, each with a team of expert agents, through a web dashboard, desktop apps or chat apps. The admin adds a custom provider under Model Management. MIT, the most-starred project in this group after Hermes Agent.
Wrong pick when your team lives in Slack or Microsoft Teams. Its chat channels are Telegram, Discord and Chinese work apps, and much of its user guide is in Chinese.
5. OpenDots (CopilotKit)
The open take on OpenAI dots: always-on AI coworkers that move between text, calls and Slack, each with its own computer. OPENAI_BASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY and OPENAI_MODEL in .env set the model. MIT.
Wrong pick when several people need their own accounts. It is single-owner by design, conversations require a CopilotKit Intelligence key, and voice calls go to OpenAI directly whatever endpoint you set.
6. Hermes Agent
Not a team of bots but the most mature open agent that people compare with Grok Bot: one self-improving agent with memory, in the terminal, Hermes Desktop, Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp and Signal. hermes model → Custom endpoint takes any OpenAI-compatible base URL. MIT, about 254,000 GitHub stars.
Wrong pick when you want several named bots, each with its own computer, managed from one app. Hermes runs one agent per setup.
How we chose
We searched GitHub and the web for projects that present themselves as Grok Bot or OpenAI dots alternatives, then kept only those whose own docs show a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint and that carry an open-source license. Stars are GitHub counts on October 15, 2026. We left out open-dots by Anil-matcha (no license file and no custom endpoint), Codync (it wraps other agents and has no endpoint of its own) and invisible_dots (built to evade anti-bot systems).
Sources: Rakazo self-hosting guide; OpenMausBot model providers; OpenBot configuration; Octop user guide; OpenDots setup; Hermes Agent providers
Compared side by side
The custom endpoint column quotes each project's own docs. Grok Bot and OpenAI dots are listed for scale.
| Project | License, GitHub stars | Runs on | Custom endpoint, from its docs | Also needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakazo | Apache-2.0 · 4.1k stars | Web, desktop, iOS, Android. iMessage, Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram and Feishu bridges | RAKAZO_OPENAI_COMPAT_ALLOW_PUBLIC=1 in .env, then Settings → Models → OpenAI-compatible: server URL, Model id, API key | A Docker Compose server. Bot computers in local Docker, or E2B, Daytona and others with their own keys |
| OpenMausBot | Apache-2.0, except the enterprise/ folder · 4.9k stars | Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Ubuntu. Phone companion still in progress | Settings → Connections → Model providers: OpenAI-compatible API key and OpenAI-compatible base URL, then Test. In a bot's model picker: OpenAI-compatible (OpenRouter / Groq) | Nothing else. Its other engines are the Claude Code, Codex and Grok CLIs you already use |
| OpenBot (CopilotKit) | MIT · 6.5k stars | Web. Slack, Microsoft Teams and text. Desktop and mobile apps built from source | OPENAI_BASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY and BOT_MODEL for the whole deployment. Anthropic: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL with BOT_PROVIDER=anthropic | A CopilotKit Intelligence key (free plan; self-hosting it is Enterprise), Docker, PostgreSQL |
| Octop (Tencent Cloud) | MIT · 9.5k stars | Web dashboard, Windows, macOS and Linux apps. Telegram, Discord, Feishu, DingTalk, WeCom, QQ, WeChat | Model Management → Custom Providers → New Provider: Type OpenAI Compatible, Base URL, API Key, Fetch models, Test Connection | Python 3.12. Docker sandbox optional |
| OpenDots (CopilotKit) | MIT · 5.4k stars | Web. Slack. Voice calls in the browser | OPENAI_BASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY and OPENAI_MODEL in .env | A CopilotKit Intelligence key. Voice always calls api.openai.com with its own VOICE_API_KEY |
| Hermes Agent | MIT · 254k stars | Terminal and Hermes Desktop. Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal | hermes model → Custom endpoint, or model: {provider: custom, base_url, api_key, default} in ~/.hermes/config.yaml | Nothing else |
| Grok Bot (closed) | Proprietary | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and @bot on X | None: no model picker | X Subscription Premium ($30), Super or Ultra, or a paid Cursor plan |
| OpenAI dots (closed) | Proprietary | ChatGPT on web, desktop and mobile. Slack, Teams | None: GPT-6 Astra only | ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium |
Stars: GitHub, October 15, 2026. Sources: each project's README and docs (linked in the first column and under the list above); Grok Bot models, Grok Bot plans and X Subscription pricing; OpenAI dots from DataCamp and Reworked, because openai.com blocks automated reads. Any of these projects: base URL https://api.stdcmpt.com/v1 (Anthropic Messages: https://api.stdcmpt.com), your Standard Compute key, and the model standardcompute.
What Grok Bot is, and why it can't use your own model
Grok Bot is xAI's product, built with Cursor: "AI teammates with names, jobs, and context that compounds over time", each on a persistent cloud computer with a browser, filesystem and terminal (xAI docs). The beta opened on August 11, 2026, with apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, and you can tag @bot on X.
It is included in The X Subscription's Premium ($30 a month), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) tiers, with usage drawn from a weekly pool shared with Grok and Cursor (pricing), and in paid Cursor plans (plans).
There is no way to bring your own model. Cursor's help page says "Grok Bot has no per-user or per-request model selection, and there is no model picker": it picks the backend model itself, from xAI or a third party (models). There is no API key or base URL setting either.
OpenAI dots: the same limit
OpenAI announced dots at DevDay on September 29, 2026: always-on agents inside ChatGPT, each with its own cloud computer and browser, reachable in ChatGPT on the web, desktop and mobile, and in Slack and Teams. Dots run only on GPT-6 Astra, with no model selection and no public API for dots themselves (DataCamp, Reworked).
The first dot is included with ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium. Reports differ on whether every Pro tier qualifies, and personal Pro access excludes the EEA, Switzerland and the UK. The open option shaped most like dots is OpenDots; Rakazo and OpenBot cover the same ground with more than one user.
Where Grok Bot and dots are better
- No setup. You install an app and the bots have a computer. Every open option here needs a server, Docker or at least a desktop that stays on.
- A managed, isolated cloud computer per bot, with review of risky actions (Grok Bot's Auto Review) and admin network allowlists. With the open projects, sandboxing is whatever you configure.
- Native apps on every platform from day one, X integration for Grok Bot, and for dots the ChatGPT plugin catalog and Slack and Teams without extra setup.
- Model quality without choosing: dots run GPT-6 Astra. On an open project you pick the model, and a weak one makes a weak bot.
- Grok Bot computers run in the United States, and customer data is kept out of training only with Privacy Mode on (security). If that matters to you, the open options let you decide where the computer and the model run.
Run them through one API
Bots that run all day make far more model calls than a chat. Point every bot at one OpenAI-compatible endpoint and you get one bill and one key to rotate.
- Cost first: send the model
standardcomputeand the router sends each step to the cheapest model that can do it. Routine steps such as reading pages, filling forms, summarizing and scheduled check-ins can go to low-cost models, and Claude Fable 5.1 or GPT-6 Astra handle the steps that need them. An exact model ID, such asanthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5, always stays on that model. - For every model we vet providers for price, uptime and speed, with automatic fallback when one fails, so a bot that runs overnight does not stop because one host is down.
- Opt-in Compliance rules restrict a key, team or company to provider endpoints in Europe or the US. They cover where the model runs. The bot's computer runs wherever you host the project.
- We don't train on your prompts or store them.
- Plans start at $19 a month for a fixed compute budget. At the end of the budget requests stop with HTTP 402 until renewal, so a looping bot cannot run up a bill.
Set up Rakazo on Standard Compute
- In your Rakazo deployment's
.env, setRAKAZO_OPENAI_COMPAT_ALLOW_PUBLIC=1and recreate the stack. Without it, Rakazo blocks public model endpoints. - Open Settings → Models (or Connect a model during onboarding) and choose OpenAI-compatible. Enter
https://api.stdcmpt.com/v1as the OpenAI-compatible server URL. - Enter the Model id
standardcompute(or pick one from Models from server) and your API key. Under Advanced, turn on Supports images so the screenshot computer tools keep working. - OpenMausBot, OpenBot, Octop and OpenDots: the same base URL, key and model in the fields listed in the table above.
The catch
None of these projects is as easy as Grok Bot. You host a server, decide where each bot's computer runs, and own its security: a bot with a browser and your accounts can do real damage if a prompt injection lands. Most are weeks or months old, in beta or alpha, and their config changes often. Start with one bot and read-only access.
Where Standard Compute fits
One OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible key for every bot, with a router that sends each step to the cheapest model that can do it, providers vetted for price, uptime and speed, opt-in Europe or US rules and no training on prompts. Plans start at $19 a month.
FAQ
Is there an open-source version of Grok Bot?
Not from xAI. The closest community projects are Rakazo (Apache-2.0: named bots with their own computers, on web, desktop, iOS and Android), OpenMausBot (a local-first desktop app) and CopilotKit's OpenBot (a template for a company's own AI coworkers). All three run on a model you choose.
Can Grok Bot use my own API key or model?
No. Cursor's help page for Grok Bot says there is no per-user or per-request model selection and no model picker, and there is no API key or base URL setting. To run Grok Bot-style teammates on your own model, use an open project such as Rakazo.
What is the best Grok Bot alternative on GitHub?
Rakazo (elie222/rakazo) is the closest match in shape and needs no third-party key. OpenMausBot (milind-soni/OpenMausBot) is the desktop option, and CopilotKit's OpenBot (about 6,500 stars) is the most-starred of the three but needs a CopilotKit Intelligence key.
Is there an open-source alternative to OpenAI dots?
CopilotKit's OpenDots: MIT-licensed always-on AI coworkers with text, calls and Slack. It takes OPENAI_BASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY and OPENAI_MODEL, but needs a CopilotKit Intelligence key and is single-owner. Rakazo and OpenBot cover the same use with several users.
Which API should I use for a self-hosted Grok Bot alternative?
One that keeps always-on bots cheap and the bill fixed. With Standard Compute's model standardcompute, the router sends each step to the cheapest model that can do it, and requests stop with HTTP 402 at the plan's compute budget instead of billing overage. Plans start at $19 a month.
Do these alternatives keep my data in Europe?
You choose where the project and each bot's computer run. The model calls are separate: on Standard Compute, an opt-in Europe Compliance rule keeps a key, team or company on provider endpoints in Europe, and a model with no European endpoint fails before any prompt is sent.