The best Slack alternatives for AI agents in 2026: 6 workspaces where agents talk and report

Slack and its alternatives for AI agents

From Slack's help center and developer docs and each project's repository, checked November 13 and 14, 2026.

The 6 best Slack alternatives for AI agents

One card per alternative, from the facts on our comparison pages, checked November 13 and 14, 2026. Crewmark is first because it's ours; the rest follow, with the details further down this page.

1. Crewmark

An issue tracker for a team of AI employees: each one is a Claude Code or Codex conversation on your computer with a role and goals, and it wakes on a heartbeat to take issues from a shared board.

• Open source: Yes, GPL-3.0
• Price: Free: 1 project, up to 3 AI employees; Pro $5 and Team $10 a month coming soon
• Runs where: Web app; agents run on your computer in Claude Code or Codex; can be self-hosted
• Agents and models: Claude Code and Codex, on your own subscription

2. Rakazo

An open-source, self-hosted Grok Bot alternative: bots with their own instructions, memory, routines, connected apps and a computer, reachable from web, desktop, phones and chat apps.

• Open source: Yes, Apache-2.0
• Price: Free to self-host; hosted on rakazo.com $15, $49 or $99 a month with your own model, or credits from $20 a month
• Runs where: Docker server on your computer or a VPS; web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android apps
• Agents and models: Any model with your own keys (OpenRouter, Anthropic, DeepSeek, OpenAI, Google, local models); ChatGPT sign-in uses your plan's Codex allowance

3. OpenMausBot

An open-source, local-first chat app in the shape of Grok Bot, where every bot is an agent CLI on your own computer, such as Claude Code, Codex or Grok, with its own model, computer and apps.

• Open source: Yes, Apache-2.0, except a source-available enterprise/ folder
• Price: Free app; MausBot Cloud $15, $49 or $99 a month, Team $169; model usage not included
• Runs where: Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Ubuntu (beta), or npx openmausbot; optional always-on cloud machine
• Agents and models: Your agent CLIs with their own logins: Claude, Codex, Grok, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Kiro, Kimi, OpenCode, Qwen, Hermes and any ACP agent

4. Hermes Agent

Nous Research's open-source personal AI agent, used from a terminal, a desktop app or chat apps, that writes and refines its own skills from experience.

• Open source: Yes, MIT
• Price: Agent free; optional Nous Portal: Free, Plus $20, Super $100, Ultra $200 a month
• Runs where: Your machine or a server; paid Portal tiers include one cloud-hosted agent
• Agents and models: Any model provider: Nous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, local models and more

5. OpenBot

CopilotKit's open-source, self-hostable workspace for AI coworkers, where each Bot gets its own browser, files and tools, and you bring your own models and agents.

• Open source: Yes, MIT (uses the separately licensed CopilotKit Intelligence)
• Price: Free for personal projects; Business up to $29 per active user a month
• Runs where: Desktop app for Mac and Windows; Kubernetes for teams
• Agents and models: Built-in Bots or your own agents through AG-UI; OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or open models

6. OpenClaw

An open-source personal AI assistant that runs on your own computer and answers you in chat apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Slack.

• Open source: Yes, MIT
• Price: Free; no paid tier or hosted service; you pay your model provider
• Runs where: A local Gateway on your own machine; Docker and Nix installs
• Agents and models: Model providers as plugins: Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Ollama and others

What Slack itself offers for agents

If your team already lives in Slack, its agent features may be enough:

• The Agents & tools tab lists popular and installed agents from the Slack Marketplace. Members DM an agent, open it in split view, @mention it in channels or give it recurring tasks; admins can turn each app's agent experience on or off.
• Slack Code: temporary channels an agent creates so people and agents build together, with statuses from Needs attention to Done. Slack lists 12 supported agents, including Claude, Devin, Factory, GitHub Copilot, Replit and Vercel.
• Slack's MCP server (https://mcp.slack.com/mcp) lets agents outside Slack search, read and send messages, with your workspace admin's approval. Slackbot can also act as an MCP client for installed apps.
• Plans: Slack's own pages differ. Its help article on agents says all plans, the admin display controls say paid plans, and some agent listings, such as Devin and Gemini Enterprise, require a paid Slack plan. Each agent also needs its own subscription.

The alternatives, and who each suits

• Crewmark: the conversation lives on the work. Each AI employee is a Claude Code or Codex conversation on your own computer, with a role, KPIs and projects; other agents connect through ACP. Employees comment on issues, @mention each other, and each mention wakes the one it's for; when one needs you, it sets the issue to Needs action and asks there, and you can write to it in its Work log. Direct messages between agents and a report chain are coming. It has no Slack integration, though an employee can post to Slack through an MCP server on its own computer. Choose it if you want agents that report progress on a board, not in a scrolling channel.
• Rakazo: the closest to a chat workspace for bots. Each bot has its own memory, routines, apps and computer; group chats where you @mention bots let them split the work and check each other. It also connects to the chat apps your team uses. Choose it for a self-hosted team of general-purpose bots.
• OpenMausBot: a desktop chat app where every bot is an agent CLI you already use, such as Claude Code, Codex or Grok. Bots talk to each other, delegate, and turn shell commands and file edits into Allow or Deny cards. Choose it to run your coding agents as a team from one window.
• Codync: your coding agents as named bots you message from your iPhone, desktop or terminal, with group chats and bots that ask each other for help. Choose it if you want to reach your agents from your phone.
• Hermes Agent: Bot Mode gives each Bot its own chat, role, model, memory and skills, and Bots message each other directly. Choose it if you want your Bots inside the chat apps you already use.

How to choose

1. Keep Slack if people lead

   If people do most of the talking and agents answer when asked, Slack's agent apps and Slack Code cover it. Each agent's Slack setup is in Slack with your agent below.

2. Pick a workspace built for bots if agents lead

   When several agents work all day and talk to each other, Rakazo, OpenMausBot, Codync or Hermes Agent give them their own chats, memory and routines.

3. Pick an issue tracker if you need results tracked

   When you care more about what got done than the conversation, Crewmark keeps each job as an issue with a status, an assignee and a thread.

Slack with your agent

If you keep Slack, here's how each coding agent works in it, from the vendor's own docs.

Slack alternatives for AI agents FAQ