The best personal AI agents in 2026, hosted and open-source

The best personal AI agents at a glance

Prices in USD as each company lists them. Hosted agents run in the company's cloud; open-source ones run on your own computer or server with your own model or agent. What a personal agent is, and how they differ, is in our personal agents guide.

Hosted personal agents from the big AI companies

Nothing to install or run: each lives in the company's cloud and keeps going while your phone is locked. The trade-off is that your accounts and tasks go through that company's servers, and you use its models.

• Meta Muse: Meta's personal agent, launched in the US on September 8, 2026 and powered by its Muse Spark model. Each Muse gets its own cloud computer with a browser, keeps working after you close the app, and checks with you before sensitive actions such as sending an email or buying something. Meta says it's free for most of what people need, with subscription plans for more; it's on iOS, Android, the web and WhatsApp. Best for: everyday errands from your phone. Guide: Meta Muse.
• Grok Bot: xAI's "AI teammates". Bots each get a computer in the cloud, sign in to your tools, work in Slack and Microsoft Teams, run routines and hand work to each other. Premium is $30 a month, Super $100 and Ultra $200, with weekly usage included. Best for: several bots that work with your team. Guide: Grok Bot; open-source options in open-source Grok Bot alternatives.
• ChatGPT dots: always-on agents inside ChatGPT, announced on September 29, 2026. Each dot has its own cloud computer and browser, connects to your apps and keeps working toward your goals while you're away. As of November 2, your first dot was included in Pro and Business Premium; OpenAI hadn't published prices for more. Best for: people already on ChatGPT Pro. Guide: ChatGPT dots.
• Claude Duet: an Anthropic app where Claude works as a proactive agent: it brings you what needs your attention, does tasks you hand it and checks before acting for you. It opened as a waitlisted research preview on October 21, 2026, for Pro, Max and Ultra subscribers in the US, with no separate price. Best for: Claude subscribers who want it to come to them. Guide: Claude Duet.
• Gemini tasks (formerly Spark): Google's cloud agent in the Gemini app, announced as "a 24/7 personal AI agent". It uses Gmail, Docs and other Google apps plus connected apps, and runs on a schedule or when something happens. It needs Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month in the US) or Ultra. Best for: people whose life runs on Google apps. Guide: Gemini tasks.
• Manus Cue: a standalone app for personal agents, launched in early access on September 28, 2026. Each agent gets its own email address, phone number, wallet and computer, so it can message people, take calls and pay within a budget you set. It's free during early access with an invitation code. Best for: an agent that acts in the world for you. Guide: Manus Cue.

The best open-source personal AI agents

You run these on your own computer or server and bring your own model, or a coding agent you already pay for. GitHub stars and licenses are from November 14, 2026.

• OpenClaw (github.com/openclaw/openclaw, 394,418 stars, MIT): a personal assistant that runs on your computer as a local Gateway and answers in WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, iMessage and other chat apps. Models and agent harnesses are swappable, and state, memory and credentials stay on your hardware. Its README says it "has no paid tier, hosted service, or token". Best for: one assistant you reach from your phone's chat apps. See OpenClaw alternatives.
• Hermes Agent (github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent, 263,275 stars, MIT): Nous Research's personal agent, from a terminal, desktop app or chat apps. It writes skills from experience, keeps its own memory, and its Bot Mode turns profiles into named Bots that message each other. Free; an optional Nous Portal subscription starts at $20 a month. Best for: a learning agent on your own server. See the Hermes Agent guide and Hermes Agent alternatives.
• nanoMuse (github.com/nano-muse/nanoMuse, 3,475 stars, GPL-3.0-or-later): the open-source take on Meta's Muse. One agent with a name and look lives on your phone, computer and the web; tell it something on your phone and your computer does the work. Its "Sentinel" stops before deleting, sending or paying. Free and non-profit, with a free model allowance to start, then your own key. Best for: a Muse-like assistant on Android and desktop. The iPhone app is a TestFlight beta.
• Rakazo (github.com/elie222/rakazo, 8,312 stars, Apache-2.0): an open-source Grok Bot alternative. Bots with their own memory, routines, apps and computer, on your own Docker server with any model, reachable from web, desktop, phones and chat apps. Free to self-host; hosted from $15 a month. Best for: several bots on a server you control. See Rakazo vs Grok Bot.
• OpenMausBot (github.com/milind-soni/OpenMausBot, 22,425 stars, Apache-2.0 except an enterprise/ folder): a desktop chat app where each bot is an agent CLI on your computer, such as Claude Code, Codex or Grok, using its own login. The app is free; MausBot Cloud adds an always-on machine from $15 a month. Best for: turning coding agents you already pay for into a team of bots. See OpenMausBot vs Grok Bot.

How to choose a personal AI agent

1. Start from the subscription you have

   Claude Duet comes with Claude Pro, Max and Ultra (US, waitlist), dots with ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium, Gemini tasks with Google AI Pro or Ultra, and Grok Bot with Grok plans. If you pay for none, Muse and the open-source agents are free to start.

2. Decide where your data goes

   Hosted agents work on the company's servers with your accounts. OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, nanoMuse, Rakazo and OpenMausBot keep memory and credentials on your own computer or server.

3. Pick where you'll talk to it

   Muse is in WhatsApp; Grok Bot in Slack and Teams; OpenClaw and Hermes Agent in WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and Slack; nanoMuse in Feishu, DingTalk, WeCom and Telegram.

4. Check how it asks before acting

   Muse, Duet and nanoMuse check before sensitive actions such as sending or paying; Manus Cue pays only within a budget you set. Give any agent the fewest accounts it needs.

Personal agents for errands, AI employees for work

A personal agent runs your errands. For ongoing work, such as shipping code, SEO or growth, Crewmark turns coding agents into AI employees. Each one is a Claude Code or Codex conversation on your own computer, with a role, KPIs and projects; other agents, such as OpenCode and DeepSeek Harness, connect through ACP. Employees take issues from a shared board, wake on a heartbeat during working hours, and set an issue to Needs action when they need you.

Crewmark is open source (GPL-3.0) and free for 1 project with up to 3 AI employees; you keep paying your agent provider as usual, and your computer has to stay on for heartbeats.

1. Pick a role

   Start from the AI employee roles and write its KPIs and projects.

2. Put the work on a board

   Assign issues and make regular ones repeat daily, weekly or monthly.

3. Let it keep going

   Set working hours and a heartbeat between 15 minutes and 24 hours. See multi-agent harness.

Personal AI agents FAQ