The open-source, local-first
Manus alternative.
Orkas gives you what a hosted autonomous agent can't: an open-source AI agent team you can inspect and run on your own machine, using optional managed official models or your own provider. A Commander agent plans the work and dispatches specialists — research, coding, documents, data — all directed from one chat.
Open source, local-first, with flexible model access
People searching for a Manus alternative usually want the same autonomous, multi-step agent — but open, on their own machine, and without renting compute by the task. Orkas is built exactly for that.
Inspect and run it yourself
Read the open-source desktop client (MIT) on GitHub instead of trusting a hosted black box, and run it yourself.
- open source
- MIT
Keep data and keys local
Chats, agent configs, generated files, and API keys stay on your machine by default.
- local-first
- private
Bring your own model
Connect OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, and more with your own key, or use optional managed models. With your own provider, traffic goes directly to it and is not proxied through Orkas.
- BYO keys
- managed models
Direct an agent team
A Commander plans the work and dispatches specialists — research, video, UI, SEO — and can even drive coding agents like Claude Code and Codex, all on your own machine.
- commander
- specialists
Orkas vs Manus, capability by capability
No cherry-picking — where Manus leads, the table says so.
| Capability | OrkasThis site | ManusHosted |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your machine (macOS / Windows) | Hosted cloud |
| Setup | Download and install | ●Nothing to install — a browser is enough |
| Keeps working after you close the laptop | No — it is a desktop app | ●Yes, the run continues in the cloud |
| Start work from a phone | No | ●Yes |
| Execution environment | Uses your own machine and installed tools | ●Ships its own sandbox — nothing to configure |
| Source code | ●Open source (MIT), fully auditable | Closed |
| Files already on your computer | ●Reads and writes your own folders directly | Upload them first |
| Model access | ●Managed official models, or your own provider — own-provider calls go direct | Bundled with the plan |
| Where your data sits | ●Files and chats stay on your machine by default | On their servers |
| Cost of the tool itself | ●Free | Subscription |
Four of these rows go to Manus. If you want something that runs in the cloud with nothing to install, that is exactly what Manus is built for, and Orkas will not match it. The rows Orkas wins are all about ownership — your code, your files, your key, your machine.
Stay with Manus if you do not want to install anything, the run has to continue after you close your laptop, you start work from a phone, or you would rather not deal with model keys and local setup at all.
What people usually compare Manus against
Manus gets compared with several very different kinds of tool, which is what makes those comparisons confusing. Here is where each one actually sits.
ChatGPT answers inside a conversation. Manus takes a task away and works on it. Different layers, not really competitors.
Claude is the model and chat product; Claude Code is a command-line coding agent. Manus behaves closer to Claude Code, but is not limited to code and does not run on your machine.
Zapier wires systems together and fires on a trigger. Manus takes an open-ended task. If the work is “when X happens, do Y”, that is Zapier's job.
Lovable and Bolt specialise in generating web apps and front ends. Manus is broader and correspondingly shallower on that specific job.
OpenClaw and Orkas are the open-source side of this map. OpenClaw is usually self-hosted on a server; Orkas is a desktop app on your own machine. Against Manus the axis is the same for both — open and local, versus hosted and closed.
What changes when you switch
Open instead of closed
Read and run the source yourself rather than trust a hosted product you cannot inspect.
Local instead of cloud
Your chats, files, and keys stay on your machine by default, not in a vendor's cloud.
Your keys instead of credits
Connect your own provider so model calls go straight to it, instead of paying per task through a hosted plan.
Own it instead of renting
Your agents, skills, configs, and outputs are yours and portable, not locked inside a hosted account.
Choose Orkas when openness and ownership matter
Open & auditable
Inspect how the desktop client and its agents actually work.
Local & private
Files, chats, and keys stay under your control on your own machine.
Model choice, no lock-in
Use your own provider or optional managed models, and switch anytime.
Open-source Manus alternative questions
Is Orkas an open-source alternative to Manus?
Yes. Orkas is an open-source, local-first desktop app for directing an AI agent team. Unlike a hosted autonomous agent, you can inspect the source on GitHub, run it on your own machine, and use your own model keys or optional Orkas-managed official models.
Is there a free, self-hosted Manus alternative?
Orkas's open-source desktop app is free to download and runs locally on macOS and Windows. You bring your own model provider through OAuth or an API key, or use optional managed models, so you are not tied to per-task cloud credits.
How is Orkas different from Manus?
Manus is a hosted, cloud-based autonomous agent. Orkas is open-source and local-first: your chats, files, and API keys stay on your machine by default, and with your own provider, model traffic goes directly to it and is not proxied through Orkas. The trade-off is setup: Manus is fully hosted and runs in the cloud with zero setup, while Orkas runs on your own machine and needs the app installed and a model connected.
Can Orkas run autonomous multi-agent tasks like Manus?
Yes. A lead Commander agent breaks a request into a plan and dispatches specialist sub-agents for research, coding, documents, and data, coordinating them in a single chat. Orkas can also drive external coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, and OpenClaw.
Try the open-source Manus alternative
Free, local-first, and open source. Bring your own model keys or use optional managed models, and direct your AI team by chat.