--- title: "How Much Does OpenBot Cost? Pricing, Hosting and License" url: "https://goremy.ai/blog/articles/openbot-pricing-hosted-servers-license" author: Luis Chavez-Mattos editor: Luis Chavez-Mattos editor_title: Director, Product published: "2026-10-28T12:00:08.948Z" updated: "2026-10-28T12:00:08.948Z" topic: AI Pricing & Usage Limits description: "OpenBot is a free app, hosted EU servers start at €20/$25 a month, and the PolyForm Noncommercial license limits commercial use. Here is the cost picture." --- # How Much Does OpenBot Cost? Pricing, Hosting and License > OpenBot is a free app, hosted EU servers start at €20/$25 a month, and the PolyForm Noncommercial license limits commercial use. Here is the cost picture. Edited by Luis Chavez-Mattos, Director, Product · Published 2026-10-28 ## How much does OpenBot cost? The OpenBot desktop app costs nothing, and it has no locked features. Your real spend goes to the AI plans and API keys you already use, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Grok. If you want agents running around the clock without leaving your own machine on, hosted EU servers start at €20 or $25 a month. A Teams offer with managed servers also exists. Commercial use is a separate question, because the code ships under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0. ## TL;DR - The OpenBot app is **free with no locked features**, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, with iPhone, Android, and web apps that connect back to your machine. - OpenBot sells no model, so your costs are **the plans and API keys you already pay for**, plus anything you add. - **Hosted servers in the EU start at €20 or $25 a month** for people who want always-on agents without running their own box. - A **Teams offer** has the OpenBot team run managed servers and set things up around your company and tools. No price was given in the source material. - The source is public on GitHub, but the **PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 license** means commercial use needs a separate license. - Grok Bot, by contrast, is **bundled with paid Cursor plans and SuperGrok subscriptions** and runs on a US-hosted cloud computer. - OpenBot is a **development preview** where agents run with full access, so treat it with care. ## What is OpenBot? OpenBot (from openbot.run) is a local-first desktop app for running persistent AI agents. Each agent has a name, its own instructions, its own workspace, and its own conversation. It is still there the next day with the context of earlier work. It is OpenBot's take on the idea Grok Bot popularized: a named teammate with a standing job. The difference is where it runs and what powers it. OpenBot runs on your hardware and connects to the harnesses you already subscribe to. Supported connections include Codex (via a ChatGPT plan), Claude Code (via a Claude plan), Gemini (via a Google AI Pro or Ultra plan), and Grok (via a Grok account or an xAI API key). It also supports Cursor, Cline, Musecode, Open Code, Pi, and Inception Mercury. Any agent that speaks the Agent Client Protocol, such as Goose or Qwen Code, can plug in. So can any OpenAI-compatible endpoint and local models through Ollama or LM Studio. ## Where does your money actually go with OpenBot? Think of it as three possible cost lines. Only the first is likely for everyone. | Cost line | Price | Notes | |---|---|---| | OpenBot app | Free | No locked features | | Provider plans and API keys | Whatever you already pay | OpenBot adds no markup on models, since it sells none | | Hosted server (optional) | From €20 or $25 a month | EU-hosted, for always-on behavior | | Teams offer (optional) | Not stated | Managed servers, set up around your company and tools | Because you pick the provider, model, and reasoning effort per agent, you can steer cost directly. A research agent can sit on a premium plan while a cheap background checker runs on a free or local model. If a plan hits its limit or a provider is down, an agent can fall back to a backup model on another provider and keep working, with a note in the chat showing the switch. ## Do you need a hosted server? Not necessarily. OpenBot is local first, so the computer running it has to stay on while agents work. Grok Bot keeps going in the cloud with nothing switched on at your end. OpenBot gives you three ways to close that gap: 1. Run it on a desktop or home server that stays on while your laptop sleeps. 2. Rent one of the hosted EU servers from €20 or $25 a month. 3. Use the Teams offer, where OpenBot runs managed servers for your company. For scheduled routines on Mac and Windows, a "keep this computer awake" option stops the machine sleeping while on power, so routines fire on time. Local first does not mean offline. Your chosen provider still receives the prompts your agents send, and pages your agents open still use the network. What stays home is the workspace, conversations, files, and browser data. ## Is OpenBot free for commercial use? Not automatically. The source code is public at Nightly Labs/Openbot on GitHub, and you can read and run it freely for non-commercial purposes like personal projects, study, and research. It ships under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0. Commercial use requires a separate license. That makes OpenBot source available, not open source in the usual sense. A "free app" and "free for any use" are different things here. If you plan to build a business workflow on it, price that licensing conversation in before you commit, not after. The sources do not state what a commercial license costs, so ask the maintainers directly. ## How does Grok Bot access compare? Grok Bot lets you create a bot with a name and a job. It lives on an always-on cloud computer with its own browser, file system, and terminal. You message it like a coworker, it signs in to your tools, runs multi-step work, runs scheduled routines, and hands work to other bots. It comes back to you when something needs approval. Access is bundled rather than priced separately: it comes with paid Cursor plans and SuperGrok subscriptions. The sources do not give those plan prices. | | OpenBot | Grok Bot | |---|---|---| | App cost | Free | Bundled with paid Cursor and SuperGrok plans | | Where it runs | Your machine, or an optional hosted EU server | Cloud computer hosted for your account in the US | | Model choice | You pick provider, model, and effort per agent | Managed for you | | Always on | Needs a machine that stays on, or a hosted server | Yes, nothing on at your end | | Source code | Public, noncommercial license | Not described as public | | Existing plans | Reuses ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok plans | Tied to Cursor and SuperGrok | The tradeoff is control against convenience. Grok Bot's managed setup is the point for many people. OpenBot suits people who already pay for several AI plans and want files and chats on their own hardware. ## Is OpenBot safe to run on your own machine? Read this before the pricing, because it affects the real cost of a mistake. OpenBot is a development preview. After the first launch consent, agents run with full access and no per-action approval. They can read and change files, run commands, use the network, and control the built-in browser without asking each time. Grok Bot's separate cloud computer partly keeps that blast radius off your laptop. With OpenBot, run only agents and tasks you trust, keep real backups, and consider a spare machine or server for all-day runs. A vault feature stores logins and payment cards encrypted by the operating system. It works with Bitwarden connections, and agents see only a card name and last four digits while you approve the first fill on each site. ## How do you get started? 1. Download the app: macOS 13 or newer (Apple Silicon or Intel), Windows 10 or newer, or Linux as an AppImage. 2. Connect a provider you already have. 3. Describe the agent you want in one prompt. OpenBot drafts it from your description. 4. Review and edit the instructions, then save and send work. Agents can message each other, hand off tasks, and review work in shared channels. Each channel task has one owner, with controls to stop, resume, reassign, archive, and restore. Busy agents queue new jobs, and you can steer work already running. Agents can also answer in Slack, Discord, and Telegram. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is the OpenBot app really free? Yes. The app costs zero and has no locked features. You still pay for the model plans or API keys you connect, and for a hosted server if you choose one. ### What does an OpenBot hosted server cost? Hosted servers in the EU start at €20 or $25 a month. They give you always-on behavior without running your own computer. The sources do not list higher tiers or Teams pricing. ### Can I use OpenBot at my company? The PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 license covers personal projects, study, and research. Commercial use needs a separate license. There is also a Teams offer where OpenBot runs managed servers and sets things up around your tools. ### How do I get Grok Bot? Access comes bundled with paid Cursor plans and SuperGrok subscriptions. Your bots and files live on a cloud computer hosted for your account in the United States, and model selection is managed for you. ### Does OpenBot keep my data fully private? Not fully. Workspaces, conversations, files, and browser data stay on your hardware. Your chosen model provider still receives the prompts your agents send, and web pages agents open still use the network.