Grok Bot costs $200, sits behind a waitlist, and burned through my free trial in about 20 minutes. OpenMausBot is a free open-source version of the same thing that runs on the AI subscriptions you already have. Here’s how it compares.
Short answer
- OpenMausBot is a free, open-source version of Grok Bot by Milind Soni.
- It uses AI tools you’re already logged into — Claude, Codex, even Grok itself.
- A model picker on every bot, 500+ connected apps, and local-first data.
- Rough in places and Mac-only for now — but free, and most people can’t get into Grok Bot anyway.
Why people want an alternative
Grok Bot is genuinely nice to use. Two things stop most people though.
First, it’s $200, with access starting at the top Grok and Cursor tiers and a waitlist for bigger companies. Most people who wanted in on launch simply couldn’t get in.
Second, and this is the one nobody mentions: I signed up to the free trial as an existing Twitter subscriber and ran out of tokens within about 20 minutes. Grok Bot is cool, but it burns through allowance fast.
So the question isn’t academic. If the interface is the good bit, is there a version you can just run?
The best free alternative: OpenMausBot
OpenMausBot is a free, open-source version of the whole Grok Bot idea, built by a developer called Milind Soni and shared publicly.
The key difference is that it doesn’t need a new subscription. It plugs into the AI tools you’re already logged into — if you use Claude, it uses your Claude. If you use Codex, it uses your Codex. It even works with Grok itself.
Open it up next to Grok Bot and they look almost identical: a sidebar of contacts where every contact is an AI agent, not a chatbot that talks but an agent that does work. Each one gets its own personality, job and model, and they sit in your sidebar like people on your team.
- Free and open source — no new plan, no waitlist.
- A model picker per bot — Fable 5, Opus 5, Sonnet 5, Haiku, Codex, Grok 4.5. Grok Bot doesn’t let you change the model at all.
- Every bot gets its own computer — a cloud desktop with a live screen preview you can take over in your browser, or point at your own Mac.
- 500+ connected apps through a one-click marketplace built on Composio — Gmail, Slack, Notion, Linear. Connect once and every bot can use it.
- Local first — a small server on your Mac manages the agent processes, and your conversations, keys and event logs live in a folder on your computer.
- Approval before action — a card pops up in the chat and you allow or deny.
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The other free routes
| Option | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| OpenMausBot | The Grok Bot interface, free | Early and rough in places |
| Hermes Agent | Full control, any model, local models too | Setup is on you; Claude needs an API, not the CLI |
| OpenClaw | Another open-source agent route | Same story — power over polish |
| Your own agent OS | Everything in one dashboard | You build it, or install one |
One detail that matters more than it looks: you can’t use Claude with Hermes through the CLI — you need an API. With OpenMausBot you can use Claude directly. If you’re already paying for Claude, that’s a real saving.
More on the free agent routes in how to use Hermes free and the free API setup.
What you need to run it
- A Mac — download it from GitHub as a Mac app and drag it into Applications. The server is built in.
- At least one AI tool already installed and logged in: Claude Code, Codex, or Grok’s tool. Whatever you have shows up in the model picker automatically.
- That’s genuinely it for the app. Windows, Linux and Ubuntu are on the way.
The app itself was easy to set up. The only fiddly part is configuring the CLIs — I got Claude Desktop to help me with that and it sorted it quickly.
Being honest about the rough edges
- It’s early. It launched within a day of Grok Bot. It’s an open-source project, not a polished product from a big company.
- Formatting is messy in places — the way it asks questions needs work.
- It looks limited to Claude, Codex and Grok as far as I can tell, though you use a CLI rather than an API.
- The approvals get annoying. Useful for safety, tiring in volume — though you can probably tune that.
- Agent-to-agent didn’t work for me. I tried getting one bot to talk to another and it didn’t understand. Grok Bot does this properly.
- It’s local-first, not local. Your data lives on your machine, but Claude, Codex and Grok are still cloud models, so prompts do leave. This isn’t local-model privacy.
If you want the genuinely perfect version, that’s Grok Bot. But it’s in beta with a waitlist, and it ran me out of tokens in 20 minutes. This is the longer-term version with fewer restrictions.
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FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Grok Bot?
OpenMausBot — a free, open-source version of the same idea that runs on the AI subscriptions you already have rather than needing a new one.
Why do people want an alternative?
Grok Bot is $200, gated behind top-tier subscriptions and a waitlist, and burns tokens fast — my free trial ran out in about 20 minutes.
Does OpenMausBot need a new subscription?
No. It plugs into tools you’re already logged into — Claude, Codex, or Grok itself — and they appear in the model picker automatically.
Can I change the model?
Yes, per bot — Fable 5, Opus 5, Sonnet 5, Haiku, Codex, Grok 4.5. Grok Bot doesn’t let you change the model at all.
Is it private?
Local-first, not local. Conversations, keys and logs live on your machine, but the models are still cloud models, so prompts leave. Use a local model setup if you need real privacy.
What do I need to run it?
A Mac, plus at least one of Claude Code, Codex or Grok’s tool installed and logged in. Windows and Linux are coming.
Is Hermes a free alternative too?
Yes, and more powerful in some ways — any model including local ones. But setup is on you, and Claude needs an API rather than the CLI.
Is it as good as Grok Bot?
Not as smooth, no. But it’s free, open source, and most people can’t get into Grok Bot anyway.
The bottom line
The best Grok Bot free alternative is OpenMausBot — same shape, open source, and it runs on the AI subscriptions you already pay for instead of a new $200 one. It’s early and rough in places, and it lets you pick a model per bot, which Grok Bot doesn’t. If you want more control still, Hermes is free too.
About Julian Goldie
I run Goldie Agency, a 7-figure SEO agency, and teach this daily on a 400K+ subscriber YouTube channel. 240+ client projects on Upwork at a 100% job-success score, 10+ years through every major Google update. My systems are in the AI Profit Boardroom; my link building book is free here.
