# Grok Bot alternatives (self-hosted and hosted) Updated October 31, 2026. Grok Bot is xAI's hosted product for named bots, a computer they can use, routines, and approvals. The public docs describe a cloud computer on your account. They do not describe installing the service yourself or connecting your own model provider. Below are self-hosted and hosted alternatives. [Ork, the source-available Grok Bot alternative](https://orkbot.run/), is one of them: source-available software you can run on your own machine, with a model key you bring. ### Ork ![Ork chat with the Inbox bot. The sidebar lists Inbox, Chief, and Sales. The message asks the bot to file demo mail and not send anything.](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/chat.webp) The chat. The roster is the sidebar, and you manage the bot from this conversation. Suits someone who wants a persistent bot on a machine they control, with a model key they bring, managed from chat. The Apache baseline stays Apache. New Ork work uses PolyForm Noncommercial or a paid commercial license. [Ork, the source-available Grok Bot alternative](https://orkbot.run/). ### OpenClaw ![OpenClaw homepage](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/alts/openclaw.webp) Suits someone who wants an MIT-licensed agent on their own machine and will run a Gateway and a config file. [OpenClaw comparison](https://orkbot.run/openclaw-alternative/). ### Hermes Agent ![Hermes Agent homepage](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/alts/hermes.webp) Suits someone who wants Nous Research's MIT-licensed agent, including a desktop app that can reach a first message without the command line. Messaging apps use a separate gateway. [Hermes Agent comparison](https://orkbot.run/hermes-alternative/). ### Meta Muse ![Meta Muse homepage](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/alts/muse.webp) Suits someone who wants Meta's hosted agent in the Muse app or WhatsApp. It runs on a virtual machine Meta operates, and Meta introduced it on September 8, 2026. [Meta Muse comparison](https://orkbot.run/muse-alternative/). ### OpenAI Dots ![OpenAI page titled Introducing dots, dated September 29, 2026, with a button to create a dot.](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/alts/dots.webp) Suits someone on an eligible ChatGPT plan who wants OpenAI's always-on agents. OpenAI announced them on September 29, 2026, and says each dot has its own cloud computer. [OpenAI Dots comparison](https://orkbot.run/dots-alternative/). ### Instinct ![Instinct homepage](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/alts/instinct.webp) Suits someone who wants to text or call a hosted assistant. Spear Street Technology, Inc. operates the assistant at instinct.com. [Instinct comparison](https://orkbot.run/instinct-alternative/). ### Hark Pro ![Hark preview image with the word hark in white on a blue and coral sky.](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/alts/hark.webp) Suits someone who wants the hosted personal agent at hark.com, launched October 6, 2026, with a free tier. $20 a month is twice the usage, and $100 a month is ten times the usage. [Hark Pro comparison](https://orkbot.run/hark-alternative/). ### Claude Duet ![Claude Duet](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/alts/claude-duet.webp) Suits someone with Claude Pro or Max in the US who wants Anthropic's research-preview agent. It runs on a cloud computer Anthropic operates, and Anthropic released it on October 21, 2026. [Claude Duet comparison](https://orkbot.run/claude-duet-alternative/). ![A routine editor for a weekday inbox check, with the instruction written as text and a weekday 8:00 AM schedule.](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/routine.webp) A routine is the instruction and the schedule. ![Ork model settings with Anthropic selected, Claude Sonnet 5.5 in the model menu, and a button to sign in with Claude Pro/Max. The provider list also shows OpenAI Codex and xAI.](https://orkbot.run/graphics/grok/models.webp) Sign in with Claude Pro/Max, ChatGPT Plus/Pro, or SuperGrok. An API key works too. ## How to choose Choose an agent you run yourself when the computer and the model key should stay with you. Ork combines an Apache-2.0 baseline with new PolyForm Noncommercial work: you host it, you bring the model key, and you manage the bot from chat. OpenClaw is an MIT-licensed agent you run yourself, and its docs add a Gateway and a config file. Hermes Agent is MIT-licensed, with a desktop app that can reach a first message without the command line, and a separate gateway for messaging apps. Choose a hosted assistant when you do not want to install the service. Grok Bot comes with paid Cursor plans and SuperGrok. Meta Muse runs on a virtual machine Meta operates. OpenAI Dots sit on eligible ChatGPT plans. Instinct is the assistant you text or call. Claude Duet comes with Claude Pro and Max in the US, on a computer Anthropic operates. Hark Pro has a free tier. $20 a month is twice the usage, and $100 a month is ten times the usage. The [alternatives roundup](https://orkbot.run/alternatives/) lists license, price, and setup side by side. [OpenClaw vs Hermes Agent vs Ork](https://orkbot.run/blog/openclaw-vs-hermes-vs-orkbot/) compares the three you run yourself, and [open source and source-available AI agents in 2026](https://orkbot.run/blog/best-open-source-ai-agents-2026/) includes libraries as well as apps. - [Grok Bot overview](https://docs.x.ai/grok-bot/overview) - [Grok Bot FAQ](https://docs.x.ai/grok-bot/faq) - [xAI pricing](https://x.ai/pricing) - [Grok Build source](https://github.com/xai-org/grok-build) - [Grok-1 weights](https://github.com/xai-org/grok-1) ## FAQ ### Is Grok Bot open source? Grok Bot, the hosted teammate app, does not publish its source for you to run. xAI has open-sourced other software: Grok Build, the coding-agent CLI, is Apache-2.0, and the older Grok-1 model weights were released under Apache-2.0. Those projects are not the Grok Bot service. Ork combines an Apache-2.0 baseline with new PolyForm Noncommercial work, and the application source is public on GitHub. ### Can I self-host Grok Bot? The Grok Bot docs describe a cloud computer assigned to your account. They also describe an optional local computer, where a bot runs approved commands on the machine in front of you. They do not describe installing the Grok Bot service on a server you operate. Ork can be self-hosted. ### How is Ork different from Grok Bot? Both are persistent bots that can use a computer, sign in to tools, keep context, and run routines. Grok Bot hosts that computer for you and comes with paid Cursor plans and SuperGrok subscriptions. Ork is source-available: you host it and choose the model, and team computers and private computers stay separate. ### Is Ork just chat, like Grok Bot? After the install, yes. You create an account, connect a model, and manage the bot from that chat. A new bot interviews you. Routines, memory, and approval boundaries stay with the bot. Ork is that chat plus the computer you run. Grok Bot is also a chat for named bots. The difference is who hosts the service and who picks the model. ### Can I use my Claude Pro/Max or ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscription? Yes — sign in with that subscription, or use an API key / OpenRouter / a local OpenAI-compatible server (Ollama, LM Studio, etc.). Ork does not pay the model bill. ### What are the other alternatives? Meta Muse, OpenAI Dots, Instinct, Claude Duet, and Hark Pro are hosted assistants. OpenClaw and Hermes Agent are open source agents you can run yourself, with a gateway and a config file in their docs. The comparisons page lists licenses, prices, and setup side by side. None of them imports a Grok Bot account. - [Ork, the source-available Grok Bot alternative](https://orkbot.run/) - [Sitemap](https://orkbot.run/sitemap-index.xml)