Source-available Claude Duet alternative
Updated October 24, 2026.
Claude Duet is Anthropic's proactive personal agent, released as a research preview on October 21, 2026. You message it like a person. It sends a morning brief, checks your connected accounts, and works on a cloud computer Anthropic runs.
Ork is source-available software for persistent AI teammates. You run it, you choose the model, and you can have more than one bot. Ork can also sign in with your Claude Pro or Max subscription.
Ork
- You host it
- Claude or any supported model
- Apache baseline + PolyForm NC
Claude Duet
- Anthropic hosts it
- Claude Pro and Max, US only
- Not self-hosted
| Topic | Ork | Claude Duet |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Source-available platform for persistent AI teammates. Ork is in beta. | A standalone Anthropic app with one ongoing thread, by text or voice. Anthropic says it is for professionals and small business owners. |
| Who runs it | You do when you self-host with Docker or point the desktop and mobile apps at a server you operate. Ork runs on the infrastructure you choose. | Anthropic. Duet works on its own cloud virtual machine with a browser. The help center says you cannot watch or take over that browser. |
| Source | Apache-2.0 baseline, new Ork work under PolyForm Noncommercial or a commercial license. | Hosted service from Anthropic. Its pages do not describe self-hosting. |
| Model | Bring your own model credentials, including Claude Pro/Max sign-in, other providers, and a local server. Each bot can use a different model. | Claude Opus 5.5. The help center says you cannot choose a model. |
| Connections | Composio or Pipedream Connect, or a Treg, remote MCP, or OpenAPI source you install. Bots also get a sandboxed browser, terminal, files, and a graphical desktop. | Claude's connectors and plugins, which Anthropic puts at more than 6,000. The help center names Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Docusign, and Calendly. Microsoft 365 is not available yet. Purchases use Link by Stripe or Shop Pay with one-time virtual cards. |
| Ongoing work | Each bot keeps conversations, memory, routines, and history. Routines are readable Markdown and can run on a schedule. A bot can delegate to a peer bot or a short-lived subagent. | A morning brief, then check-ins on your accounts. The announcement says every few hours; the help center says set intervals. Duet uses your Claude memory, skills, and connectors. |
| Control and availability | A bot can pause for approval at a boundary you set, and actions are recorded in an audit log. The web, desktop, and mobile clients are available with self-hosting now. | Duet asks before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, or deletes anything. Trading securities, moving money between accounts, and accessing someone else's account are blocked. Pro and Max only, in the US, from a waitlist. Usage counts against the plan's limits. |
Why source-available and self-hosted
- The source is public on GitHub. The Apache-2.0 baseline stays Apache-2.0. New Ork work uses PolyForm Noncommercial or a separate commercial license.
- You can run the published Docker images, or a source checkout, on a machine you control. The desktop app can start that stack locally or connect to a server you already run.
- You bring the model credentials. Connector credentials are encrypted on the server and are not returned by the API.
- Routines are readable Markdown. A bot can pause for approval at a boundary you set, and actions are recorded in an audit log.
- The web app, the Tauri desktop app, and the Expo mobile app are clients of the same API.
Get started
Run Ork from source on your own infrastructure.
FAQ
Can Ork use my Claude subscription?
Yes. Sign in with Claude Pro or Max, or bring an Anthropic key. Claude is one model choice, and each bot can use a different one.
Is Claude Duet open source or self-hosted?
Anthropic's Duet pages do not describe source you can run or a self-hosted install. Duet runs on a cloud computer Anthropic operates. Ork combines an Apache-2.0 baseline with new PolyForm Noncommercial work, and you can run it yourself.
Where do the Claude Duet details come from?
The Claude Duet column summarizes Anthropic's October 21, 2026 announcement, the product page, the help center article, and the October 23, 2026 safety post. Duet is a research preview, so check those pages before you rely on a detail.