Open-source alternatives guide

Best Muse Alternatives: 5 Open Source Options (2026)

The best open source alternative to Muse is OpenClaw because it covers 29 channels including WhatsApp, keeps state, memory, and credentials on your machine, and by default sends the Foundation nothing but a daily version check. MIT licensed and stewarded by an independent US 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Move to Hermes Agent when scheduled memory is the actual job: morning briefings, overnight backups, and recurring research that runs without you. Choose Rakazo if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want that subscription doing the inference work rather than adding a second bill.

Muse is rolling out in the US and trains Meta's models on your interactions unless you opt out. Those are the 2 things that sent me looking, so I'd check each tool's model provider terms on training before you switch.

By Suraj

Last reviewed October 2026

Official website

Freemium

AI & Machine Learning

TL;DR

OpenClaw: 29 channels including WhatsApp, MIT licensed, state and credentials on your own machine, nothing sent home by default beyond a daily version check.
Hermes Agent: persistent memory across 7 platforms and natural-language scheduling that runs unattended while you are away.
Rakazo: runs on your existing Claude Pro/Max or ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscription with no API key or second model bill required.

Overview

What Muse is and what it costs

Muse, built by Meta, takes action on your behalf: it sends emails, books travel, fills out forms, and completes transactions through a full web browser it controls. You get an isolated Linux VM with its own browser, storage, CPU, and memory, so the agent can compile code it writes, develop custom skills, and run concurrent sub-agents.

Meta describes Muse Spark, the model underneath, as its most capable to date, built for real-world agentic work. Connect it to email, calendar, and Instagram, and you decide what it can see and do. A separate host-side agent called Sentinel is the only authority on permissions for third-party connectors and network egress: Muse proposes an action, and Sentinel decides whether it goes through.

Most use is free, with subscription plans for heavier use. Check Muse's current plan details in the app before you switch. It runs on iOS, Android, and muse.ai, rolling out in the US.

Pain points

Why people leave Muse

The practical reasons teams compare Muse with open-source alternatives before they migrate.

Most people here look at alternatives for 1 of 2 common reasons. Muse is still rolling out in the US, so if you're outside it, you may not be able to get it yet. The other is the data default: Muse opts you in to having your interactions used to train Meta's models. The switch to change that is in Muse settings, and Muse doesn't pass conversations or VM data to Meta's ad systems, but the opt-in default is enough for many people to want something else.

Either way, you want an open source agent on your own hardware, under your own keys, that you install yourself. OpenClaw is the first option when channel coverage including WhatsApp matters most. Hermes Agent fits when you want memory that builds across sessions and tasks that run on their own. Rakazo is the right pick when you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want to run on that subscription. Khoj handles research and automated newsletters. Leon is the option when the MIT licence and a skills-based architecture on your own server is the hard requirement.

The 5 tools below are the ones that hold up for someone leaving Muse. They are drawn from Open Source Alternatives, a directory of open source replacements for paid software, and each is open source and self-hostable.

At a glance

Quick comparison

Name	License	Best For
OpenClaw	MIT	Multi-channel personal agent across 29 surfaces
Hermes Agent	MIT	Persistent memory and scheduled tasks across 7 platforms
rakazo	Apache-2.0	Desktop agent with your own model keys and an audit log you own
Khoj	AGPL-3.0	Research and personal knowledge agent you host yourself
Leon	MIT	MIT-licensed personal assistant built on a skills architecture

Channel coverage

iOS, Android, muse.ai, WhatsApp (US rollout)

OpenClaw: 29 channels including WhatsApp; Hermes Agent: Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Email and CLI, plus a growing list; Leon: check which chat apps it connects to before you switch

Data residency

Hosted VM; interactions used to train Meta's models by default unless opted out

All 5 alternatives: self-hostable. Check each tool's model provider terms on training before you switch.

Model choice

Muse Spark (Meta's model)

OpenClaw: hosted, subscription-backed, gateway, or local models; Hermes Agent: Nous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI, or your own endpoint; Rakazo: Claude, ChatGPT, Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Grok, Ollama, LM Studio; Khoj, Leon: configurable

Licence

Proprietary closed source; Meta's hosted model

OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Leon: MIT; Rakazo: Apache 2.0; Khoj: AGPL-3.0

Setup

Download mobile app, no configuration required

OpenClaw, Rakazo: desktop app installer; Hermes Agent: one-line curl; Leon: npm CLI; Khoj: local install or cloud app

Editorial ranking

5 Best Open Source Muse Alternatives (Ranked)

Rank 1

OpenClaw

Multi-channel personal agent across 29 surfaces

392.3K stars82.5K forksTypeScriptMIT

OpenClaw — your personal AI assistant, running on your own devices

OpenClaw is an open source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and meets you in the channels you already use: Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, and 20+ more, plus native apps for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. If Muse's reach into WhatsApp was the feature you were paying for, this is the match. I'd reach for it first.

Hermes Agent also lists WhatsApp among its named platforms plus a growing list, and OpenClaw lists 29 channels, so weigh the channel count.

Key Features

Works across 29 channels: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage, and more, plus native desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Persistent memory that carries your preferences, projects, and people from one conversation to the next
Full system access: browses the web, fills forms, reads and writes files, and runs shell commands, with full access or sandboxed depending on what you configure
Organizes your inbox, sends emails, manages your calendar, and checks you in for flights
Extendable with community skills or custom ones, and can write its own skills
Team support with shared sessions, live presence, and commits credited to the people behind them

Pros

Your state, memory, and credentials stay on your own hardware. The data-residency question follows your model provider and connected platforms, so check their terms before you switch.
By default an install sends the OpenClaw Foundation nothing but a daily version check, and you can turn that off
MIT licensed, stewarded by an independent US 501(c)(3) non-profit that employs the core team and signs every release. The Foundation has no paid enterprise version, no hosted service, and no token.
Models including Claude, Codex, and local models are plugins you swap without changing anything else
Donor funding from the University of Michigan, OpenAI, Amazon, Red Hat, Offline Holdings, and Lobster Computer Company. None of them own, control, or direct the project

Cons

Tools run on the host unless you configure sandboxing, so read the sandboxing guide before you connect other users or expose the gateway.
Channel configuration has more steps than a desktop app that installs everything; check what the channels you want need before you start.

License & Hosting

License: MIT, stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation. The MIT licence covers modification, commercial use, and self-hosting.
Where it runs: local-first, with state on your machine. Desktop apps available for macOS, Windows, and Linux install the gateway, chat, setup, and node features in one pass
Setup: download the desktop app for your platform and it installs everything including the gateway and node features
Costs: no subscription, no hosted tier, no token required. Model costs depend on which provider you plug in (hosted, subscription-backed, gateway, or local)

Best For

I'd start with OpenClaw when the channel count is the deciding factor: 29 surfaces, WhatsApp included, with everything running on your own machine.

If searching your own notes and documents matters more than channel count, Khoj is worth a look.

View OpenClaw on Open Source Alternatives OpenClaw website Source on GitHub

Rank 2

Hermes Agent

Persistent memory and scheduled tasks across 7 platforms

254.6K stars55.3K forksPythonMIT

Hermes Agent is open source, built by Nous Research, and carries one memory across every platform you connect it to. OpenClaw reaches more channels. Hermes Agent keeps context when you move between them, and can run scheduled work on your behalf while you are away. I'd reach for it when that unattended run is the actual job.

Natural-language scheduling is worth knowing about before you decide: tell it to send a morning briefing or run a nightly backup, and it does that through the gateway on its own, no keyboard required.

Key Features

Runs across Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Email, and CLI, plus a growing list of platforms, with one memory across all of them
Natural-language scheduling for reports, backups, and briefings, running unattended through the gateway
Supports any model provider including Nous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI, and your own endpoint, switchable with a single command
Spawns isolated subagents with their own conversations and terminals, with Python RPC scripts for zero-context-cost pipelines
Desktop app available for macOS 12 and above and Windows 10/11
All paid Nous Portal tiers include monthly credits and access to 200 or more models with built-in tool use

Pros

Context does not reset when you switch from Telegram to Slack, because the memory is shared across the platforms you connect, such as Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal and Email.
Model flexibility is genuine: any provider, any endpoint, and switching takes one command, not a config file rewrite
A free tier at $0 a month covers free models at standard rate limits, so you can test before paying anything
Install on Linux or macOS with a single curl command

Cons

The free tier is limited to free models. Getting the full 200-model roster means a paid Nous Portal plan starting at $20 a month
Scheduled tasks run through the gateway, so check where your gateway will run before you depend on them.

License & Hosting

License: MIT, open source. Self-host freely
Where it runs: self-hosted on Linux or macOS. Desktop app for macOS 12 and above and Windows 10/11. One agent, one memory, across all connected platforms
Setup: install on Linux or macOS with a one-line curl command. Desktop apps available for download
Costs: free tier available with free models only. Nous Portal paid plans start at $20 per month (Plus) for access to 200 or more models, $100 per month (Super), or $200 per month (Ultra), each with monthly credits and a rollover cap

Best For

Pick Hermes Agent when scheduled memory is the core job: daily briefings, overnight backups, recurring reports you want running without touching a keyboard. It is also the pick when you want to swap model providers from day one without touching any configuration beyond a single command.

Need more channels? OpenClaw reaches 29, WhatsApp included.

View Hermes Agent on Open Source Alternatives Hermes Agent website Source on GitHub

Rank 3

rakazo

Desktop agent with your own model keys and an audit log you own

4.4K stars797 forksTypeScriptApache-2.0

Rakazo runs on your Claude Pro/Max (Sonnet or Opus) or ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscription with no API key required. Inbox Zero Inc. designed it so your keys drive the inference, your data stays on your machine, and nothing phones home. For anyone who does not want a second AI bill, I'd make it the pick.

Every action the agent takes lands in an audit log you own. You decide in advance what it may handle on its own and what it must ask you about first.

Key Features

Sign in with Claude Pro/Max (Sonnet or Opus) or ChatGPT Plus/Pro, or use an Anthropic or OpenAI API key. OpenRouter, Grok, SuperGrok, Ollama, and LM Studio also work, and you can swap models per bot
Set what a bot may do alone and what it must ask about. Every action lands in an audit log you own
Routines are saved as plain Markdown you can read, edit, and commit
Bring your own model and computer provider, or run the complete stack locally
App integrations through Composio or Pipedream Connect, plus Treg, remote MCP, and OpenAPI tool sources
Self-host tier includes a Docker runner and sandboxed browser, unlimited bots, routines, memory, and audit log with no seats or limits

Pros

No API key needed if you already pay for Claude Pro/Max or ChatGPT Plus/Pro: no separate model bill.
Apache 2.0 licensed. Rakazo says nothing is gated and nothing phones home.
Routines and the audit log are plain files you own: read them, edit them, commit them alongside your code.

Cons

Rakazo's community is smaller than OpenClaw's or Hermes Agent's, so community issue volume is lower and fixes may move slower
Running a local model means pointing a bot at a local OpenAI-compatible server like Ollama or LM Studio first, so count on extra setup if you are not already running one

License & Hosting

License: Apache 2.0. Rakazo runs on your own machine with your own model keys.
Where it runs: local-first, on your Mac or any machine you control. The desktop app's "This computer" option installs Rakazo locally. A Mac Mini kept on handles always-on scenarios
Setup: The desktop app handles the install; Docker Desktop, OrbStack or Docker Engine must be on your machine. Docker runner and sandboxed browser included in the self-host tier
Costs: Rakazo's self-hosted software is free under Apache 2.0, model access is the main cost, and Treg and some remote sandbox providers are usage-metered. Sign in with Claude Pro/Max or ChatGPT Plus/Pro to cover model costs with your existing subscription, or supply an Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or Grok API key

Best For

Rakazo is the one if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want that subscription doing the inference work rather than a second API bill. The audit log and per-bot permission model make it the right call when you need a record of exactly what the agent did and when.

For channel breadth rather than subscription reuse, OpenClaw.

View rakazo on Open Source Alternatives rakazo website Source on GitHub

Rank 4

Khoj

Research and personal knowledge agent you host yourself

37.7K stars2.5K forksPythonAGPL-3.0

Khoj earns its place on this list when research and recurring information tasks are the core job. If you used Muse mainly for reading, summarizing, and researching across your docs and the web, and shopping or travel bookings were not part of your day, I'd start here before the other options.

You can run it privately on your own computer, or use the maker's cloud app at app.khoj.dev if you want to try it before committing to a local install.

Key Features

Build agents with custom knowledge, a persona, a chat model, and tools, so each agent takes on a specific research role
Automate repetitive research tasks and get personal newsletters and smart notifications delivered to your inbox
Run privately on your own computer, or use the maker's cloud app at app.khoj.dev

Pros

Self-hosted means your notes and documents never leave your machine; the cloud app is there only if you want to try it first.
Agent customization lets you shape a research assistant around your own workflow rather than a generic one

Cons

Khoj is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Check the licence file in the repository before you build on it.
Khoj lets you build agents with custom tools and schedule automations, so check whether they cover shopping, travel, or email workflows before you switch.

License & Hosting

License: AGPL-3.0. Check the repository's LICENSE file before building on it.
Where it runs: local-first on your own computer, or via the maker's cloud app at app.khoj.dev
Setup: run locally with the project's install, or use the cloud app at app.khoj.dev
Costs: no cost stated for self-hosted use. Check app.khoj.dev for current cloud app plan details

Best For

Khoj is the pick when your Muse use was mostly research and recurring information tasks (reading, summarising, researching across your docs and the web), not shopping or booking.

If you need the broader agent surface, OpenClaw covers more channels, WhatsApp included.

View Khoj on Open Source Alternatives Khoj website Source on GitHub

Rank 5

Leon

MIT-licensed personal assistant built on a skills architecture

17.6K stars1.5K forksTypeScriptMIT

Leon is one of three MIT tools here, with OpenClaw and Hermes Agent. It is the one I'd reach for when a skills-based assistant on your own server is the hard requirement. Leon's skills architecture means you extend it with packages you write or install, on a server you run. Nothing goes to third-party infrastructure unless you wire it in yourself.

Key Features

Self-hosted personal assistant: your server, your data, no platform dependency
Modular skills architecture: add capabilities by installing or writing packages and modules, including custom skills
Text-to-speech via Google Cloud, AWS, IBM Watson, and CMU Flite, with Alibaba Cloud and Microsoft Azure coming soon
Speech-to-text via Google Cloud, IBM Watson, and Coqui STT, with Alibaba Cloud and Microsoft Azure coming soon
MIT licensed

Pros

MIT licence: fork it, change it and ship it commercially with no copyleft obligations.
Runs on your own server with no required third-party dependency beyond the services you choose to connect
Skills architecture lets you build exactly the capabilities you need without waiting for a platform update

Cons

Leon has a smaller community than OpenClaw, which means a smaller pool for issue resolution and feature requests
Setup needs Node.js and a command line install.

License & Hosting

License: MIT. Leon's site calls it the most permissive licence in open source.
Where it runs: self-hosted on your own server. You decide whether to connect any third-party services
Setup: Leon 2.0 is a Developer Preview. Check the repository README for the current install steps and your Node.js version (24 or newer) before you install.
Costs: no platform cost. Costs depend on which TTS, STT, or third-party services you connect (Google Cloud, AWS, IBM Watson, and others have their own pricing)

Best For

Leon fits when a skills-based assistant on your own server is the hard requirement. Leon is one of three MIT tools here, with OpenClaw and Hermes Agent.

If you want a ready-made chat-app setup, check which chat apps Leon connects to. OpenClaw lists 29 channels and Hermes Agent lists Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal and Email.

View Leon on Open Source Alternatives Leon website Source on GitHub

Decision framework

How to choose

Use this section to narrow the Muse replacement by team size, hosting model, license, and migration difficulty.

Muse's design tells you what to ask. Run 4 checks before you commit to any replacement.

Where does your data live? Muse's VM holds your files and your conversations, and it has its own browser. A replacement that phones home or stores state on a vendor cloud swaps one privacy risk for another. Ask whether the state lives on your machine or theirs. OpenClaw and Rakazo both run local-first with state on your machine.

Which model runs it? Muse is powered by Muse Spark. If the model matters to you, whether that means a local model, your own Anthropic key, or a specific hosted provider, check what the tool supports before you pay. Hermes Agent lets you swap providers with one command; Rakazo runs on your existing Claude or ChatGPT subscription.

Which channels does it meet you in? Muse works across mobile, web, and WhatsApp. A replacement that only runs in a terminal window changes your workflow more than the switch is worth. Count the surfaces. OpenClaw covers 29 channels including WhatsApp; Hermes Agent lists 7 surfaces including CLI, plus a growing list.

What computer access does it have? Muse has its own VM with a file system, terminal, and browser. An agent without those can answer questions but cannot finish the work. Check whether the tool has browser access, shell access, or both. OpenClaw provides full system access; check what Leon's tools and computer use cover for your task.

I'd start with OpenClaw unless one of these checks points somewhere else. When scheduled memory is what you are actually after, Hermes Agent is the right move. Rakazo makes sense if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and would rather not carry a second model bill. Use Khoj when research and automated newsletters are the main job.

Complete directory list