# Vellum alternatives, compared: an open-source AI Operating System for teams

> The Vellum name covers more than one product, so the right fit depends on the job. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System for a whole team. Vellum, OpenClaw, and Hermes Agent are self-hostable assistants built around one person.

URL: https://vellumalternative.com/vellum-alternatives

_The alternatives_

## Which Vellum alternative fits which job

Kortix first, then each rival from its own site or repo.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Vellum | OpenClaw | Hermes Agent |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Yes. Its own page says you can inspect the code. | Yes. Runs on your machine; no paid tier or hosted service. | Yes. Self-hosted, open source, free to install. |
| Self-host | Yes. Self-host is free; VPC and on-prem too. | Yes. Its pricing page names your hardware, a VPS, or private cloud. | Yes. Runs on your own computer, or as a shared team deployment. | Yes. One command installs it on your own server. |
| Who it is for | Teams that want agents that do finished work, reviewed by people. | One person. A personal assistant you name and customize. | One person, or a shared team deployment from one Gateway. | One person's long-running agent, on your own hardware. |
| Ownership of memory and context | Company memory and config in one git repo you own. | Memory and credentials stay on your machine or your cloud. | State, memory, and credentials live on your hardware. | Persistent memory stays on your machine, with no cloud lock-in. |
| Pricing shape | Self-host free; managed cloud $40 per seat per month plus usage. | Free to download; cloud plans $30, $100, or $200 per month. | No subscription or hosted tier; you pay for infrastructure and models. | Free software; you pay your hosting and model provider. |

Rival details come from each product's own site or repo, checked October 2026. Kortix prices come from its pricing page.

_The parts_

## Six parts of one operating system

Every layer is a real Kortix file or command you can read.

### 1. One git repo holds the company

Your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own.

`kortix.yaml`

```
# kortix.yaml
agents:
  support-triage:
    file: agents/support-triage.md
    connectors: all
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

### 2. Reach into 3,000+ apps

3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP.

`connectors`

```
The agent reaches 3,000+ apps through one scoped token,
plus MCP, OpenAPI, GraphQL and raw HTTP.
Connector credentials are brokered server-side
and never enter the machine.
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

### 3. Any model, your keys

Any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for.

`models`

```
Any model provider with your own keys,
or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for.
Self-host for free, or use Kortix Cloud.
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

### 4. OpenCode runs the agents

OpenCode is the harness.

`session flow`

```
project (git repo + kortix.yaml)
└─ session ──> cloud computer: an isolated sandbox on a branch
└─ the OpenCode agent works
└─ change request ──> you review and merge ──> main
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

### 5. A session per agent, in isolation

A session runs one agent in its own sandbox.

`sessions`

```
A session runs one agent in its own sandbox.
The sandbox clones the repo and works on a new branch.
The branch name is the session_id, a UUID with no prefix.
```

Source: https://kortix.com/docs

### 6. Permissions, roles, and audit

Per-resource permissions for people and agents. Roles, groups, and an audit trail.

`governance`

```
One isolated sandbox per session.
Per-resource permissions for people and agents.
Roles, groups, and an audit trail.
SAML 2.0 single sign-on and SCIM 2.0.
```

Source: https://github.com/kortix-ai/suna

## The Vellum name covers three products
Before comparing, settle which Vellum you mean. Three products share the name: a Mac app for formatting books, an AI development platform, and the personal AI assistant at vellum.ai. The old development-platform pages now redirect to the assistant's homepage, while the developer docs still describe workflows and evaluations. This page is about the personal assistant, because that is what vellum.ai ships today.

## How to choose a Vellum alternative
Four questions separate the options. Who owns the work: one person's inbox and calendar, or a team's shared queue. What you own: a personal memory that lives on your device, or a company configuration in a repo you control. Where it runs: one laptop, your own server, or a company VPC. Which model you bring, and who holds the keys. A tool built for a single person answers the first question one way; a company operating system answers it another.

## Vellum
Vellum is a personal AI assistant that you name, shape, and give a personality. Its [homepage](https://www.vellum.ai/) says it runs locally on your machine or in the cloud, remembers you across conversations, and is available around the clock from any device. It is open source, and its [pricing page](https://www.vellum.ai/pricing) says you can deploy it on your own hardware, a VPS, or a private cloud. Memory and credentials live on your machine or in your cloud, and it asks for permission on higher-risk tasks until you mark them trusted. It fits one person well.

## OpenClaw
OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and meets you in the channels you already use, among them Discord, Slack, Teams, Telegram, and WhatsApp. Its [repo](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) says one Gateway runs it as a personal assistant on a laptop or as a shared team deployment, and that state, memory, and credentials live on your hardware. It has no paid tier, hosted service, or token. It is a strong pick for one person who wants to own the whole stack and wire up their own channels.

## Hermes Agent
Hermes Agent is an open-source agent built by Nous Research that installs on your server with one command and keeps persistent memory across sessions. Its [site](https://www.hermes-agent.org) describes automated skill creation, scheduled automations, parallel sub-agents, and a gateway to Telegram, Discord, Slack, and WhatsApp. It says the agent lives on your machine, with no telemetry and no cloud lock-in. It fits the reader who wants a long-running personal agent on their own hardware.

## Why Kortix is the company-wide answer
Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. Vellum, OpenClaw, and Hermes Agent are each built around one person; Kortix is built around a team: one project is a git repo the company shares, sessions run on their own cloud computers, and work reaches `main` through a change request a person approves. Governance is per-resource, with roles, groups, and an audit trail, and Kortix runs on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free.

For the head-to-head, read the [Kortix vs Vellum comparison](/kortix-vs-vellum). To run Kortix on your own infrastructure, see [self-hosting](/self-hosting).

_FAQ_

## Vellum alternatives, questions buyers ask

### What is an open-source alternative to Vellum?

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System for a whole team. Vellum, OpenClaw, and Hermes Agent are open-source and self-hostable too, and each is built around one person's assistant. Which one fits depends on whether the work belongs to a person or to a team.

### Is Vellum still an LLM development platform?

The developer docs still describe workflows and evaluations, but the product at vellum.ai is a personal AI assistant. Its old development-platform pages redirect to the assistant homepage. Treat the assistant and the development platform as two different products that shared a name.

### Can I self-host a Vellum alternative?

Yes. Kortix self-host is free, and it also runs in your VPC or on your own on-prem network. Vellum's pricing page offers your own hardware, a VPS, or a private cloud. OpenClaw and Hermes Agent install on your own machine or server as well.

### Which Vellum alternative works for a whole team?

Kortix is built for a team. One project is a git repo the whole company shares, with per-resource permissions for people and agents, roles, groups, and an audit trail. Sessions run on their own cloud computers, and work reaches `main` through a change request a person approves.

## Run your team on an open-source AI Operating System

Self-host for free, or use Kortix Cloud.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [See Kortix vs Vellum](https://vellumalternative.com/kortix-vs-vellum)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem