Best free downloadable AI agent
Updated . How we rank: Free, open-source agents you install on your own computer. Ranked by the same five-point agent checklist from each project's own docs, then easier setup, then the number of operating systems supported. No invented scores. You still need a model: your own API key or a local model. More on our sources.
- Best pick Hermes Agent Nous Research
Free (you pay for your own model or API key)
Hermes Agent: browses the web, uses apps or a computer, runs on a schedule, keeps working in the background, handles email or calendar (limited) (4.5 of 5 on our checklist). 4- Setup
- Moderate: one-line terminal installer (desktop app on Windows), then pick a model provider and add an API key
- Runs on
- macOS 12+, Windows 10/11, Linux, Android (Termux)
- Local models
- yes (Ollama, vLLM and other self-hosted endpoints)
- Hardware
- Any recent computer if you use a cloud model; a local model needs a capable GPU or Apple Silicon Mac. Can also run on a small cloud server.
- Licence
- MIT
- Notes
- Free and open source, runs on your own computer; needs some technical setup and your own model or API key. Built-in cron scheduler runs tasks unattended; chat with it from Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal or email; creates and improves its own skills; cloud browser through Nous Portal's tool gateway. Email works as a chat channel; calendar access not stated.
- Source
- 1
- Also strong OpenClaw OpenClaw
Free (you pay for your own model or API key)
OpenClaw: browses the web, uses apps or a computer, runs on a schedule, keeps working in the background, handles email or calendar (limited) (4.5 of 5 on our checklist). 5- Setup
- Moderate: desktop app or one-line installer, then connect a model and set up the gateway
- Runs on
- macOS 15+, Windows, Linux
- Local models
- yes (llama.cpp and other local providers)
- Hardware
- Any recent computer with a cloud model; local models need a capable GPU or Apple Silicon Mac.
- Licence
- MIT
- Notes
- Free and open source, runs on your own computer; needs some technical setup and your own model or API key. Chat with it from WhatsApp, Telegram or other chat apps; OpenClaw-managed browser; automation schedules and webhooks; Gmail triggers. Tools run on your computer unless you set up sandboxing, so read its security guide first.
- Source
- 2
- Also consider goose Goose (AAIF)
Free (you pay for your own model or API key)
goose: uses apps or a computer (1 of 5 on our checklist; not confirmed: browses the web, runs on a schedule, keeps working in the background, handles email or calendar). 6- Setup
- Moderate: desktop app install, then connect a model provider
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Local models
- yes (Ollama, LM Studio, Docker Model Runner)
- Hardware
- Any recent computer with a cloud model; local models need a capable GPU or Apple Silicon Mac.
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Notes
- Free and open source, runs on your own computer; needs some technical setup and your own model or API key. Desktop app and command line; installs, runs, edits and tests code with any model. Built mainly for developer tasks.
- Source
- 3
Free isn't the same as best. If you can pay, the most capable agent on our checklist up to US$30 a month is X Subscription Premium (includes Grok). Free tiers have tight limits, and self-hosted agents can read files and run commands on your computer, so follow each project's security guide and start with a separate account or a sandbox.
Best free agent · Agents & automation (paid plans) · All agents compared
Sources (6)
Last checked Oct 26, 2026.