Tidebreak vs OpenWork
OpenWork and Tidebreak agree on most of the premise: an open desktop agent for macOS, Windows, and Linux; your choice of model; local workspaces; skills; and MCP. They organize that work differently. OpenWork packages capabilities so that people and teams can reuse skills, plugins, and connections across the desktop app and other agents. Tidebreak centers the finished work: versioned documents with native viewers, sandboxed execution, and coding agents in isolated git worktrees with per-turn review.
Updated September 7, 2026View as Markdown
What OpenWork is
OpenWork, from Different AI and OpenWork Labs, is an open desktop agent built on OpenCode primitives. Its local app is free and does not require an OpenWork Cloud account. You can sign in with a ChatGPT Plus or Pro plan, bring provider keys, add a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or run a local model through Ollama. Packaged builds ship for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
The desktop app works with local files and repositories. It supports skills, plugins, custom MCP servers, connected services, generated-file previews, and a built-in browser that the agent can drive. The product’s distinctive idea is that this setup should travel: OpenWork’s MCP gateway can expose assigned skills, plugins, and connections to Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode, and other MCP clients.
OpenWork Cloud adds the team layer. Organizations can publish capabilities, manage model providers and service connections, apply desktop policies, assign access by member or team, and run hosted workspaces. None of that is required for the local app.
Where the two projects part ways
Portable capabilities versus finished work. OpenWork treats skills, plugins, and connections as the units that should move between agents and teammates. Tidebreak supports skills and MCP servers too, but its primary unit is the result: a spreadsheet, deck, document, PDF, local app, or reviewed diff with its history attached.
Team control versus a personal workspace. OpenWork already has an organization control plane with roles, shared connections, managed providers, policies, and optional hosted workspaces. Tidebreak has no account and no server of its own. Organization-managed models and connected apps remain on its roadmap.
Documents and code. OpenWork can preview, edit, download, and reopen generated files. Tidebreak goes deeper on the handoff: every output is versioned, restore is append-only, and spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint decks, and PDFs open in native viewers inside the app. Code mode drives Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, and Grok CLI in isolated git worktrees, shows every turn as a diff, watches the pull request until its checks are green, and leaves the merge to you.
Execution and automation. Tidebreak’s work-mode code runs in the native macOS sandbox, Docker, E2B, or Daytona, with a per-chat network policy. OpenWork lists isolated Docker or microsandbox workspaces as partially available. OpenWork has built-in browser control today and partial scheduled tasks. Tidebreak has an in-app browser on macOS in both modes, with agent control still partial and macOS-only, and no scheduled work. Its triggers react to pull request facts, not to a clock.
The license. Tidebreak uses Apache-2.0 across its repository. Most of OpenWork uses MIT, while its enterprise directory uses the Fair Source License.
At a glance
| Tidebreak | OpenWork | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Brightwave | Different AI / OpenWork Labs |
| License | Apache-2.0 throughout | MIT core; Fair Source enterprise directory |
| Price | Free; you pay your model provider | Free local app; paid team and enterprise services |
| Account | None | None for local use; required for Cloud features |
| Models | API keys, ChatGPT plan sign-in, or local via Ollama | ChatGPT plan sign-in, provider keys, custom endpoints, or local via Ollama |
| Primary unit | Versioned files and reviewed diffs | Shareable skills, plugins, and connections |
| Team administration | On the roadmap | Available through OpenWork Cloud |
| Generated files | Versioned with native Office and PDF viewers | Preview, edit, download, and reopen |
| Coding workflow | Four coding agents, isolated worktrees, per-turn diffs, pull requests, watch and fix | OpenCode-based workspace agent |
| Sandboxed execution | macOS sandbox, Docker, E2B, or Daytona | Docker or microsandbox support is partial |
| Browser control | macOS, both modes; agent control partial | Built in |
| Scheduled work | Not yet; triggers on pull request facts | Partial |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
Choose OpenWork when
- You want one set of skills and connections to follow you across several agent clients.
- Your team needs managed providers, shared connections, roles, policies, or hosted workspaces today.
- Browser automation matters more than native document version history.
- You already use OpenCode and want a desktop workspace built on the same primitives.
Choose Tidebreak when
- The work ends in a spreadsheet, deck, document, or PDF whose versions you need to inspect and restore.
- You want several coding agents working in parallel without writing over one another, with a diff before anything reaches your branch.
- You want generated code behind a supported sandbox boundary now.
- You want the whole application under one permissive license and no product account in the path.
Both are young
OpenWork launched in 2026, and Tidebreak is pre-1.0. Both projects change quickly, so treat the feature rows as dated September 7, 2026. The durable distinction is simpler: OpenWork makes agent capabilities portable across people and tools; Tidebreak makes finished files and code changes inspectable across versions.