OpenAssistant vs Claude Cowork
Claude Cowork is anthropic's agent for knowledge work with your files and apps. OpenAssistant is an executive assistant for work that involves other people.
OpenAssistant
OpenAssistant
Claude Cowork
Anthropic
Who it is for
Built for
Presence
Where you use it
Its own phone number
Its own email address
Its own computer
Working with people
Contacts people on your behalf
Multi-person threads and hand-offs
Shared tasks, files, and workflows
Getting work done
Recurring and triggered work
Trust and control
Your say before it acts
No training on your data by default
Security and admin
Security certifications
SSO, SCIM, roles, and audit logs
Availability
Availability
Price
| OpenAssistant OpenAssistant | Claude Cowork Anthropic | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | ||
| Built for | Professionals and teams whose work runs through colleagues, clients, and vendors | Knowledge work with your files and apps |
| Presence | ||
| Where you use it | Phone calls, iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, email, and web | Desktop app, web, mobile, and a Chrome extension |
| Its own phone number | Built in Its own number, for calls and texts | Not offered or not found None found; it acts as you through connectors |
| Its own email address | Built in Including one on your company domain | Not offered or not found None found |
| Its own computer | Built in Its own secure computer | Partial Cloud sandbox; local files need the desktop app |
| Working with people | ||
| Contacts people on your behalf | Built in Runs the whole exchange; the people it deals with never need an account | Partial Acts as you through connectors; autonomous outreach not verified |
| Multi-person threads and hand-offs | Built in Many people on one thread, with hand-offs, approvals, and follow-ups | Partial Claude Tag (beta) is a shared agent in team chat channels |
| Shared tasks, files, and workflows | Built in Inside your company and across companies | Partial Individual sessions; artifacts can be shared |
| Getting work done | ||
| Recurring and triggered work | Built in Plain-English workflows on demand, on a schedule, or on a trigger | Partial Cloud scheduled tasks; no event triggers found |
| Trust and control | ||
| Your say before it acts | Built in Per-action autonomy you set; an admin can lock it team-wide | Partial Shows each step as it works |
| No training on your data by default | Built in Never trains on customer data | Partial Team and Enterprise plans |
| Security and admin | ||
| Security certifications | Built in SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA; encryption in transit and at rest | Built in SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001 |
| SSO, SCIM, roles, and audit logs | Built in SAML SSO, SCIM, and RBAC on Team plans; audit logs on Enterprise | Built in On Enterprise, with a Compliance API |
| Availability | ||
| Availability | Private beta; request access | Generally available |
| Price | Paid plans per seat | Pro $20 per month; Team from $20 per seat |
Claude Cowork details reflect its public documentation and press coverage as of September 2026, last verified 2026-10-03. This market changes quickly, so re-check before relying on any single row.
Where Claude Cowork shines
- Plans, splits work into subtasks, runs code, and produces real files, with each step visible
- Cloud scheduled tasks and a large connector and plugin ecosystem
- Deep governance and compliance on Enterprise plans
Pick Claude Cowork if
- You want an agent working alongside you on tasks that run through your files and apps.
- Your IT team has already approved Claude and you need its depth of governance.
Where OpenAssistant fits better
- Its own phone number: Its own number, for calls and texts
- Its own email address: Including one on your company domain
- Its own computer: Its own secure computer
- Contacts people on your behalf: Runs the whole exchange; the people it deals with never need an account
Pick OpenAssistant if
- Much of your week is conversations with other people: scheduling, follow-ups, approvals.
- You want an assistant with its own identity that colleagues can email or text.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenAssistant and Claude Cowork?
Claude Cowork is anthropic's agent for knowledge work with your files and apps. OpenAssistant is an executive assistant for work that involves other people.
Does Claude Cowork have its own phone number?
None found; it acts as you through connectors. OpenAssistant: Its own number, for calls and texts.
Can Claude Cowork work with a team?
Individual sessions; artifacts can be shared. OpenAssistant: Inside your company and across companies.
Does Claude Cowork train on my data?
Team and Enterprise plans. OpenAssistant: Never trains on customer data.
How much does Claude Cowork cost?
Pro $20 per month; Team from $20 per seat. OpenAssistant: Paid plans per seat.
Read more
- OpenAssistant vs Claude Cowork: the full written comparison
- Cue by Manus vs Claude Cowork (2026): Which AI Agent Wins?
- Meta Muse vs Claude Cowork (2026): Which AI Agent Is Better?
- Best AI Personal Assistants and Agents in 2026, Compared
- Claude Cowork vs ChatGPT for Work (2026): Which Is Better?
- Claude Cowork vs Grok Bot (2026): Which Agent Is Better?
- All AI assistants compared
- Best AI personal assistants in 2026
- OpenAssistant Trust Center
Sources
9 products tracked. Machine-readable version: /data/ai-assistants.json.