Comparisons · Updated October 26, 2026

The best open source AI operating systems and agent platforms for business (2027)

Lazarus is the best open source AI operating system for business: an Apache-2.0 workspace where AI agents run a company’s email, chat, files and data, that you self-host or have run for you (we make it). For other jobs: for visual AI workflows, Langflow (MIT) or Dify (source-available). For code-first multi-agent systems, CrewAI (MIT). For automations across hundreds of apps, Activepieces (MIT core) or n8n (fair-code, not OSI open source). For a full open source ERP, ERPNext (GPL-3.0) or Odoo Community (LGPL-3.0, without Odoo’s AI). For an open source CRM with agents, Twenty (AGPL-3.0 core).

Disclosure: OpenLazarus makes Lazarus, our top pick on this page. Every price and licence of the other tools comes from their own pages, checked on October 26, 2026 (sources at the end).

The short answer

Lazarus (our top pick): best for running a company with AI agents: email, chat, files and data in one workspace you own, self-hosted or run for you.
Activepieces: best for no-code automations with AI agents across many apps.
company-ai-os: best for a local, file-based company knowledge base run by a coding agent.
CrewAI: best for developers coding multi-agent systems in Python.
Dify: best for building LLM apps and RAG pipelines visually.
ERPNext: best for a fully open source ERP with accounting.
Langflow: best for visual agent and RAG flows you deploy as APIs or MCP tools.
n8n: best for deterministic workflow automation with code-level control.
Odoo Community: best for a complete ERP suite you can extend.
Twenty: best for a modern open source CRM.

Side by side

Tool	Best for	Licence	Self-host	Starting price
Lazarus (top pick)	running a company with AI agents: email, chat, files and data in one workspace you own, self-hosted or run for you	Apache-2.0 (agent runtime and web app); the hosted orchestrator is closed	Yes: Node.js, Supabase and an Anthropic API key; a Dockerfile for the API	Free to self-host. Hosted: designing your system at /build is free; managed hosting from $150 a month; developer support from $4,500 a month.
Activepieces	no-code automations with AI agents across many apps	MIT, except the enterprise directories (Activepieces Enterprise License)	Yes: Docker Compose, install script or Helm	Free self-hosted Community edition. Cloud: free (1,000 credits a month); Plus $20 a month flat (10,000 credits).
company-ai-os	a local, file-based company knowledge base run by a coding agent	MIT	Runs locally: clone it, open it in Obsidian, run /onboard in a coding agent	Free (a template; no hosted version)
CrewAI	developers coding multi-agent systems in Python	MIT	Yes: a Python library; the commercial platform can run in your VPC	Framework free. Cloud: Basic free (50 workflow executions a month); Enterprise custom.
Dify	building LLM apps and RAG pipelines visually	Modified Apache 2.0 (source-available): no multi-tenant service and no removing the Dify logo without written permission	Yes: Docker Compose (Community edition, a single workspace)	Cloud: Sandbox free; Professional $590 per workspace a year; Team $1,590 per workspace a year.
ERPNext	a fully open source ERP with accounting	GPL-3.0 (ERPNext); MIT (Frappe Framework)	Yes: Docker (frappe_docker) or install scripts	Free to self-host. Frappe Cloud from $5 a month per site, not priced per user.
Langflow	visual agent and RAG flows you deploy as APIs or MCP tools	MIT	Yes: pip, Docker or Langflow Desktop	Free (open source and Langflow Desktop). No hosted price published.
n8n	deterministic workflow automation with code-level control	Sustainable Use License (fair-code): internal business, personal or non-commercial use; not OSI open source	Yes: Docker or install script	Free self-hosted Community edition. Cloud: Starter €20 a month billed annually (2,500 executions), as shown in euros.
Odoo Community	a complete ERP suite you can extend	LGPL-3.0 (Community); Enterprise is licensed separately	Yes: packaged installers or a source install	Community is free to download. Odoo Online (Enterprise) from €19.90 per user a month billed yearly, a first-year price.
Twenty	a modern open source CRM	AGPL-3.0 core with an application exception; enterprise files under a commercial licence	Yes: Docker Compose	Free to self-host. Cloud: Pro $9 per user a month billed yearly; Organization $19.

1. Lazarus: our top pick

Best for running a company with AI agents: email, chat, files and data in one workspace you own, self-hosted or run for you

The open source core of the AI operating system OpenLazarus builds for companies: a workspace per company where AI agents answer email, work in Slack, Discord and WhatsApp, keep files and data, run on schedules and triggers, and stay within set permissions. Built on the Claude Agent SDK, with MCP servers.

Price:: Free to self-host. Hosted: designing your system at /build is free; managed hosting from $150 a month; developer support from $4,500 a month.
Licence:: Apache-2.0 (agent runtime and web app); the hosted orchestrator is closed
Self-host:: Yes: Node.js, Supabase and an Anthropic API key; a Dockerfile for the API
Pick it when:: you want agents that work inside your company’s own system, not a builder or a framework, and the option to have it designed and run for you.

Design yours at openlazarus.ai/build

2. Activepieces

Best for no-code automations with AI agents across many apps

An automation platform with AI agents, flows, tables and a library of more than 770 app integrations in one workspace, built for no-code users with enterprise controls.

Price:: Free self-hosted Community edition. Cloud: free (1,000 credits a month); Plus $20 a month flat (10,000 credits).
Licence:: MIT, except the enterprise directories (Activepieces Enterprise License)
Self-host:: Yes: Docker Compose, install script or Helm
Pick it when:: you want to connect the apps you already use with automations and agents, under a permissive licence.
Watch for:: enterprise features sit in separately licensed directories.

activepieces.com

3. company-ai-os

Best for a local, file-based company knowledge base run by a coding agent

A community template that turns an Obsidian vault into a company “second brain”: departments, policies and tools in markdown that an AI coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) reads and acts from.

Price:: Free (a template; no hosted version)
Licence:: MIT
Self-host:: Runs locally: clone it, open it in Obsidian, run /onboard in a coding agent
Pick it when:: you’re a solo founder or small team that wants plain markdown and no servers.
Watch for:: a small new project (created August 2026) with no server, users or permissions of its own.

github.com/DINAKAR-S/company-ai-os

4. CrewAI

Best for developers coding multi-agent systems in Python

An open source Python framework for building multi-agent workflows, with role-based agents and structured task flows; CrewAI AMP is the commercial control plane.

Price:: Framework free. Cloud: Basic free (50 workflow executions a month); Enterprise custom.
Licence:: MIT
Self-host:: Yes: a Python library; the commercial platform can run in your VPC
Pick it when:: your engineers want to write the agents themselves, in code.
Watch for:: it’s a framework: the workspace, inboxes and business data around the agents are yours to build.

crewai.com

5. Dify

Best for building LLM apps and RAG pipelines visually

A platform for building agentic workflows, RAG pipelines and LLM apps visually, with wide model and tool support, in a collaborative workspace.

Price:: Cloud: Sandbox free; Professional $590 per workspace a year; Team $1,590 per workspace a year.
Licence:: Modified Apache 2.0 (source-available): no multi-tenant service and no removing the Dify logo without written permission
Self-host:: Yes: Docker Compose (Community edition, a single workspace)
Pick it when:: you’re building AI apps and retrieval over documents, with many model providers.
Watch for:: the licence isn’t OSI open source; the self-hosted edition is limited to one workspace.

dify.ai

6. ERPNext

Best for a fully open source ERP with accounting

An open source ERP (accounting, inventory, HR, manufacturing) built on Frappe, a low-code Python and JavaScript framework.

Price:: Free to self-host. Frappe Cloud from $5 a month per site, not priced per user.
Licence:: GPL-3.0 (ERPNext); MIT (Frappe Framework)
Self-host:: Yes: Docker (frappe_docker) or install scripts
Pick it when:: you need accounting, stock and manufacturing in one open source system.
Watch for:: we haven’t assessed its AI features, so we make no claim about them.

frappe.io/erpnext

7. Langflow

Best for visual agent and RAG flows you deploy as APIs or MCP tools

A visual and code-based platform for building AI agents and workflows, each of which can run as an API or an MCP server.

Price:: Free (open source and Langflow Desktop). No hosted price published.
Licence:: MIT
Self-host:: Yes: pip, Docker or Langflow Desktop
Pick it when:: you want to design agent flows visually and extend them in Python.

langflow.org

8. n8n

Best for deterministic workflow automation with code-level control

A workflow automation platform that combines a visual canvas with code steps and AI agent nodes, with more than 1,500 integrations.

Price:: Free self-hosted Community edition. Cloud: Starter €20 a month billed annually (2,500 executions), as shown in euros.
Licence:: Sustainable Use License (fair-code): internal business, personal or non-commercial use; not OSI open source
Self-host:: Yes: Docker or install script
Pick it when:: you need reliable multi-step automations across many tools, and you’ll use it internally.
Watch for:: the licence limits use to your own internal business; enterprise features need a separate licence.

n8n.io

9. Odoo Community

Best for a complete ERP suite you can extend

An open source suite of web business apps: CRM, accounting, inventory, manufacturing, point of sale and HR.

Price:: Community is free to download. Odoo Online (Enterprise) from €19.90 per user a month billed yearly, a first-year price.
Licence:: LGPL-3.0 (Community); Enterprise is licensed separately
Self-host:: Yes: packaged installers or a source install
Pick it when:: you need a full ERP, with accounting, stock and manufacturing, more than you need agents.
Watch for:: Odoo’s AI and agent features are Enterprise-only; none ships in Community.

odoo.com

10. Twenty

Best for a modern open source CRM

An open source CRM built as an alternative to Salesforce, with AI agents, workflows and an MCP server.

Price:: Free to self-host. Cloud: Pro $9 per user a month billed yearly; Organization $19.
Licence:: AGPL-3.0 core with an application exception; enterprise files under a commercial licence
Self-host:: Yes: Docker Compose
Pick it when:: your main need is a dedicated CRM: pipelines, contacts and companies.
Watch for:: AGPL obligations if you modify it and offer it as a service; enterprise files need a subscription.

twenty.com

How to choose

If you want to run your company with AI agents, on a system you own, self-hosted or run for you: Lazarus.
If your engineers want to code multi-agent systems: CrewAI.
If you want to design AI flows visually: Langflow or Dify.
If you want to automate across the apps you already use: Activepieces or n8n.
If you need a full ERP with accounting: ERPNext or Odoo Community.
If you need a CRM first: Twenty.
If you want markdown and a coding agent, no servers: company-ai-os.

How we chose

We included open source or source-available software a business can run itself, where AI agents, automation or the whole business system is the point. Each tool’s licence is quoted from its own repository.
“Open source” here means an OSI-approved licence. Source-available and fair-code licences are labelled as such.
We left out Flowise: its repository was archived on August 13, 2026 and the project reached end of life on August 31.
Prices are the lowest listed on each tool’s pricing page on the date shown, in the currency it showed us.
Lazarus is our top pick and listed first; we make it. The others follow alphabetically.

Questions

What is an open source AI operating system?

Software you can run yourself that connects a company’s data, tools and AI agents in one place, so agents can do work across email, chat, documents and records. Some are complete business systems; others are frameworks or builders you assemble one from.

Is n8n open source?

Not by the OSI definition. n8n uses its Sustainable Use License, which it calls fair-code: you can self-host it for your own internal business, personal or non-commercial use.

Is Dify open source?

Dify is source-available under a modified Apache 2.0 licence that forbids running it as a multi-tenant service, or removing its logo, without written permission.

Does Odoo Community include AI?

No. Odoo’s editions page marks its AI features as Enterprise-only, and none of the Community edition’s modules is an AI module.

Is Lazarus open source?

Yes. The agent runtime and the web app are on GitHub under Apache-2.0. The orchestrator the hosted product uses for a machine per workspace and billing stays closed and isn’t needed to self-host.

Can I use these commercially?

Under MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, LGPL-3.0 and AGPL-3.0, yes, with each licence’s conditions. n8n’s licence limits use to your own internal business, and Dify’s forbids multi-tenant services without permission.

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