Home / Run Operations & Workflows / Orkas
Solo-fit verdictSolo-ReadyA genuinely free, open-source AI team on your own desktop — the rare listing whose catch is not price but that paid headroom cannot be bought yet and the work stops when your laptop sleeps.
True solo cost · low$0/mo$0/month — the free app with its 500 bonus credits, or with your own provider keys (your provider's charges are separate and excluded here).
True solo cost · typical$0/mo$0/month while the free app covers the work — membership is optional headroom (more credits, sync, storage) from a published $5.99/month once live checkout opens; today it cannot be bought at all.
Rank #22 of 22 in OperationsFree start Free plan availableSetup About 15–60 minutes to install the app, pick a model path and finish a first deliverableControl Acts + logs everythingNo-code 4/5Checked · prices checked 2026-11-07
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The short version
Orkas is a free, open-source desktop workspace where a Commander agent coordinates specialists to turn your goals and files into reports, decks, videos and web pages — local-first on your Mac or Windows machine.
Buy it if
Your recurring work is deliverable-shaped (weekly reviews, client reports, decks) and you like that files and memory stay on your own machine at $0.
Skip it if
You need work to run while your computer is off, or you want to buy managed headroom today — Orkas's published memberships cannot be purchased yet (checkout is in the vendor's own sandbox mode).
What Orkas does — the jobs it finishes
Workflows are built only from verified capabilities in our listing research — no vendor copy, nothing invented.
Weekly operations review from your own files
Starts Your sales export, cost sheet and notes about unresolved orders sit in the project
- The Commander compares revenue with recorded costs and flags missing inputs
- Specialist agents draft the operations report and a short presentation from the same project context
You get A draft review with proposed next steps, ready for your check
Approval You verify the calculations and next steps before anything is used — the vendor states this review is the founder's job
The recurring report a VA or analyst would otherwise assemble by hand
Research question to report to client deck
Starts You add authorised research materials and a defined question to a project
- Specialist agents research from the project's Library sources and draft the report
- The approved report and notes are turned into an editable presentation in your template
You get A research report for review, then an editable deck built from it
Approval The deck is built from the report and source notes you approved
One chain from raw material to a sendable client deliverable
Recurring deliverables on a schedule
Starts A weekly content plan, client update deck or meeting brief becomes a recurring task
- Orkas prepares the deliverable from the project's current files and memory on the schedule you set
- If the computer slept through a run, the missed run catches up when it wakes
You get Drafts waiting in the project on schedule
Approval Drafts land in the project for your review before use
Recurring operations work that keeps moving between your check-ins
A small tool published as a web app
Starts You ask for a customer-facing tool, such as a wholesale quote calculator
- Agents build the tool inside the project
- It is published to a public link — an eligible paid plan is required to publish
You get A shareable web app with visit statistics
Approval You choose when to publish, update or unpublish
A client-facing tool without hiring a web developer
Where it stops
- Does not verify calculations, evidence or decisions for you — outputs are drafts for your review
- Paid memberships cannot actually be bought yet — the vendor's pricing page flags checkout as Stripe sandbox (test cards only)
- Not a cloud service: work runs on your own Mac or Windows machine, and remote model calls are not offline
- Published web apps cannot directly use desktop AI, local files or connectors (vendor-stated limit)
Getting started
Before you start
- A Mac or Windows computer (Linux can be built from the open-source repository)
- A goal and the source files you are authorised to use
- A model path: managed Orkas models out of the box, or your own provider account and key
The ongoing admin
- Review drafts before use — verification stays yours
- Watch the credit balance if you use managed models; media generation burns credits fastest
- Keep the app updated and prune project Memory entries that go stale
Step 1Install the desktop app
Download from orkas.ai for macOS or Windows; the client is open source under the MIT licence.
Step 2Claim the free starting credits or bring your own key
Signing into the app claims 500 bonus credits for managed models; connecting your own provider is the alternative and bypasses credits entirely.
Step 3Create a project and add your files
Projects hold context, memory, Library sources and reusable Skills, so related work builds on the same materials.
Step 4Give the Commander a goal and review the drafts
Check calculations, evidence and wording before any deliverable leaves the project.
Step 5Make repeated work recurring
Turn a proven task into a scheduled automation or a reusable Skill.
Time to first useful result: About 15–60 minutes to install the app, pick a model path and finish a first deliverable · no-code 4/5
Full pricing — checked 2026-11-07
Free core app; optional credit memberships are published but not yet purchasable. The desktop app is free and open source (MIT) with 500 bonus credits for managed models. Published memberships: Lite $5.99/month (1,000 credits), Pro $16.99/month (5,000) and Max $29.99/month (10,000), plus a one-time lifetime credit pack (1,000 credits, $3.99 or $2.99 for members) and custom Enterprise. Important: the vendor's own pricing page states that checkout currently runs in Stripe sandbox mode — test cards only, no real charge — so treat the paid tiers as published prices you cannot buy yet, and the free app as the real entry point. Using your own provider keys consumes no Orkas credits; your provider bills you directly.
Solo pickFree
$0/month — free core app with 500 bonus credits
Flat / month · $0/mo for one person
- Full desktop app (open-source client)
- Commander coordinating specialist agents
- 500 lifetime bonus credits for managed models, claimed by signing into the app
- Up to 5 shared projects, 5 members each
- Model choice: managed models or your own provider keys
- Local agents: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, OpenClaw, Hermes
Allowance 500 lifetime bonus credits; up to 5 shared projects
Limit 100 MB cloud storage
Limit No personal multi-device sync or web-app publishing
Limit Managed-model usage consumes credits once the bonus is spent
Lite
$5.99/month subscription (1,000 credits/month); $6.99 for one non-renewing month
Flat / month · $5.99/mo for one person
- 1,000 monthly credits
- Cloud sync across unlimited devices
- 1 GB cloud storage
- Up to 50 shared projects, 50 members each
- Publish up to 50 web apps
Allowance 1,000 credits/month
Limit Monthly credits do not roll over
Limit Checkout disclosure: the vendor's pricing page flags Stripe sandbox (test cards only) — this tier is published but not yet purchasable
Pro
$16.99/month subscription (5,000 credits/month); $17.99 for one non-renewing month — vendor-labelled Recommended
Flat / month · $16.99/mo for one person
- 5,000 monthly credits
- Cloud sync across unlimited devices
- 5 GB cloud storage
- Up to 50 shared projects, 50 members each
- Publish up to 50 web apps
Allowance 5,000 credits/month
Limit Monthly credits do not roll over
Limit Checkout disclosure: the vendor's pricing page flags Stripe sandbox (test cards only) — this tier is published but not yet purchasable
Max
$29.99/month subscription (10,000 credits/month); $30.99 for one non-renewing month
Flat / month · $29.99/mo for one person
- 10,000 monthly credits
- Cloud sync across unlimited devices
- 10 GB cloud storage
- Up to 50 shared projects, 50 members each
- Publish up to 50 web apps
Allowance 10,000 credits/month
Limit Monthly credits do not roll over
Limit Checkout disclosure: the vendor's pricing page flags Stripe sandbox (test cards only) — this tier is published but not yet purchasable
Lifetime credits
$3.99 one-time for standard users; $2.99 for members — 1,000 credits
Per credit bundle · $null/mo for one person
- 1,000 credits that never expire
- Spent only after monthly credits
- Usable with or without a subscription
Allowance 1,000 lifetime credits
Limit Buys credits only — no sync or storage increase
Limit Checkout disclosure: the vendor's pricing page flags Stripe sandbox (test cards only)
Enterprise
Custom pricing — shaped around team size and adoption stage
Flat / month · $null/mo for one person
- Plans shaped around team size, usage and purchasing requirements
Limit Sales-led
Limit Not a solo product
Add-onYour own provider usage — Billed directly by your provider at its own rates when you connect your own keys; consumes no Orkas credits. The realistic running cost of heavy free-app use
What could make the bill jump?
Credits drain fastest on media: video generation costs 50–100 credits per second and images 12 credits each on managed models, so one video-heavy week can empty a Lite bundle. Monthly credits never roll over. Connecting your own keys moves model cost to your provider bill instead of removing it.
Billing unitper month for membership (includes a monthly credit bundle); credits meter managed-model usage
Free tier / trialYes — the core desktop app is permanently free and open source, with 500 bonus credits claimable by signing into the app; no card is mentioned for the free tier.
Pricing clarityUsage-based but predictable
Price record · 2026-11-07: First check, 2026-11-07, against the vendor's official pricing page (orkas.ai/pricing): Free $0 with 500 bonus credits; Lite $5.99/month subscription ($6.99 one non-renewing month) with 1,000 monthly credits; Pro $16.99 ($17.99) with 5,000; Max $29.99 ($30.99) with 10,000; lifetime pack of 1,000 credits at $3.99 / $2.99 for members; Enterprise custom. DISCLOSURE: the same page states 'Dev mode uses Stripe sandbox. Test cards only; no real charge.' — paid tiers are published but cannot be bought with a real payment yet, so this listing treats the free app as the working entry point and will re-check checkout status on the next pricing pass. The figures were also supplied in the vendor's own /submit form submission of 2026-11-07 and match the page; the page is the source of record.
At a glance — the standard checklist
The same fields on every deep listing in this job, so agents compare field by field. “Not verified” means our research has not confirmed it yet — it never means “doesn't have it.”
- Platforms✓ IncludedOfficial macOS and Windows builds; Linux can be built from the open-source repository
- Key integrations✓ IncludedLocal agents Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, OpenClaw and Hermes; MCP tool connections; your own model providers
- Languages✓ Included18 interface language options, per the vendor's FAQ
- Support channels✓ IncludedA support email is published on the pricing page
- Help centre / documentation? Not verified
- Free plan✓ IncludedFree core app (open source) with 500 bonus credits; up to 5 shared projects and 100 MB cloud storage
- Free trial— Not includedNo time-limited trial — the permanently free app is the evaluation route
- Human control model✓ IncludedRecurring work runs on schedule and drafts land for review; you choose which services connect and which permissions they get
- Approval controls✓ IncludedCustomer-facing drafts (for example review replies) are shown waiting for your approval in the vendor's own walkthroughs
- Data export / exit route✓ IncludedFiles, chats, memory and generated deliverables live on your own machine, and the client is MIT open source — exit is structural, not a feature toggle
- Setup model✓ IncludedSelf-serve desktop install; no code required
- Visual builder? Not verifiedWork is directed by chat and goals; no visual workflow canvas was verified on the vendor's pages
- Code option✓ IncludedCoding agents (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode) connect into the team; the client itself can be built from source; membership credits can be spent via an API key in external products
- AI steps✓ IncludedThe product is specialist AI agents coordinated by a Commander — AI steps are the core, not an add-on
- Error handling? Not verified
- Workflow export? Not verifiedOutputs are ordinary files (decks, spreadsheets, videos, published web apps); export of agent or workflow definitions was not verified
- Self-hosting✓ IncludedThe open-source desktop edition runs on your own machine with no Orkas account and your own keys — a desktop self-run, not a server deployment
Best for
- Solo founders and consultants whose week is reports, decks and recurring reviews
- Privacy-leaning owners who want files, chats and memory on their own machine
- Founders happy to verify drafts in exchange for a $0 core tool
Not for
- Anyone who needs work to run in the cloud while their computer is off
- Buyers who need to purchase sync, storage or credit headroom today — paid checkout is not live yet
- Anyone expecting the tool to verify numbers or decisions for them
Our assessment of Orkas
As of November 2026, Orkas is a free, MIT-licensed desktop workspace — macOS and Windows — where a Commander agent coordinates specialist agents to finish deliverable-shaped work. You give it a goal and the files you are authorised to use; the team produces research reports, editable presentations, videos and web pages, and projects keep their context, memory, Library sources and reusable Skills so next week's run builds on this week's. Recurring work can be scheduled — a weekly operations review, a Friday client deck — and missed runs catch up when the computer wakes. Models are your choice: managed Orkas models work out of the box against a credit meter, your own provider keys bypass Orkas credits entirely (the provider bills you), and local coding agents — Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, OpenClaw, Hermes — can be brought into the same team. The local-first design is the privacy story: files, chats and memory live on your machine, keys you add are encrypted locally and kept out of cloud sync, and the source code is public, so you can read exactly what the app and each agent do. The trade-offs are equally concrete: it is desktop-bound, so nothing runs while your machine is off; the vendor is explicit that verification of calculations, evidence and decisions stays with you; and while paid memberships are published ($5.99–$29.99/month), the vendor's own pricing page flags checkout as Stripe sandbox — test cards only — so the free app is the working entry point today.
Pros — our take
- The core product is free and MIT open source — you can read exactly what the app and its agents do before installing
- Local-first: files, chats and memory stay on your machine, and keys you add are encrypted locally and kept out of cloud sync
- Finished deliverables, not chat answers — reports, editable decks, videos and publishable web pages from one goal
- Bring-your-own-keys work consumes no Orkas credits, so heavy users are not forced onto the credit meter
Cons — our take
- Paid memberships are published but not yet purchasable — the vendor's pricing page flags checkout as Stripe sandbox, test cards only
- Desktop-bound: scheduled work runs on your machine, so a powered-off computer means a missed run (the app catches up on wake)
- Outputs still need your verification — the vendor itself says it does not replace checking calculations, evidence or decisions
Solo Fit input · no-code4/5 — can a non-technical owner run it?
Solo Fit input · setupAbout 15–60 minutes to install the app, pick a model path and finish a first deliverable to the first useful result
Solo Fit input · human controlActs + logs everything
Solo Fit input · pricing clarityUsage-based but predictable
Solo Fit stays the public score: the qualitative roll-up of these four published inputs under the How We Rank method. A free, no-code, local-first start carries it; the unpurchasable paid tiers and the credit meter cap the pricing-clarity input.
Three to compare before you decide
The difference: MindStudio is a hosted visual builder for agents you design and deploy yourself at $16/month billed annually plus usage; Orkas is a local-first desktop team that does the work from a chat goal, free to start.
n8nSee pricing · Technical The difference: n8n connects your apps through node workflows you build and host, from $20/month; Orkas produces finished deliverables — reports, decks, videos, pages — from your files on your own desktop.
The difference: Relevance AI hosts a no-code AI workforce in the cloud from $19/month billed annually with two meters; Orkas runs locally and open source, with the free app as the entry point and no cloud account needed.
Questions buyers ask about Orkas
What does Orkas cost for one person as of November 2026?
The core desktop app is free and open source, with 500 bonus credits for managed models. Published memberships are Lite $5.99/month (1,000 credits), Pro $16.99/month (5,000) and Max $29.99/month (10,000), plus a one-time lifetime pack of 1,000 credits at $3.99 ($2.99 for members). If you connect your own provider keys, those calls use no Orkas credits at all — your provider bills you directly.
Can I actually buy a paid Orkas plan today?
Not with a real payment. The vendor's own pricing page states: 'Dev mode uses Stripe sandbox. Test cards only; no real charge.' The paid tiers and prices are published, but checkout is not taking real money yet, so the free app is the working entry point — this listing will be updated when that changes.
Do I need my own API key?
No. Managed official models work out of the box and draw on credits (500 bonus credits come with sign-in). Connecting your own provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM and others — is optional, and those calls go directly to the provider without consuming credits.
Is Orkas really open source, and where do my files live?
Yes — the desktop client is MIT-licensed (github.com/Orkas-AI/Orkas), and you can run the open-source edition with no Orkas account at all. By default your files, chats and memory stay on your machine; keys you add are encrypted locally and kept out of the optional cloud sync.
What does Orkas not do?
It does not verify your work: the vendor states it does not replace the founder's checking of calculations, evidence or business decisions. External actions depend on which tools and permissions you connect, remote model calls are not offline, and published web apps cannot directly use desktop AI, local files or connectors.
Stacks & next steps
Orkas is not in a published stack yet — stacks are edited buying guides, and memberships are added only when the combination has been worked through.
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Provenance — where this page’s facts came from