The verdict

gawkbot's own README calls itself an open source Grok Bot and gives an "honest" row-by-row comparison: always-on bots you describe in one sentence or demonstrate on a call, each with its own routine, tools, and an approval gate that holds every send, commit, purchase, or delete until you click it. The declared differences from Grok Bot are free and source-available rather than closed, runs on your machine on the CLI or model you already pay for rather than xAI's cloud, and per-bot computers are not built yet, unlike Grok Bot's one cloud computer per bot.

Pick Grok Bot if you want a cloud computer per Bot that keeps working with your laptop closed and you do not want to run anything locally. Pick gawkbot if you already pay for Claude Code, Codex, or Opencode, want every external write held for your approval by default, and are comfortable with a young, single-maintainer, source-available project rather than a paid vendor's product.

Documentation: Grok Bot overview ↗ Grok Bot security: models and data ↗ gawkbot repository and README ↗

Grok Botgawkbot
License and priceClosed; bundled with Cursor from $20/month or SuperGrok from $30Sustainable Use License (source-available, not OSI-approved); free for internal or personal use, pay only for the CLI or model you connect
ModelChosen by Cursor, no pickerYour installed Claude Code, Codex, or Opencode CLI, plus local models, Hermes Bot, or an OpenClaw gateway
Where bots runOne cloud computer per account, shared by every Bot, managed by CursorYour machine; the README's honest comparison says per-bot cloud computers are "not yet" built, with a per-bot directory and tool allowlist today
InstallDownload the app and sign in`npx gawkbot` with a signed-in CLI; global npm install optional; building from source needs Go and Bun
ToolsPlugins plus browser computer useA local CLI (credentials stay on your machine) or Composio's 1,200-plus app catalog
ApprovalsAsk-first rules in settingsReads are free; every send, commit, purchase, and delete waits for a manual approve
MaturityBeta from a large vendor with supportCommunity project on GitHub since March 2026, actively pushed; single maintainer, no vendor support

What you take on with gawkbot

Running it means keeping your own CLI logins current, watching the approval queue so writes do not stall, and accepting a young codebase from one named maintainer rather than a support contract. The Sustainable Use License also means you cannot resell gawkbot or a service built on it commercially without a separate agreement; read the license before you build on top of it. In exchange, every external action needs your click, the workspace state is files on your own disk under `~/.wuphf/`, and nothing runs on xAI's or Cursor's infrastructure.

Documentation: gawkbot repository and README ↗ gawkbot LICENSE (Sustainable Use License) ↗

What you take on with Grok Bot

Your Bots share one cloud computer and one set of logins per account, Cursor chooses the model, and usage above the weekly allowance bills on demand up to a Cursor monthly limit that does not stop a run already in progress. In exchange, setup is minutes, mobile access is built in, and you never install a CLI or watch an approval queue yourself.

Documentation: Billing and access FAQ ↗ Cursor plans and billing ↗ Cursor pricing ↗

Test them on the same task

Use the same frozen document and brief, score against an answer key you wrote first, and record setup, run, and review time. Our OpenClaw comparison contains the full protocol and a copyable brief; it applies unchanged here.

Quick answers

Is gawkbot free?

The software costs nothing to run: no account, no seats, no usage fees, and you supply whichever CLI or model you already pay for. It is not a permissive open-source license, though. gawkbot's LICENSE file uses the Sustainable Use License, which limits use to your own internal business purposes or non-commercial and personal use, and only lets you redistribute the software free of charge for non-commercial purposes. Read the license before building a paid or resold service on it.

Can gawkbot run Grok Bot templates or skills?

No. gawkbot builds its own per-workflow "microapps," each with its own routines, self-authored tools, typed data tables, and a cited knowledge page, connected through a local CLI or Composio's catalog. Nothing about a Grok Bot template or skill carries over. What transfers is the written brief, not the package.

Sources & next steps

Capabilities are grounded in the documentation below. The workflow design and acceptance checks are editorial suggestions.

Build your own workflow brief ↗