The best Paperclip alternatives
8 tools that do a similar job to Paperclip, 8 of them open source. Each entry says what it does and who it suits, so you can pick the one that fits instead of the most famous.
You're replacing
PaperclipOpen-source Node.js and React app for organizing teams of AI agents around goals, tasks, and budgets.
- 1
CrewAI
Open source · MIT · ★ 60.4k
Python framework for building teams of role-playing AI agents that work together on tasks.
Best for: Python developers prototyping multi-agent workflows; Teams that want role-based agents collaborating on a task
- 2
LangGraph
Open source · MIT · ★ 44.3k
A Python framework for building long-running agents that keep state and can resume after failures.
Best for: Python developers building multi-step AI agents that must survive failures or long waits; Teams that want fine-grained control over agent state and execution flow
- 3
OpenHands
Open source · MIT · ★ 92.5k
A self-hosted control panel that runs AI coding agents on your machine, in Docker, or in the cloud.
Best for: Developers who want coding agents running on a server while their laptop is off; Teams that want a shared agent server for tasks like code review or dependency updates
- 4
Happy
Open source · MIT · ★ 24.4k
A multi-model coding agent app that runs Claude, Codex and Grok, with a phone companion, using your existing s
Best for: Developers who already pay for Claude, Codex or Grok subscriptions and want one interface for them; People who want to check on a running coding agent from their phone
- 5
nanobot
Open source · MIT · ★ 49.8k
Self-hosted personal AI agent in Python that works through a browser, terminal, or chat apps.
Best for: People who want a self-hosted personal assistant they can inspect and customize; Developers who want a small Python agent framework with memory, tools, and MCP support
- 6
CowAgent
Open source · MIT · ★ 47.8k
Open-source personal AI assistant that plans tasks, uses tools, and keeps memory across chat platforms.
Best for: People who want a self-hosted personal assistant reachable from their everyday chat apps; Developers who want an extensible agent framework with skills and MCP support
- 7
CC Switch
Open source · MIT · ★ 151k
Desktop app to switch API providers and manage MCP, Skills, and prompts for AI coding agents.
Best for: Developers who use several AI coding agents and switch between API providers often; People who find editing agent config files by hand error-prone
- 8
Orca
Open source · MIT · ★ 113k
A desktop app for running several coding agents side by side, each in its own git worktree.
Best for: Developers who already use CLI coding agents and want to run several at once; People who want to compare outputs from different agents on the same prompt
How we pick: tools in the same category that solve the same problem, projects that name each other as alternatives, and open-source projects that describe themselves as an alternative to Paperclip. We don't take payment for placement.