OpenComputer vs Continuum

Continuum (continuumcode.ai) is a free, vendor-neutral workbench that runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok and other agents through their own CLIs on your desktop or machines you enroll, with phone, watch and web apps to steer them. OpenComputer is a coding agent you mention in Slack that runs Claude Code and Codex on a cloud Linux machine per Slack workspace and hands back a pull request. The biggest difference is the default home of the work: your own fleet of devices, or a cloud machine someone else runs.

Continuum also sells hosted inference plans, and those plans include Continuum Cloud, managed runners that start sessions from a GitHub repo. OpenComputer does not sell a model of its own: it runs on your Claude or ChatGPT subscription, your API key, or its tokens at API prices.

The two are often complementary. Continuum suits a developer who wants to run many agents across their own machines and follow them from anywhere. OpenComputer suits a team that hands work off from Slack and reviews pull requests.

At a glance

What is Continuum?

Continuum, published by Montauk Analytics Inc., calls itself a control surface for coding agents. It says plainly that it is not another agent. It drives the official CLIs for Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, Grok, Cursor, OpenCode and others with your own logins, with "No proxy in the token path. No markup. Ever." You can run several accounts per provider and see quota gauges and cost by repo, model and PR.

Sessions run in git worktrees on a "host": the Mac app, the Windows and Linux desktop apps, the continuum CLI, a Linux server you enroll, or Continuum Cloud. Phones, Apple Watch and the web app act as remotes that drive sessions without holding code. Close your laptop and sessions keep running on any device you've enrolled. On the download page, the Mac and iPhone apps are shipping, while Windows, Linux and the CLI are in beta. Continuum also added Slack and WhatsApp channel bots in September 2026.

What is OpenComputer?

OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex in its own cloud, and you hand them work by mentioning @Computer in a Slack thread or calling the API from your code. Each Slack workspace gets its own cloud Linux machine, sized to its plan. Every thread works in its own copy of the repos on its own branch, so parallel requests don't collide. Workspaces resume warm, with the repository, dependencies and build caches already in place.

@Computer reads the code, runs the commands and tests, then opens a pull request that says what changed, why, and how it was checked, with a link back to the thread. UI changes come with a screenshot and a preview link. There is no desktop, watch or mobile app: Slack and the API are the interface.

Key differences

Your fleet or a cloud machine you don't run

Continuum's core model is a fleet of up to 10 devices on one account. Enrolled hosts must stay on and reachable, and worktrees on one host share that machine. Continuum Cloud adds managed runners, by default with 1,200 active minutes per seat per period, 2 concurrent sessions and a 15-minute idle stop. Cloud sessions start from a repo, with no local working tree. OpenComputer gives each Slack workspace its own cloud Linux machine, where every thread works in its own copy of the repos on its own branch, with no hosts to enroll and workspaces that resume warm with the repo and caches in place.

Clients and where you steer from

Continuum has the most clients of the workbenches: Mac, Windows, Linux, CLI, web, iPhone, Apple Watch and Android. If you want to follow and steer agents from your wrist or phone, it is the stronger fit. OpenComputer is used from Slack, which already works on your phone, or from your own code through the API.

Team workflow

Continuum offers team plans with model policy, weekly caps and approvals, and channel bots for Slack and WhatsApp. OpenComputer is built around the Slack thread as the shared place the work happens: everyone in it sees every file @Computer opens and every command it runs, anyone can steer it, and conventions one person explains apply to later requests. The thread records who asked for each change and why.

Models and billing

Continuum supports more providers, including Grok, Gemini through Antigravity, GLM and OpenRouter, and offers its own hosted inference with a weekly budget and an OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible API. OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex only. When your subscription hits its limit, it can switch to OpenComputer tokens at API prices with no markup, or stop and wait for the reset. OpenComputer bills for agent working time, while Continuum's paid plans bill for inference.

Pricing compared

As of October 2026, the Continuum app is free on every client with your own provider accounts. Paid plans buy hosted inference: Plus at $25 a month with a $25 weekly budget (new sign-ups paused), Max 100 at $100, Max 200 at $200 and Ultra at $500, with Team plans at the same prices per member. Continuum Cloud is included only with these plans. OpenComputer lists Pro at $20 a month with 2,000 work minutes and Max at $200 with 25,000, for the whole Slack workspace, and $0.01 per extra minute.

The two are hard to compare directly. A Continuum plan mostly buys model usage, with cloud minutes included, while an OpenComputer plan buys agent working time and leaves the model on your own subscription. A developer who uses Continuum locally with their own subscriptions pays $0 to Continuum, and one who wants cloud agents on OpenComputer pays $20 a month for the workspace.

When to choose Continuum

• You want one app over many providers, with several accounts per provider and cost tracking by PR.
• You want to steer agents from iPhone, Apple Watch, Android or the web.
• You have machines you can keep on, and want sessions to run there when your laptop is closed.
• You want hosted inference with a weekly budget alongside your own subscriptions.

When to choose OpenComputer

• You want a cloud machine for your workspace without enrolling or maintaining hosts.
• Your team works in Slack and wants requests, review and history in one shared thread.
• You want pull requests with the evidence attached, including a screenshot for UI work.
• You also want to build your own agents, such as a background coding agent, on the same cloud and minutes.

FAQ

Is OpenComputer a Continuum alternative?

Partly. Both run Claude Code and Codex with your own subscription and can open GitHub pull requests. Continuum is a workbench that drives many agents on your own devices or its cloud runners, while OpenComputer runs Claude Code and Codex on its own cloud machines and takes requests from Slack.

How much does Continuum cost?

The Continuum app is free with your own provider accounts. Hosted inference plans run from Plus at $25 a month, with new sign-ups paused, through Max 100 at $100, Max 200 at $200 and Ultra at $500. Continuum Cloud runners are included only with those paid plans.

Does Continuum run in the cloud or on my machine?

Mostly on your machines: the desktop apps, the CLI, or Linux and Mac hosts you enroll. Paid plans add Continuum Cloud runners, which start sessions from a GitHub repo and sleep after 15 minutes idle. OpenComputer runs only in the cloud.

Can I use my Claude or ChatGPT subscription with both?

Yes. Continuum runs each agent's official CLI with your own login and takes no cut. OpenComputer also runs on your Claude or ChatGPT subscription, and can switch to its own tokens at API prices with no markup when the subscription hits its limit, or stop and wait for the reset.

Which Continuum is this page about?

This page covers Continuum at continuumcode.ai, the coding agent workbench whose iPhone app is listed as Continuum Console. It is unrelated to other tools named Continuum, including AWS Continuum.

Sources

• Continuum homepage
• Pricing
• Download
• Providers
• Continuum Cloud
• Devices
• Remote devices
• Hosted inference
• FAQ
• Changelog