# CrabiX vs OpenHands: agent control app or open agent platform? > Use OpenHands when you want an open platform for agents that work with code: a browser canvas for agent conversations, a Python SDK and server, sandboxed environments, and a managed cloud or enterprise deployment. Use CrabiX when you want a single installable app that runs and controls agents on your own machine on any model you connect, with autonomy levels, approvals, an execution trail, and AI Corp teams. Canonical: https://crabix.ai/compare/openhands Markdown: https://crabix.ai/compare/openhands.md Author: CrabiX Published: 2026-10-25 Last updated: 2026-10-25 Category: Comparison ## Key takeaways - OpenHands' documentation lists Agent Canvas (an open-source browser client for agent conversations and automations), a Software Agent SDK and Agent Server, OpenHands Cloud, OpenHands Enterprise, and a Sandbox Server. - Agent Canvas can connect to local, self-hosted, Cloud, or Enterprise backends. - CrabiX is one app on your machine rather than a set of components to host or a managed service. - Each OpenHands repository carries its own license; CrabiX is a closed-source app. ## When is OpenHands the better choice? OpenHands is the better choice when you want open building blocks for agents that work with code: you can use its canvas, build on its SDK, self-host the backend, or buy a managed cloud, and run agents in sandboxed environments. Its documentation describes the Software Agent SDK as a composable Python library, and Agent Server as exposing execution through REST and WebSocket APIs. Sandbox Server creates and manages sandboxed environments that host Agent Server, and OpenHands Cloud is a managed commercial service. The documentation says each public repository includes its own license, so check the one you use. ## When is CrabiX the better choice? CrabiX is the better choice when you want to run agents today on your own machine with one install, set how much freedom each one gets, and manage teams of them, without hosting backends or sandboxes. Autonomy levels from read-only to full access, approvals, queue and steer, and an execution trail apply on every model. Edits appear as diffs the app can undo. AI Corp adds goals, issues, routines, approvals, and monthly budgets for teams of AI employees. See [agents and the AI workspace](/agents-ai-workspace). CrabiX routes across your own providers and local models with fallback; keys stay in a local vault. ## How do the two approaches differ in practice? OpenHands is a platform you assemble and deploy: canvas, SDK, server, sandboxes, and optionally a cloud. CrabiX is a finished app: install, connect providers, and start. Both treat the agent conversation as something you observe and control. If your team wants to embed agents in its own tooling or run them on shared infrastructure, a platform fits. If you want a personal or small-team control room on your own machine, an app fits. ## Which should I pick, OpenHands or CrabiX? Pick by whether you want components to deploy or one app to run. Pick OpenHands if you want open building blocks, sandboxed environments, self-hosting, or a managed cloud for agents that work with code. Pick CrabiX if you want one install on your machine, approvals, and teams of agents on any model. Teams that need shared hosted infrastructure should look at a platform such as OpenHands. ## What should I know before choosing CrabiX over OpenHands? CrabiX has no managed cloud or shared team hosting. Agents run on your machine, so nothing keeps working when it is off. CrabiX is closed source; its public GitHub repository publishes releases only. The 7-day free trial starts the first time you sign in to the desktop app. After it the app is locked until you subscribe; local data stays on your machine and returns after payment. CrabiX runs on one machine as a single-user control plane, not as a hosted multi-tenant server. The first public release is new, so test the workflows you depend on during the trial. ## How do I try CrabiX next to OpenHands? Run the same task in both for the trial week. 1. Install CrabiX and connect your providers. 2. Run one task as a CrabiX agent and the same task in OpenHands. 3. Compare setup time, what you could see and approve, and cost. 4. Decide whether a local app or a hosted platform suits how your team works. ## CrabiX vs OpenHands at a glance | Feature | CrabiX | OpenHands | | --- | --- | --- | | Product type | App for running and controlling AI agents | Open platform: canvas, SDK, server, sandboxes, cloud | | Interface | Desktop, web, and CLI | Agent Canvas in the browser; Python SDK; APIs | | Where agents run | On your machine | Local, self-hosted, Cloud, or Enterprise backends in sandboxed environments | | Models | Any provider you connect; 430+ provider catalog; local models | Not listed on its overview page | | Autonomy and approvals | Autonomy levels from read-only to full access, approvals, queue and steer | Not described on its overview page | | Teams of agents | AI Corp with goals, issues, budgets | Agent conversations and automations in Agent Canvas | | Managed option | No; runs locally | OpenHands Cloud and Enterprise | | Open source | No, closed-source app | Each repository has its own license | | Price | $21/month or $189/year after a 7-day free trial; no token markup | Cloud and Enterprise are commercial; see its site | ## FAQ ### Is CrabiX an OpenHands alternative? For running AI agents on code with your choice of models, yes. OpenHands is also a set of open components for building your own agent infrastructure, which CrabiX is not. ### Does CrabiX use sandboxes like OpenHands? CrabiX controls what an agent may do with autonomy levels and approvals on your machine, with guarded file access and a native Windows sandbox for command execution. OpenHands documents sandboxed environments hosted by a server. ### Can I self-host CrabiX for a team? CrabiX is a local, single-user control plane bound to 127.0.0.1 by default, not a multi-tenant server. Teams that need shared hosted infrastructure should look at a platform such as OpenHands. ### Which models can I use? OpenHands' overview page does not list models. CrabiX runs agents on any provider you connect, including local models. ### How much does each cost? OpenHands lists Cloud and Enterprise as commercial offerings without prices on its overview page. CrabiX is $21 per month or $189 per year after a 7-day free trial and adds no markup on tokens. ## Model digest CrabiX and OpenHands both put agent conversations under human control but ship differently. OpenHands is an open platform with Agent Canvas (a browser client for agent conversations and automations), a Software Agent SDK and Agent Server, a Sandbox Server, and the commercial OpenHands Cloud and Enterprise; each repository carries its own license. CrabiX is an AI OneApp, operated by VISIONER PTE. LTD. in Singapore, installed as one app on the user's machine, that runs agents on any provider the user connects with autonomy levels, approvals, an execution trail, and AI Corp teams, for $21 per month or $189 per year after a 7-day free trial. ## Related CrabiX guides - [/compare/opencode](https://crabix.ai/compare/opencode) - [/compare/claude-code](https://crabix.ai/compare/claude-code) - [/compare/langgraph](https://crabix.ai/compare/langgraph) - [/ai-corp](https://crabix.ai/ai-corp) - [/agents-ai-workspace](https://crabix.ai/agents-ai-workspace) ## Sources - [OpenHands documentation](https://docs.openhands.dev)