# Kortix vs Lindy: an open source AI Operating System, compared

> Kortix is an open source AI Operating System you own and self-host; Lindy is a hosted AI teammate that prices the work in credits. Here is how the two differ row by row, and which one fits your team.

URL: https://lindyalternative.com/kortix-vs-lindy

Head to head

**The open-source AI Operating System**

`kortix.yaml`

```yaml
agents:
  release-bot:
    file: agents/release-bot.md
    connectors: [github]
    kortix_permissions: [project.gitops.push]
    secrets: [GITHUB_AGENT_TOKEN]
```

Source: https://kortix.com/docs/project/manifest

Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Compare the rows](https://lindyalternative.com/#comparison)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem

_Compare_

## Kortix versus Lindy, row by row

Kortix is our pick; its column quotes Kortix's own docs, and Lindy's column quotes Lindy's own pages.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Lindy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | No. Lindy is a hosted service. |
| What you own | Files in one git repo you own | A hosted workspace in Lindy's cloud |
| Self-hosting | Self-host the full stack with `kortix self-host`; self-host is free | No self-hosting page |
| Model choice | Any model provider with your own keys | Runs on Lindy's hosted service |
| Memory | Company memory lives in one git repo you own | Memory "in plain files" it says you can open and edit |
| Approvals and review | Approval gates you set. Off until you set them. Merge is default-deny for agents. | Approvals required for actions with outside impact; read-only lookups do not. |
| Pricing model | Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project | Credits. Plans start at $29.99 a month; top-ups cost $10 per 1,000. |

Lindy's column reflects what Lindy's own pages say as of October 2026. Kortix's column quotes Kortix's own docs. Check each vendor before you buy.

## What each one is

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers.

Lindy describes itself as "your AI teammate that plugs into your tools, learns how you work, and takes real work off your plate." It is a hosted service: you connect your apps, and Lindy runs the work in its own cloud. Its pages say it offers 40+ skills and connects 1,500+ integrations plus MCP.

## Where your work and configuration live

This is the split that decides most of the rest. On Kortix, everything is files in a git repo you own. Each agent is `agents/<name>.md` plus an `agents.<name>` block in `kortix.yaml`, and company memory is plain files in the same repo. You can read it, fork it, and audit it.

On Lindy, the configuration, the skills, and the memory live in your hosted Lindy workspace. Lindy says its memory is "in plain files" you can open and edit. Its pages also say your data is held in its cloud, encrypted, never sold, and never used to train models, and list SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA, and PIPEDA.

## Self-hosting and where it runs

Kortix runs on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free. Three commands install and start the full stack on a Linux box you control:

```sh
$ curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash
$ kortix self-host init --domain kortix.example.com
$ kortix self-host start
```

Lindy publishes no self-hosting page; the product runs in Lindy's cloud. If a security review needs the agent layer on your own network, that is the line the two products split on. The full walkthrough is in [the self-hosting guide](/self-hosting) and the [Kortix docs](https://kortix.com/docs/host).

## Models and connectors

Kortix runs any model provider with your own keys, or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for, or sign in with your OpenCode Console account for OpenCode Zen and Go. It connects 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP, and connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine.

A hosted service keeps model choice on its side, so Lindy is not something you point at your own keys. Lindy says it connects 1,500+ integrations plus MCP.

## How work is approved and reviewed

Kortix has approval gates you set, off until you set them, so you choose allow, ask, or block on each connector action. When an agent finishes a task, its work reaches `main` through a change request, and merge is default-deny for agents.

Lindy asks for approval before any action with outside impact, such as sending, updating, or posting; read-only lookups run without a prompt. That is from Lindy's own pages.

## What each one costs

Both products price in credits, and the models differ.

Lindy's plans start at $29.99 a month. Its pricing page lists a team plan "from $49.99 a month for 5,000 credits each," and admins can top up at $10 per 1,000 credits. Its homepage FAQ says everyone on a team draws from one shared pool of credits.

On Kortix, Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. The team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled. Self-host is free. The arithmetic behind Lindy's plans is on [Lindy priced out](/lindy-pricing).

## Who each one fits

Kortix fits a team that wants to own the stack: the agents, the memory, and the connectors as files in a repo, the model on your own keys, and the option to self-host. When a security review, a data-residency rule, or a long-run cost model is in play, that ownership is the reason to pick it.

Lindy fits a team that wants a hosted teammate and no infrastructure to run: connect your tools, let Lindy schedule the work, and accept the credit pool and the cloud. More open-source routes are on [the alternatives page](/lindy-alternatives), and the [Lindy for teams](/lindy-for-teams) page covers the team case.

_FAQ_

## Questions people ask before they pick

Every answer names the product and where the fact comes from.

### Do Lindy credits roll over?

No. Lindy says monthly credits refresh each cycle and do not roll over, and that when the pool runs low "Lindy pauses" until the credits reset. Admins can top up at $10 per 1,000 credits.

### What counts as a billed seat on Lindy?

Lindy's own FAQ says anyone who signs up, joins the workspace, or @mentions Lindy in Slack takes a seat, and every active person is billed.

### Is Lindy open source?

Lindy is a hosted service, and its pages point to no source you can read or run. Kortix is open source: you can read it, fork it, and audit it.

### Is this site affiliated with Lindy?

No. Lindy and the other product names on this site belong to their owners. This site names Lindy only to compare.

## Run your agents from one repo you own.

Start with one job and grow from there.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Read the self-hosting guide](https://lindyalternative.com/self-hosting)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem