--- title: "CoWork-OS vs core" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/cowork-os-cowork-os-vs-redplanethq-core" tools: ["cowork-os-cowork-os", "redplanethq-core"] --- # CoWork-OS vs core *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick CoWork-OS if coWork-OS is a local-first personal agentic operating system for coding, knowledge work, web design, automations, integrated directly with AI assistants and automation capabilities; pick core if redPlanetHQ/core offers an AI framework for personalized assistants focusing on ai-agent capabilities, ai-memory, and automation. It is self-hosted and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license. [CoWork-OS](https://github.com/CoWork-OS/CoWork-OS) reports 451 GitHub stars, 77 forks, and 8 open issues, last pushed Sep 10, 2026. [core](https://getcore.me) has 2.0k stars, 194 forks, and 211 open issues, last pushed Sep 7, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [CoWork-OS's repository](https://github.com/CoWork-OS/CoWork-OS) and [core's repository](https://github.com/RedPlanetHQ/core). | | [CoWork-OS](/tools/cowork-os-cowork-os.md) | [core](/tools/redplanethq-core.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Local-first personal agentic OS for coding and knowledge work with integrated AI assistants and automation. | Your Personal AI OS | | Stars | 451 | 1,985 | | Forks | 77 | 194 | | Open issues | 8 | 211 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | CoWork-OS is a local-first personal agentic operating system for coding, knowledge work, web design, automations, integrated directly with AI assistants and automation capabilities. | RedPlanetHQ/core offers an AI framework for personalized assistants focusing on ai-agent capabilities, ai-memory, and automation. It is self-hosted and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Released under MIT License permitting free use and modification as long as original licensing is acknowledged. | Other | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools, Model Training | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [CoWork-OS](/tools/cowork-os-cowork-os.md) | [core](/tools/redplanethq-core.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Active (82%) | | Days since push | 0d | 12d | | Open issues (now) | 8 | 211 | | Stars delta | +31 (30d) | +38 (30d) | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | +3 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/cowork-os-cowork-os/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/redplanethq-core/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: CoWork-OS - **Adopt for:** CoWork-OS is a local-first personal agentic operating system for coding, knowledge work, web design, automations, integrated directly with AI assistants and automation capabilities. - **License detail:** Released under MIT License permitting free use and modification as long as original licensing is acknowledged. ## Decision facts: core - **Adopt for:** RedPlanetHQ/core offers an AI framework for personalized assistants focusing on ai-agent capabilities, ai-memory, and automation. It is self-hosted and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license. ## Choose when ### Choose CoWork-OS if… - License: CoWork-OS is MIT, core is Other. - Tags unique to CoWork-OS: ai-assistants, ai-automation, claude, desktop-app. - Also covers Model Training. - CoWork-OS ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - You prioritize local operation over cloud dependency ### Choose core if… - License: core is Other, CoWork-OS is MIT. - Tags unique to core: ai-agent, ai-memory, automation, automations. - When you require a personalized AI assistant that can integrate with multiple services you use daily. ## When NOT to use CoWork-OS - Require extensive collaboration features across multiple environments - Expecting zero-local configuration, with all setup in the cloud - Need compatibility only on Windows ARM64 without building native modules ## When NOT to use core - If you prefer cloud-based solutions over self-hosted options as RedPlanetHQ/core requires local hosting to ensure data privacy and control. - When looking for a chatbot that operates on-demand instead of an AI assistant that is constantly active in the background. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between CoWork-OS and core? CoWork-OS: Local-first personal agentic OS for coding and knowledge work with integrated AI assistants and automation.. core: Your Personal AI OS. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose CoWork-OS over core? Choose CoWork-OS over core when License: CoWork-OS is MIT, core is Other; Tags unique to CoWork-OS: ai-assistants, ai-automation, claude, desktop-app; Also covers Model Training; CoWork-OS ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; You prioritize local operation over cloud dependency. ### When should I choose core over CoWork-OS? Choose core over CoWork-OS when License: core is Other, CoWork-OS is MIT; Tags unique to core: ai-agent, ai-memory, automation, automations; When you require a personalized AI assistant that can integrate with multiple services you use daily. ### When should I avoid CoWork-OS? Require extensive collaboration features across multiple environments Expecting zero-local configuration, with all setup in the cloud Need compatibility only on Windows ARM64 without building native modules ### When should I avoid core? If you prefer cloud-based solutions over self-hosted options as RedPlanetHQ/core requires local hosting to ensure data privacy and control. When looking for a chatbot that operates on-demand instead of an AI assistant that is constantly active in the background. ### Is CoWork-OS or core more popular on GitHub? core has more GitHub stars (1,985 vs 451). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are CoWork-OS and core open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (CoWork-OS: MIT, core: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to CoWork-OS or core? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [CoWork-OS alternatives](/tools/cowork-os-cowork-os/alternatives) and [core alternatives](/tools/redplanethq-core/alternatives) ([CoWork-OS markdown twin](/tools/cowork-os-cowork-os/alternatives.md), [core markdown twin](/tools/redplanethq-core/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/cowork-os-cowork-os-vs-redplanethq-core.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, CoWork-OS or core? CoWork-OS: Very active. core: Active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for CoWork-OS and core? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [CoWork-OS trust report](/tools/cowork-os-cowork-os/trust); [core trust report](/tools/redplanethq-core/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=cowork-os-cowork-os`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=cowork-os-cowork-os) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_