Local private AI team vs. Muse, Dots, and Grok Bot
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Unbound runs your AI team on your own computer or a server you operate, with no hosted AI service required. When the model and the tools a task uses are on the same device, your prompts, files, and the bot’s working context stay there. Muse, OpenAI Dots, and Grok Bot run in cloud environments their providers manage, with models the provider chooses.
Local control vs. a provider’s cloud
| Product | Agent host | Model choice | Connected accounts | Usage limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unbound | Your computer or a server you operate. | Local models, or any built-in or custom provider with your own keys. | Tools run on your machine. You choose what each service can access and where the model runs. | None with local models. Remote providers apply only the limits of your own subscription or API key balance. |
| Muse | A dedicated virtual machine in Meta’s cloud. | Muse Spark, supplied by Meta. | Authorized app data and credentials are held in the cloud VM. | Usage limits on the free tier; paid plans raise them. |
| OpenAI Dots | OpenAI’s cloud computer, with optional access to your local machine. | OpenAI’s hosted agent in ChatGPT. | Connected apps supply information to the hosted dot under approved permissions. | Capped by a plan allowance for deeper work; Pro or Business Premium only. |
| Grok Bot | A persistent cloud computer shared by your account’s Bots. | Chosen by the service; no model picker. | Authorized accounts and browser sessions are available to Bots in the cloud environment. | Capped by weekly subscription usage; extra usage billed on demand. |
All three services give you an agent computer in their cloud. Dots’ optional local access and Grok Bot’s local command execution let that cloud service reach into your machine. That is the reverse of running locally: the agent still lives with the provider, it just has a door into your computer.
Each service also meters how much work its agent can do under your plan. Unbound has no usage limits of its own: local models run as much as your hardware allows, and with a remote provider the only limits are the ones that provider sets for your subscription or API key balance.
Local models keep AI processing on your hardware
Run a model on your own hardware through Ollama, LM Studio, or vLLM. Your prompts and the bot’s working context are processed on the machine running that model, not sent to a hosted AI provider. Run the bot, the model, and the tools on the same device and that task’s data never leaves it.
Unbound is model-agnostic: pick a local model, or bring your own API keys for any built-in or custom provider. Either way, conversations, memory, files, screenshots, and browser profiles stay on your machine. Sending prompts to a remote model is a choice you make, not the default. See the Privacy Policy for the details.
Why connector permissions matter
When you connect email, calendar, or a file drive, you grant the agent permission to use that data: reading messages or files and, if you allow it, sending mail or changing events. With a hosted agent, the provider’s cloud holds that permission and does the reading and writing.
Muse lets users choose app access; Dots uses connected-app permissions; and Grok Bot uses authorized accounts and sessions. Their security controls differ, but each puts a hosted agent service between you and your connected data.
With Unbound, the tools that use those permissions run on your machine. A local model can read what they fetch without sending it to a hosted AI model. The connected services still receive their normal requests. Google services connect through an OAuth client you create yourself or a plugin such as Composio, so Unbound’s servers are never in the path.
Encrypted credentials, with keys under your control
Unbound stores API keys and other secrets in a credential vault encrypted with AES-256-GCM, so copying the files does not expose them. On the desktop, the vault key is protected by your operating system’s secure storage by default. On a server with no desktop, you supply and protect the key yourself. Unbound’s local control service accepts connections only from your own machine unless you set up remote access following the Security & Data page.
Start with the Windows Beta. Running Unbound yourself is free; your AI provider and hosting bill you separately. Read why Unbound runs bots on your own computer and the FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Unbound different from Muse, Dots, and Grok Bot?
Unbound runs on your computer or a server you control, and you pick the model: a local one, or any built-in or custom provider with your own keys. Muse, Dots, and Grok Bot run in cloud environments their providers manage. With Unbound you control the host, the model, the workspace, and the credentials; there is no hosted agent service in between.
Is Unbound free for local or self-hosted use?
Yes. Running Unbound on your own computer or server is free. Your AI provider, hosting, and connected services bill you separately.
Can my task data stay entirely on my device?
Yes, when Unbound, the model, and every tool the task uses run on that device without reaching out. Prompts, files, and the bot’s context stay there. A remote model receives the context it needs, and online connectors or websites still exchange data with their services even when the model is local.
Does a local-access feature make a cloud agent self-hosted?
No. Dots offers optional access to your local computer, and Grok Bot can run commands on it. Those features give a cloud service a way into your machine. Running Unbound and a local model on your own hardware puts the agent and the model under your control instead.