Can I open-source Cluely?

KINDA · partial or early alternatives
price $19.99/moyou'd save $239.88/yrcategory ✨ ai assistantsreplaced by 0 people

Kinda. OpenClaw and Hermes Agent cover the core of Cluely, but they're early or partial — expect gaps like Screen-share invisibility that has actually been tested against Zoom, Meet, Teams and OS screenshot tools and Sub-second latency and the prompt tuning that makes answers short enough to read while someone is talking.

why people still pay

Because the hard part is not the LLM call, it is the twenty small platform details that make an overlay silent, invisible and fast under pressure, and because people who reach for this tool are, by definition, not in the mood to debug a virtual audio driver ten minutes before an interview. Paying converts a fragile personal hack into something that mostly behaves on a laptop you did not configure yourself.

what you lose

xScreen-share invisibility that has actually been tested against Zoom, Meet, Teams and OS screenshot tools

xSub-second latency and the prompt tuning that makes answers short enough to read while someone is talking

xSystem audio capture that just works without you installing and routing a virtual audio device

xMobile and browser-extension coverage, plus a hosted account so your setup follows you to another machine

xSomebody else's legal and PR exposure for a product whose pitch is 'cheat on everything'

the open-source alternatives

These projects already replace it, free.

OOpenClawViral personal AI assistant that runs on your own devices — connects local/cloud models to WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, iMessage and 50+ integrations. Fastest-growing OSS project of 2026.210kaug 2026open source↗OOpen WebUIThe de-facto self-hosted ChatGPT interface: talks to Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API, with RAG, tools, and multi-user.100kaug 2026open source↗BBrowser UseMake any LLM drive a real browser — fill forms, scrape, book, click — the go-to open-source web agent.75kaug 2026open source↗

What each one is, in full: OpenClaw · Open WebUI · Browser Use

no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

share on X ↗"I just replaced Cluely ($19.99/mo) with open source"
questions
Can I open-source Cluely?

Kinda. OpenClaw covers the core of Cluely, but there are real gaps: Screen-share invisibility that has actually been tested against Zoom, Meet, Teams and OS screenshot tools, Sub-second latency and the prompt tuning that makes answers short enough to read while someone is talking. Read the honest list above before committing.

How much does Cluely cost?

Cluely costs about $19.99/month (Pro, checked 2026-08-16), which is $239.88 per year.

What do I lose by replacing Cluely?

Honestly: Screen-share invisibility that has actually been tested against Zoom, Meet, Teams and OS screenshot tools; Sub-second latency and the prompt tuning that makes answers short enough to read while someone is talking; System audio capture that just works without you installing and routing a virtual audio device; Mobile and browser-extension coverage, plus a hosted account so your setup follows you to another machine; Somebody else's legal and PR exposure for a product whose pitch is 'cheat on everything'. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Cluely?

Yes: OpenClaw (Viral personal AI assistant that runs on your own devices — connects local/cloud models to WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, iMessage and 50+ integrations. Fastest-growing OSS project of 2026.) Open WebUI (The de-facto self-hosted ChatGPT interface: talks to Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API, with RAG, tools, and multi-user.) Browser Use (Make any LLM drive a real browser — fill forms, scrape, book, click — the go-to open-source web agent.)