MercuryvsOpenWorker
Generated from the two spec rows. Green marks the better value where a spec has a clear direction. Everything else is just different.
Mercury
CosmicStack Labs · Terminal agent
#157OSS
Panel
5.91 spec wins
- Reliability
- 5.2
- Usefulness
- 5.8
- Cost
- 6.7
- Longevity
- 6.0
“Executes shell commands and file operations without a sandbox, relying on user approval and a command blocklist for safety.”
OpenWorker
Andrew Ng · Terminal agent
#121OSSMCP
Panel
6.23 spec wins
- Reliability
- 5.3
- Usefulness
- 6.3
- Cost
- 6.8
- Longevity
- 6.3
“A local-first agent with full access to your desktop, files, and terminal that runs without a sandbox.”
Spec by spec
| Spec | Mercury | OpenWorker |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | ||
| Category | Terminal agent | Terminal agent |
| Runs | local | local |
| Platforms | macos, linux, windows, web | macos, windows, linux |
| Context window | not documented | not documented |
| Protocols | ||
| MCP client | No | Yes |
| MCP server | No | No |
| Capabilities | ||
| Runs terminal commands | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-file edits | Yes | Yes |
| Git operations | Yes | Yes |
| Browser control | Yes | No |
| Sandboxed execution | No | No |
| Multi-agent orchestration | Yes | Yes |
| Headless / CI mode | No | No |
| Models | ||
| Backbone | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, BytePlus Ark, Volcengine Ark Agent Plan, Inkling, GLM, DeepSeek | |
| Bring your own model | Yes | Yes |
| Local models | No | Yes |
| Cost | ||
| Pricing model | free | free |
| Starts at | n/a | n/a |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Bring your own key | Yes | Yes |
| Openness | ||
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 3,169 | 18,394 |
Which one would each critic pick
| Critic | Mercury | OpenWorker | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Juez | — | — | not enough reviews |
| El Amigo | 7.8 | 7.5 | Mercury — Mercury is a solid choice for a persistent, multi-channel agent if you value safety and control over autonomous execution. |
| El Crítico | 6.3 | 5.5 | Mercury — It runs commands on your host without a sandbox. Use the approval flow and do not walk away. |
| El Profesor | 5.3 | 6.5 | OpenWorker — OpenWorker is a local-first agent harness for security and automation tasks, distinguished by its explicit user approval step and multi-tool verification loop. |
| La Inversora | 5.5 | 5.8 | OpenWorker — A well-executed open-source agent harness with strong initial adoption, but no business model besides the founder's reputation. |
| La Jefa | 4.3 | 4.0 | Mercury — A locally-run tool with no central management, audit logs, or SSO is a non-starter for team deployment. Not yet. |
| El Hacker | 6.5 | 8.0 | OpenWorker — OpenWorker is a proper desktop agent harness: MIT-licensed, local-first, BYOM, and you can run it from source. But its power is a risk without a sandbox. |
Picks are derived from each critic's own scores. Humans vote on matchups on the duels page.