Choosing an alternative to ChatGPT agent mode
We make one of these, so read this with that in mind. It is still written to help you choose correctly, including choosing something else.
A note on accuracy: this space changes monthly and every vendor ships new capabilities, so this page deliberately compares categories and criteria rather than reciting a feature list that would be stale in a fortnight. Check the current state of any product before you commit — including this one.
People go looking for an alternative to a general assistant's agent mode for a fairly consistent set of reasons: the session does not persist, they cannot see enough of what happened, they cannot step in when it gets stuck, or it will not work inside a tool that needs a login. Those are four different problems, and which one you have should decide where you go.
Four criteria that actually separate these products
1. Does the machine persist?
Ask whether the agent has the same computer next week. If the environment is rebuilt per task, everything it set up is gone: logins, files, installed tools. For one-shot jobs that is fine. For anything you do repeatedly, it means paying a setup cost every single time.
2. How much can you actually see?
There is a real difference between a list of actions the agent says it took and a live view of the screen it took them on. The first is a report written by the same system that did the work, so a misunderstanding gets summarised as a success. The second is evidence.
3. Can you take over mid-task?
Every agent gets stuck. The question is what happens next. If the only options are "it gives up" or "it guesses", then any job containing a login, a CAPTCHA or a judgement call will fail. If you can put your own hands on the machine, clear the obstacle and hand it back, those jobs finish.
4. What does it actually cost you?
Compare the total: subscription, per-task or token costs, and your own time. A cheaper tool you have to supervise constantly is not cheaper. Neither is a dedicated machine you use twice a month.
The categories
| Category | Best when | Weak when |
|---|---|---|
| General assistant with an agent mode | Occasional tasks; you already pay for the assistant; you want zero setup | You need a persistent logged-in environment or close supervision |
| Coding agent in your repo | The work is code on your own machine | The work is in a browser or a GUI app |
| Scripted browser automation | A stable, high-volume, repeating job worth programming once | One-off or messy jobs; sites that change; anything needing judgement |
| Hosted agent with its own persistent desktop | Recurring work behind logins; you want to watch and intervene | Occasional one-off questions — you are paying for an idle machine |
| Self-hosted VM you assemble | You enjoy running infrastructure and want full control | You would rather the thing just worked |
When you should not switch
Genuinely: if your agent use is a few tasks a month, an assistant you already pay for is the right answer and a dedicated machine is money burnt on idle time. If your work is code in your own repository, a coding agent beats a separate computer that cannot see your files. If a documented API exists for what you need, use the API — a browser is the fallback for when there is none.
Where MyClawn sits
MyClawn is the fourth row: a hosted agent with its own persistent cloud desktop. It is built around the two criteria above that most products treat as afterthoughts — you watch the actual screen live, and you can take the mouse and keyboard mid-task and hand control back. The machine persists, so it stays signed in where you need it, and it has its own email address so a job can end in a sent message.
Free to start in the browser with no install or card; a dedicated machine starts at $19/month with AI credits included. The pricing table is on the homepage and what we do and do not guarantee is in the docs.
Two things it does not do, so you do not find out later: it does not receive email yet (sending works, replies do not land), and it is not a crypto product — on-chain settlement exists in the codebase and is switched off in production.