# Nimbalyst pricing, and what the open-source alternative costs

> Nimbalyst's desktop and iOS apps are free for individuals, while Kortix is the open-source alternative that is free to self-host and charges a flat per-seat rate on its cloud.

URL: https://nimbalystalternative.com/pricing

## What Nimbalyst costs

Nimbalyst's Individual plan is $0 and covers the full visual editor with no feature limits, on macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS. Teams is $20 per user per month, or $200 per user per year, and it is free while the beta lasts. Enterprise is custom priced and adds a collaboration server in your own cloud account ([Nimbalyst](https://nimbalyst.com/pricing), checked October 2026).

## What Kortix costs

Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. The team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled, and that covers managed hosting and compute. Self-host is free, so a team on its own server pays no seat fee at all ([Kortix](https://kortix.com/pricing), checked October 2026).

## The model bill stays separate

On both tools, the model is yours to pay for. Kortix does not bundle a model: bring your own key from any major provider or connect the ChatGPT subscription you already pay for, and pay the provider directly. Nimbalyst works the same way, using the subscription or key you already hold.

## Where the two pricing models differ

Both leave the model bill to you, so the difference is what else the fee covers. Nimbalyst charges for the app and its team features, and the agent runs on your own machine. Kortix charges for managed hosting and pooled compute, and both the free tier and the self-host path remove the seat cost. A team that already owns a server and model keys pays nothing beyond the hardware.

## Start free, then decide

You can run the whole loop on the free tier before paying. The CLI installs with one command, scaffolds a project, and ships it:

```
curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash
kortix init
kortix ship
```

Start on the free credits, then move to a team seat or your own server when the work outgrows them. For the full comparison, see [Kortix vs Nimbalyst](https://kortix.com/blog/kortix-vs-nimbalyst), and for the self-host cost, [is Kortix free?](https://kortix.com/blog/is-kortix-ai-free).

## How the three pricing models differ

Kortix first, then the two closest per-user rivals.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Nimbalyst | Superset |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes, self-host or managed cloud | Yes, desktop and iOS apps | No |
| Free tier | Yes, monthly credits and 1 project | Yes, free for individuals | Yes, one person and local work |
| Paid plan model | Flat per seat, pooled compute credits | Per-user team plan, free during beta | Per-seat Pro plan |
| Self-host | Yes, self-host is free | Desktop app; Enterprise uses your cloud | Local-first, runs on your machine |
| Where the agent runs | Its own cloud computer per session | Your desktop machine | Your machine or a host you add |
| Model choice | Any model, your own keys | Your Claude Code or Codex plan | Any CLI coding agent |

Prices checked October 2026. Kortix figures from https://kortix.com/pricing; Nimbalyst from https://nimbalyst.com/pricing; Superset from https://superset.sh/pricing.

## Pricing questions

### Is Nimbalyst free?

For individuals, yes. The Individual plan is $0 with no feature limits and no credit card, on macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS. Teams is $20 per user per month, or $200 per user per year, and is free while the beta lasts.

### How much is Kortix?

Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. The team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled. Self-host is free (Kortix pricing, checked October 2026).

### Do I pay for a model on top of the plan?

Yes on both. Each tool leaves model access to you: bring your own key or reuse a subscription you pay for, and pay the provider directly. The plan fee covers the tool, not the tokens.

### Can I avoid the seat fee completely?

Yes, by self-hosting Kortix. Self-host is free, so the only running costs are the server, the model keys, and a sandbox provider key for sessions.

## Start free, self-host free

Your agents, skills, memory and connectors stay in a git repo your team owns.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [See the pricing](https://kortix.com/pricing)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem