The open-source alternative to Glean
Looking for something like Glean, but open source and free to start? Alfera is the AI coworker your whole team shares: a company brain that syncs your apps, connections shared per person or per team, permissions on every action, and Slack, WhatsApp and email. Self-host it in one click, or start on Alfera Cloud.
In one line: Alfera is open source with a company brain, vs a closed enterprise AI search and agent platform.
| GleanEnterprise AI search and agent platform | Open source, or Alfera Cloud | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Enterprise AI platform for search, an assistant and agents, grounded in company data from 275+ connected apps. | The AI coworker your whole team shares, with a company brain that syncs your apps. Open source. | |
| Open source | No | Yes, AGPL-3.0 | |
| Self-host | Yes | Yes: one click on DigitalOcean or AWS, or one command on any server | |
| Price | Contact sales (pricing page offers "Get a demo", no prices published) | Free to start: open source to self-host, and Alfera Cloud starts with $10 of free AI usage | |
| Where it works | Web app, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Browser extension, Desktop app, MCP server | Slack, WhatsApp, email from its own address, the web app, a Mac app, the API and MCP | |
| Team use | Agent Library: browse, search and run shared agents; admins verify official agents, set categories, and control access by role. | Multiplayer: one coworker for the whole team. It knows who is asking, and each connection is shared with everyone, one project, or one person | |
| Permissions | Write actions pause for allow/deny with an editable preview. Skipping confirmation needs admin eligibility plus builder opt-in. | Allow, ask first, or never, per connection and per action. Approvals in Slack, email or the app, and every action logged | |
| Starts on its own | Schedule triggers and content triggers (changes in Gong, Jira, Salesforce, Gmail, Calendar, Outlook, Slack), plus chat and input forms. | On a schedule, from a webhook, or on 600+ app events | |
| Models | Model Hub with OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, Amazon and others; 40+ LLMs claimed. Bring your own keys or use Glean's Universal Model Key. | 230+ models: Claude, GPT, Gemini, open models, your ChatGPT plan, or your own |
Where Glean is the better choice
Large enterprises that want AI grounded in company knowledge with permissions-aware governance.
- 275+ connectors to work apps and data sources listed on its site
- Customer-hosted option: Glean runs the tenant inside your own GCP or AWS account for data residency
- Content triggers start agents from events in Gong, Jira, Salesforce, Gmail, Outlook and Slack, with an Agent Library for verified company agents
Everything Alfera does
- A company brain that syncs your apps. Connect Google Drive, Notion, Slack and the rest. Documents sync on their own, keep every version, and every answer draws on them.
- One coworker for the whole team. It knows who is asking. Many people, many tasks at once, each with their own chats and connections, and shared chats when you want.
- 3,000+ app connections, shared the way you choose. Each connection is open to everyone, one project, or one person. A personal mailbox stays personal; the support inbox is the team’s.
- Permissions on every action. Allow, ask first, or never, per connection and per action. Approvals land in Slack, email or the app, and every action is logged.
- Where your team already is. Slack, WhatsApp, email from its own address, the web app, a Mac app, and your own code through the API and MCP.
- It starts work by itself. On a schedule, from a webhook, or on 600+ app events in Gmail, HubSpot, Stripe and more.
- Its own computer. Every chat runs in a sandbox with a terminal and a browser, and its files stay from one chat to the next.
- Any model. 230+ models: Claude, GPT, Gemini, open models, your ChatGPT plan, or a model you run yourself.
- Open source, and free to start. AGPL-3.0. Self-host it in one click on DigitalOcean or AWS, or start on Alfera Cloud with $10 of free AI usage.
Glean and Alfera
Alfera. Alfera is the AI coworker your whole team shares. It has a company brain that syncs your apps, 3,000+ app connections shared per person or per team, permissions on every action, and it works in Slack, WhatsApp, email and the web app. It starts work by itself, runs on any model, and it is open source: self-host it in one click or start free on Alfera Cloud. Glean is not open source.
If you want something like Glean, but open source and free to start, with a company brain that syncs your apps, connections shared per person or per team, and permissions on every action, pick Alfera. It works in Slack, WhatsApp and email, starts work by itself, and runs on any model.
Glean: Contact sales (pricing page offers "Get a demo", no prices published). Alfera: Free to start: open source to self-host, and Alfera Cloud starts with $10 of free AI usage.
Glean: Yes. Alfera: Yes: one click on DigitalOcean or AWS, or one command on any server.
Large enterprises that want AI grounded in company knowledge with permissions-aware governance. 275+ connectors to work apps and data sources listed on its site. Customer-hosted option: Glean runs the tenant inside your own GCP or AWS account for data residency. Content triggers start agents from events in Gong, Jira, Salesforce, Gmail, Outlook and Slack, with an Agent Library for verified company agents.
Sources
Facts about Glean come from its own pages, read on 16 October 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@alfera.ai and we will fix it.
- home page: positioning, 275+ connections, 40+ LLMs, enterprise audience
- agents product page: Agent Library, 275+ connectors
- pricing page: Get a demo, no prices
- deployment models: Glean Hosted SaaS and Customer Hosted on GCP/AWS
- agent trigger types
- schedule triggers and access control
- human-in-the-loop confirmations for write tools
- supported LLM providers and bring your own key
- agent sharing, verification and admin controls
- surfaces: Slack, Teams, browser extension, desktop, MCP server