A task done for you, or an agent of your own
An AI agent is an AI that plans its own steps and uses tools, such as a browser, your files or your email, until a task is finished. You can rent one or build one, and the two needs lead to different products.
A ready-made agent lives inside an assistant you may already pay for. You type "book a table for four on Friday" and watch it work in a browser. A builder is where you make an agent that runs without you, on a trigger or a schedule, inside your own workflows. How that differs from a chatbot or a fixed workflow is in what is an AI agent. Most people need the first. Teams that repeat the same job every day need the second.
Ten agent platforms compared: free plans, prices and limits
Five of these do a task for you and five help you build one. Every ready-made agent except Manus and ChatGPT Work needs a paid plan, and ChatGPT Free and Go include ChatGPT Work without its cloud browser. Every builder has a free way in, except OpenAI's Agent Builder, which is shutting down and states no price.
One row is a warning. OpenAI is deprecating its Agent Builder, and the product shuts down on 30 November 2026. Some lists of the best agent builders still rank it.
| Platform | What it is | Free plan | Entry paid plan, as listed | Limits that bite | Runs on your computer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Work (OpenAI) | A ready-made agent in ChatGPT that uses plugins and its own cloud browser | Yes, in Free and Go, but without its cloud browser, which is on paid plans other than Free and Go | Go $8/month. Plus $20/month is the cheapest plan with cloud browsing | Still rolling out, so it may not appear at once. Website sign-in on Plus and Pro only | No. Its browser runs on a separate computer in the cloud |
| Claude Cowork and Claude in Chrome | A ready-made agent in Claude for files, browser tasks and connected apps | No, paid plans only | Pro $20/month billed monthly, $17/month billed yearly | Multi-step tasks use more of your usage than a quick question, and limits reset every 5 hours and every week | Yes. Claude Desktop reads and writes only folders you connect |
| Gemini's Task mode (formerly Spark) | A ready-made agent in Gemini for Google apps and websites | No | Google AI Pro $19.99/month | Personal accounts 18 and over only, and not in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Nigeria | It can use your own Chrome or a cloud browser |
| Manus | A ready-made agent that works in its own cloud browser | 300 credits a day, 1 task at a time, 2 scheduled automations | Pro from $20/month with 4,000 credits | Free runs one task at a time. Pro runs 20 at once | Its Cloud Browser runs from data center addresses. The page offers My Browser for sites that block them |
| Microsoft Copilot Cowork | A ready-made agent for your Microsoft 365 email, calendar and OneDrive | No | An eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. Price not stated on its page | In preview for personal accounts | It has a desktop app, and it also works on the web and in a mobile app |
| n8n | A workflow builder with AI agent nodes that you can host yourself | Self-host the Community Edition at no cost | Starter €20/month billed annually, 2,500 executions | Cloud plans count workflow executions a month | Yes, when you self-host it |
| Zapier | A no-code automation builder with agents and AI steps | 100 tasks and 400 agent activities a month | Professional $19.99/month billed yearly, $29.99 monthly, 750 tasks | An agent run stops at 10 activities on Free and 40 on paid plans, then asks before it continues | Not stated on its page |
| Make | A visual automation builder with AI agents | 1,000 credits a month | Core $9/month, from 10,000 credits | AI Agents are listed on every paid plan. Some AI features use more than 1 credit | Not stated on its page |
| Microsoft Copilot Studio | A builder for agents inside Microsoft 365 at work | A free trial | Included with the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on, $30/user/month paid yearly. Credit packs $200/month for 25,000 credits | Publishing to websites and outside apps needs a standalone Copilot Studio plan | Not stated on its page |
| OpenAI Agent Builder | A visual canvas for agent workflows | Not stated on its page | Not stated on its page | Shuts down on 30 November 2026 | Not stated on its page |
What each ready-made agent may touch, and when it stops to ask
An agent can only do harm with what you let it reach, and each vendor draws the line in a different place. The gap matters most for email and payments.
The main risk has a name. Prompt injection is text on a web page or in an email written to steer the agent into doing something you never asked for. Claude's Chrome guide lists completing instructions from emails or web content as an action it refuses, and its own warning on the automatic mode says that no defense is perfect. Run a new agent on manual approval until you have watched it finish a few tasks.
| Agent | What it can reach | It stops to ask before | How you stay in charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Work | Plugins, and a cloud browser that does not use your own tabs, history, saved passwords or cookies | Visiting a new website, by default, and consequential actions such as booking or paying | You type passwords into its secure sign-in form, never the chat, and you can take over its computer |
| Claude Cowork and Claude in Chrome | Folders you connect, the connectors you pick and your Chrome | In Cowork, permanently deleting files. In Chrome, downloading a file, entering sensitive information and granting authorizations. Chrome refuses permanent deletions and purchases outright | You choose Manually approve, Automatically approve or Skip all approvals |
| Gemini's Task mode | Gmail, Calendar, Drive and other Google apps, Search and Maps, and a browser | Sending messages, changing or deleting data, buying, paying and submitting forms | Deny an action and it stops without trying another way |
| Manus | The accounts you sign in to in its cloud browser | SMS codes, CAPTCHAs and multi-factor checks, which it hands to you | You watch it live and choose which accounts it can use. Its browser page names no confirmation step before an action |
| Microsoft Copilot Cowork | OneDrive files, email, calendar and websites | Sensitive actions, which it hands back to you or asks you to approve | You review and approve those actions before they happen |
Pick by what you want done
- A one-off errand in a browser, such as comparing prices or booking a table: ChatGPT Work on a plan that has its cloud browser, or Gemini's Task mode, which both confirm before you pay.
- Work on files on your own computer: Claude Cowork, which reads and writes only the folders you connect.
- Your Microsoft email, calendar and OneDrive: Microsoft Copilot Cowork, in preview for personal accounts.
- A free try before you pay: Manus refreshes free credits every day, and Zapier and Make both have free monthly allowances.
- A job that repeats on a schedule: Claude Cowork runs scheduled tasks, and n8n, Zapier and Make start a workflow from a schedule or a trigger.
- Data that stays on your own server: n8n's Community Edition, which you host yourself.
- A person approves the risky steps: n8n's Human review step, or Zapier's Require approval before running, which stays off until you turn it on for a tool.
- Internal agents for a company's staff: Copilot Studio, included with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.
- An agent inside your own product: a code SDK from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.
Build a first agent for free in n8n, with a person approving its actions
n8n is the free route that keeps a person in charge of risky steps. The node and panel names below are from n8n's own docs.
- Get n8n running. Self-host the free Community Edition with Docker, as the self-hosting lesson shows, or start a cloud trial, which n8n says needs no credit card.
- Build a small agent. Add a Chat Trigger, then an AI Agent node with a chat model and one tool. The n8n AI agent lesson walks through each node.
- Put a person in front of risky tools. Click the Tools connector on the AI Agent node, pick a channel in the Human review section, such as Slack or Gmail, and attach the tools that send, buy or delete. An approved call runs with the input the AI chose. A denied one is canceled, and the agent is told.
When to write code instead: the agent SDKs
An SDK is a code library you build your own agent with. The three below cost nothing to install. What costs money is the model behind them, billed through its own API, unless you run a local model, which Google's ADK supports through adapters.
The Claude Agent SDK gives you the same tools, agent loop and context management that run Claude Code, in Python and TypeScript. Its permissions decide which tools run on their own and which need approval. Products built on it sign in with an API key, not a claude.ai login. OpenAI's Agents SDK is where OpenAI sends Agent Builder users, and the OpenAI Agents SDK lesson builds one step by step. Google's ADK is available in Python, TypeScript, Go, Java and Kotlin.
Stars count people who bookmarked a repository, not people who ship with it. Still, n8n has more than three times the stars of the three SDKs together, so the no-code route has the larger crowd to learn from. The Claude Agent SDK lesson covers the SDK side in depth, and connect MCP servers shows how any of these agents reaches outside tools.
pip install openai-agents
pip install claude-agent-sdk
pip install google-adkSources: GitHub: n8n-io/n8n (read November 5, 2026), GitHub: openai/openai-agents-python (read November 5, 2026), GitHub: google/adk-python (read November 5, 2026), GitHub: anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-python (read November 5, 2026)
How Anthropic moved its agent into the chat box
A ready-made agent starts to replace a small automation the day it can run on a schedule. Claude's own account posted on X on 25 February 2026 that Cowork could now do recurring tasks at set times, with a morning brief and a weekly spreadsheet update as examples. That used to be a Zapier or n8n job.
On 16 September 2026, Cat Wu (@_catwu) posted that Cowork and chat were merging. She wrote that many people did not want to choose which Claude to use. The Claude post she quoted says you can ask a quick question or hand over a report, and Claude takes it from there.
So inside Claude, the line between chatting and handing off a task is fading, while the help page still has you select Cowork in the message box as the change rolls out. Either way, the permission mode is the setting to pick before the first task.
Claude can now complete recurring tasks at specific times automatically: a morning brief, weekly spreadsheet updates, Friday team presentations.
Screenshots of X's own embeds of the posts, taken on 5 November 2026, with the time in UTC. X cuts the second post short with Show more. Select one to open the post on X.
Common mistakes
- Starting a new project on OpenAI's Agent Builder. OpenAI already tells its users to move off it.
- Picking Skip all approvals on the first day. In that mode Claude does not pause to ask, and nothing checks its actions automatically.
- Letting one agent read your inbox and browse the open web with no check before it sends anything.
- Typing a password into the chat. ChatGPT asks you to use its secure sign-in form instead.
- Building an automation for a job that happens twice a year. A ready-made agent and a good prompt cost less time.
Next course: AI at work
The agents in this lesson act on what you type. The next course puts AI to work on jobs you already do: how to write emails with AI opens AI at work, and research, documents and spreadsheets follow.
Check yourself
You are starting a new agent workflow this month. Which builder should you avoid?
Show answer
B. OpenAI Agent Builder OpenAI is deprecating Agent Builder, and it shuts down on 30 November 2026.
In n8n, how do you make a person approve a tool before the agent uses it?
Show answer
C. Attach the tool to a Human review step on the AI Agent's Tools connector The Human review step pauses the workflow until a reviewer approves or denies the tool call.
Which files can Claude Cowork read and write on your desktop?
Show answer
A. Only the folders you connect Anthropic's Cowork page says Claude can only read and write files in folders you have connected.
Gemini's Task mode wants to send an email for you and you deny the action. What happens?
Show answer
D. It stops and does not try another way Google's page says Gemini stops when you deny an action and does not try another way to complete it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI agent builder?
With a computer or server that can stay on, n8n, because you pay n8n nothing when you run it yourself. Without one, Zapier or Make, whose free allowances renew every month. Pick by how often the agent will run, since a busy agent can use up a monthly allowance early.
How much does an AI agent cost?
The assistant plan is the price: ChatGPT Work is in every ChatGPT plan, and the entry plans of Claude, Gemini and Manus sit close together in the table above. Microsoft's page states no price. Builders charge by use instead: Zapier counts tasks and agent activities, Make counts credits and n8n counts executions, so a busy agent costs more than a quiet one.
Can I use an AI agent for my business?
Yes. Anthropic's Commercial Terms cover agents built on the Claude Agent SDK, including ones you offer to your own customers. On Claude's Team plan, Anthropic's pricing page says it does not train models on your content by default. ChatGPT Work's website sign-in is for Plus and Pro, not Enterprise or Edu workspaces.
Is it safe to let an AI agent use my browser?
For low-stakes errands with approvals on, yes. The danger is text on a page that tries to steer the agent. Gemini stops when you decline an action, and Claude asks before it enters sensitive information, so start on sites that hold no payment details.
What should OpenAI Agent Builder users move to?
OpenAI's deprecation notice names two places: the Agents SDK, or ChatGPT workspace agents. ChatKit, its kit for embedding a chat in your own site, stays available, and existing users can keep the builder during the transition.
Sources
- OpenAI: Browser in ChatGPT Work https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/browser
- OpenAI: ChatGPT and Codex pricing https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing
- Anthropic: Get started with Claude Cowork https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13345190-get-started-with-claude-cowork
- Anthropic: Claude in Chrome permissions guide https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12902446-claude-in-chrome-permissions-guide
- Anthropic: Claude plans and pricing https://claude.com/pricing
- Google: Tasks in Gemini Apps https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16596215?hl=en
- Google: Google AI plans https://gemini.google/us/subscriptions/?hl=en
- Manus: Current membership pricing https://help.manus.im/en/articles/11711111-what-is-the-current-membership-pricing-for-manus
- Manus: Cloud browser https://manus.im/docs/features/cloud-browser
- Microsoft: Get started with Microsoft Copilot Cowork for personal accounts https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/get-started-with-cowork
- n8n: Pricing https://n8n.io/pricing/
- n8n: Human-in-the-loop for AI tool calls https://docs.n8n.io/advanced-ai/human-in-the-loop-tools/
- Zapier: Pricing https://zapier.com/pricing
- Zapier: Migrating from Agents to AI by Zapier https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/47402591569805-Migrating-from-Agents-to-AI-by-Zapier
- Make: Pricing https://www.make.com/en/pricing
- Make: Make vs Zapier https://www.make.com/compare/make-vs-zapier
- Microsoft: Copilot Studio pricing https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/pricing/copilot-studio
- OpenAI: Agent Builder https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/agent-builder
- OpenAI: Deprecations https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/deprecations
- Anthropic: Agent SDK overview https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview
- Google: Agent Development Kit https://adk.dev/
- GitHub: n8n-io/n8n https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n
- GitHub: openai/openai-agents-python https://github.com/openai/openai-agents-python
- GitHub: google/adk-python https://github.com/google/adk-python
- GitHub: anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-python https://github.com/anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-python
- Claude (@claudeai) on X: scheduled tasks in Cowork https://x.com/claudeai/status/2026720870631354429
- Cat Wu (@_catwu) on X: Cowork and chat merge https://x.com/_catwu/status/2100260655312089562
- Claude (@claudeai) on X: Cowork and chat merging into one Claude https://x.com/claudeai/status/2100258490740539730