invisible_dots vs OpenHands
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Self-hosted AI agent that runs on its own virtual computer and browser, with permission controls.
Open source · MIT
A self-hosted control panel that runs AI coding agents on your machine, in Docker, or in the cloud.
The short answer
Choose invisible_dots if you need…
- Developers who want a self-hosted agent and are comfortable with a command-line setup
- People who want an agent to do recurring browser-based tasks on their own machine
- Users who want to control which tools the agent may use through allow, ask or deny permissions
- Hobbyists experimenting with local-first agent setups on Linux or Windows
Choose OpenHands if you need…
- Developers who want coding agents running on a server while their laptop is off
- Teams that want a shared agent server for tasks like code review or dependency updates
- People who want to connect agents to Slack, GitHub, or Linear through automations
- Users who want to choose their own LLM provider
Side-by-side
| invisible_dots | OpenHands | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | AI model / agent | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 32.4k | 92.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 6 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
invisible_dots
invisible_dots is a self-hosted AI agent. You give it tasks in a chat, and it works on a virtual Linux computer it runs itself, with a Firefox browser that keeps its own logins. It can save notes and reusable steps, ask for your approval before sensitive actions, and run recurring jobs. The README says it is an alternative to commercial products such as OpenAI Dots and Grok Bot, and that it is built to avoid anti-bot detection.
OpenHands
Agent Canvas is a self-hosted control center for AI coding agents. You start conversations with agents and set up automations, such as generating reports that publish to Slack or breaking GitHub issues into tasks. It runs on your own machine by default and can also connect to agents running in Docker, on virtual machines, or on OpenHands Cloud or Enterprise infrastructure. It can run the open source OpenHands agent or third-party agents such as Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI.
Best for
invisible_dots
- Developers who want a self-hosted agent and are comfortable with a command-line setup
- People who want an agent to do recurring browser-based tasks on their own machine
- Users who want to control which tools the agent may use through allow, ask or deny permissions
- Hobbyists experimenting with local-first agent setups on Linux or Windows
OpenHands
- Developers who want coding agents running on a server while their laptop is off
- Teams that want a shared agent server for tasks like code review or dependency updates
- People who want to connect agents to Slack, GitHub, or Linear through automations
- Users who want to choose their own LLM provider
Strengths
invisible_dots
- Self-hosted, with an MIT license and the code publicly available
- Permission controls let you approve or block each tool, and pending asks wait in an Inbox
- Tasks and messages are kept across restarts and crashes, according to the README
OpenHands
- Self-hosted, so you control where agents run and where your work is stored
- Supports several agents and backends from one frontend
- Released under the MIT license with a large public community (about 92,000 stars)
Not ideal for
invisible_dots
- Non-technical users, since setup requires Node.js, Go, Git, and a hardware-virtualization-capable CPU
- Anyone on hardware without x86-64 virtualization support, which the quickstart lists as required
- People who need a production-stable tool, since the badge in the README says status: alpha
- Anyone who wants to automate sites without permission, since the README's disclaimer asks users to respect site terms and robots.txt
OpenHands
- People who need strong isolation by default: the quickstart without a sandbox gives the agent full access to your filesystem
- Non-technical users who are not comfortable with Node.js, npm, Docker, or the command line
- Anyone who needs a fully hosted service with no setup, since the README centers on self-hosting
Trade-offs
invisible_dots
- The README marks the project as alpha, so behavior may change or break
- Setup needs several tools and an OpenRouter API key, and it depends on hardware virtualization
- The README does not clearly explain how the anti-bot evasion claims are verified or their limits
OpenHands
- Running without a sandbox gives the agent full access to your filesystem, so the Docker options need careful setup
- Multiple features depend on configuring backends, LLM keys, and integrations, which takes effort
- The README is truncated and does not fully document security hardening or every integration; see the linked docs
Getting started
invisible_dots
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/feder-cr/invisible_dotsInstall dependencies
npm ciOpenHands
Install globally with npm (no sandbox)
npm install -g @openhands/agent-canvasStart the full local stack
agent-canvasFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between invisible_dots and OpenHands?
invisible_dots: Self-hosted AI agent that runs on its own virtual computer and browser, with permission controls. OpenHands: A self-hosted control panel that runs AI coding agents on your machine, in Docker, or in the cloud. invisible_dots suits developers who want a self-hosted agent and are comfortable with a command-line setup, while OpenHands suits developers who want coding agents running on a server while their laptop is off.
Are invisible_dots and OpenHands free?
invisible_dots: Free and open source. OpenHands: Free and open source.
Is invisible_dots or OpenHands more popular?
OpenHands has more GitHub stars (92.5k) than invisible_dots (32.4k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to invisible_dots and OpenHands?
Other options people compare them with include Browser Use, nanobot, GenericAgent, PentAGI, Edict.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.