Eigent

Eigent: Pick it and plan

This is the first of eight pages on Eigent. It helps you decide whether Eigent suits you and what to plan before you install it. The next page walks you through the install and your first job.

This page is for you if you chose Eigent instead of Agent Zero, the main pick in the first 10 minutes. Eigent is a free desktop app for Windows and Mac, built on an open-source project called CAMEL-AI and released under the Apache-2.0 license.

Eigent is a normal app on your real computer. Agent Zero runs inside a container, but Eigent does not, so when you say yes to an Eigent action, it happens on your real files. That makes the safety section on the install page the most important part of this guide.

Pick this if

You want a polished desktop app on Windows 11 or a Mac, with no Docker to set up.
You like the idea of a team of agents. Eigent calls it a Workforce: several agents split one job and work on the parts at the same time. You can also use one agent at a time, which Eigent calls Single Agent.
You are fine creating an Eigent account, because the official install steps tell you to "log in" at the end.

Two things are worth knowing first.

Eigent was not in this guide's scorecard. The guide scored six agents, and Eigent was not one of them, so it has no points to compare. Its notes are in the landscape chapter.
Approvals are not a wall. Eigent's own security policy says its approval system is "not an operating-system sandbox," so a command you approve runs as you. It can reach any file your account can reach.

Before you start

The Eigent program is free, but the model is a separate choice. Read Pick your model and budget if you have not already.

Eigent gives you three ways to connect a model.

Your own key. You paste an API key from a provider like Google, and you pay that provider, or nothing on a free key. Eigent calls this "Bring your own key."
A local model. The model runs on your own computer through a program like Ollama. It costs $0 but needs a strong computer.
Eigent Cloud. Eigent's own models, paid with Eigent credits.

Eigent's home page says its Free plan lets you use your own keys and local models for free. This guide uses your own free key, so you never need Eigent credits.

You still need an Eigent account, because the official install and quick-start pages both say to log in after you install the downloaded app. Eigent's README also describes a "Local Deployment" that needs no cloud account. That means running Eigent's server yourself with Docker, Node.js, and Python, which is a developer setup, so this guide leaves it for the advanced page.

Use your everyday account on the computer, not an administrator account.

The models Eigent supports and what they cost

Eigent's bring-your-own-key page lists about twenty providers, among them Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, Mistral, OpenRouter, Qwen, and Grok. It also has an OpenAI Compatible choice for any other service that speaks the same API. For a local model, the models overview names five programs: Ollama, vLLM, SGLang, LM Studio, and LLaMA.cpp.

With your own key, the provider bills you directly and Eigent adds nothing on top. The prices in the full table apply as they are. A local model costs nothing per use, although it needs plenty of RAM and is weaker than the best cloud models.

Eigent Cloud is the only part that Eigent itself bills for. Its support page says 1 USD buys 100 credits, and the Free plan includes 500 credits per month. The Plus and Pro plans include 2,000 and 10,000. New sign-ups also get 1000 bonus credits, plus 200 credits each day you use the app, which do not roll over to the next day.

This guide could not confirm the monthly dollar price of Plus or Pro. You do not need either one, because a free Gemini key covers every job in these eight pages.

The catches

No wall around your files. Eigent's security policy says its approvals are "not an operating-system sandbox," so an approved command runs as you.
Reading never asks. Reading files does not ask, and an outside review says web searches and page visits do not ask either. A web page with hidden instructions can reach the agent without a prompt.
One wrong click lasts. Always allow, Approve for me, and Full access keep working until you change them, so use Approve once.
You need an Eigent account. The no-account version is a developer setup with Docker.
Your settings may live with that account. Eigent's local-deployment guide says that running its server yourself keeps several things on your computer instead of Eigent's cloud. Those are your account, model settings, tool settings, and chat history. This guide could not confirm exactly what the normal app stores on Eigent's servers. So use a free key, or a paid key with a low spend cap, that you can delete if you need to.
No dollar limit inside Eigent. Any limit is at the model provider, and Eigent Cloud models use Eigent credits.
WhatsApp is not ready. The home page names it, but the docs and the app say "Coming soon" for it.
Schedules need Eigent open. "Scheduled runs require Eigent to remain open on this computer," say the version 1.0.6 release notes. So a schedule only runs while the computer is on and the app is running.
Not scored. Eigent was not one of the six agents in this guide's scorecard.
Free models are weaker. A small or free model may struggle with long, many-step jobs, especially with a Workforce.
Some things this guide could not confirm: whether the Windows app runs on ARM PCs, whether Windows or macOS shows a warning on first open, and what sign-up asks for. It also could not confirm the exact buttons for creating a Space and for the Local models screen. Nor could it confirm which Gemini models a free key can use, or whether schedules run while the computer is asleep.

Sources

Checked 14 November 2026.

Eigent research notes
Landscape and scores
Eigent README (Local Deployment needs no cloud account; the cloud-connected quick start "requires account registration")
Eigent security policy ("not an operating-system sandbox")
Eigent installation docs ("launch Eigent and log in")
Eigent quick start (sign in; Single Agent or Workforce)
Eigent home page (Free plan with your own keys and local models; WhatsApp named under Remote control)
Eigent models overview (Eigent Cloud, your own key, and the five local programs)
Eigent bring your own key (the supported providers and OpenAI Compatible)
Eigent support page (credit prices, plan allowances, sign-up and daily credits)
Eigent local deployment guide (what stays on your computer when you run the server yourself)
Eigent Dispatch docs (WhatsApp "Coming soon")
Eigent releases (version 1.0.6: "Scheduled runs require Eigent to remain open on this computer")
SafetyCard review of Eigent (outside review, not Eigent; web search and page fetches run without asking)

Continue to Eigent: Install and first job.