# Kaitoi Studio and Kaitoi Open Source

> Two ways to run Kaitoi. Kaitoi Studio is ready in your browser; Kaitoi Open Source, coming soon, is the same engine on your own machine.

Source: https://kaitoi.io/docs/concepts/studio-and-open-source/
Section: Concepts
Written for: Anyone choosing how to run Kaitoi.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-05

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There are two ways to run Kaitoi. **Kaitoi Studio** runs in your browser, with
every model, every tool and Penny already set up on one account. **Kaitoi Open
Source** is the same engine on your own machine, with every feature switched on
and your own provider keys. Kaitoi Open Source is not released yet; this page
describes it as it will ship.


**Kaitoi Studio**, hosted. Everything ready, in your browser. Free to start: pay
as you go, or pick a plan.

- **Nothing to install.** Runs in your browser on desktop and mobile.
- **Every model, one account.** OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, OpenRouter,
  fal, Runway, ElevenLabs, Stability AI, Magnific, Tripo, World Labs, Pexels and
  Firecrawl on a single credit balance, so there are no API keys to manage.
  Prefer your own keys? Bring them, from Indie up.
- **AdMuse, only on Kaitoi Studio.** Penny researches real ad campaigns from
  around the world and turns your brief into grounded concepts, scripts and
  campaign plans.
- **Penny on hundreds of models.** Claude, GPT, Gemini and hundreds more
  through OpenRouter, all on your one Kaitoi account. Kaitoi deals with each
  provider; you just pick the model.
- **Teams.** Shared workspaces, roles, and one pooled credit balance with
  spending caps.
- **Stations that pay for themselves.** Share a workflow as a simple app at its
  own link. Visitors run it on their own credits, not yours.
- **Your own GPU, from anywhere.** Connect ComfyUI, Ollama, Blender and open
  models running on your own machine, or on a rented GPU from RunPod or a
  similar service, through the Kaitoi CLI. No networking setup.
- **Your accounts, connected.** Sign in with Google or GitHub, and connect
  Google (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Sheets and YouTube), GitHub, Slack, Discord,
  Dropbox, LinkedIn, Canva and Instagram professional accounts.
- **A community marketplace.** Publish nodes and templates, and earn credits
  when others run your paid nodes.
- **Looked after for you.** Updates and security fixes are applied for you,
  community code runs on separate, restricted workers, and the Kaitoi team is
  there to help.

Teams, your own GPU and hand-written code come with the Studio plan. Kaitoi
Code and Kaitoi Crew, your own API keys, MCP, the API, and node and template
publishing start at Indie.

**Kaitoi Open Source**, coming soon. The same engine, on your own machine. Free
and open source, under the AGPL-3.0 license.

- **The same engine.** The node graph, Lab, storyboard, timeline and Penny that
  power Kaitoi Studio.
- **Every feature, no plans.** Hand-written nodes, local integrations, the API,
  MCP and workflow endpoints, all included.
- **Bring your own keys.** Pay your model providers directly.
- **Your files, your hardware.** Projects and files are stored on your own
  machine. Cloud models and connected services receive the data your workflows
  send them.
- **Local models built in.** Start ComfyUI and Ollama alongside Kaitoi, run
  Kaitoi CLI recipes, and reach any machine on your network directly. Machines
  elsewhere connect through a relay or tunnel you set up.
- **Penny on the model you choose.** Claude, GPT, Gemini or hundreds more
  through OpenRouter, with your own keys.
- **Kaitoi Code and Kaitoi Crew included,** pointed at your own instance.
- **Yours to change.** Read, modify and extend the code.

Not included: AdMuse, Teams, the shared credit balance, visitor-paid Stations,
the Kaitoi community marketplace and paid nodes, and a ready-made Kaitoi relay
for your GPU. You take care of installing and updating it, backups, security,
and your own provider accounts. It runs with Docker on macOS, Linux, or Windows
through WSL2, and 16 GB of RAM is recommended.

*Figure: What each way of running Kaitoi includes.*

## Side by side

| | Kaitoi Studio | Kaitoi Open Source (coming soon) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to start, pay as you go or a plan | Free, open source (AGPL-3.0) |
| Setup | None, runs in the browser | Docker on your own machine |
| Models | One credit balance for every provider, or your own keys from Indie up | Your own provider keys |
| AdMuse ad research for Penny | Yes | No |
| Penny | Hundreds of models on your Kaitoi account | Your choice of model, with your own keys |
| Graph, Lab, storyboard, timeline | Yes | Yes |
| Teams and shared credits | Studio plan | No |
| Stations | Yes, visitors pay their own runs | Yes, visitors sign in to your instance and use their own keys |
| Your own GPU (ComfyUI, Ollama, CLI recipes) | Studio plan, on your machine or a rented GPU such as RunPod | Yes, on your network, or anywhere through your own relay |
| Hand-written nodes | Studio plan | Yes |
| API and MCP | Indie and up | Yes |
| Kaitoi Code and Crew | Indie and up | Yes |
| Community marketplace with paid nodes | Yes | Sharing with people on your install only |
| Updates, security, support | Handled by Kaitoi | You |
| Where projects and files are stored | Kaitoi's cloud | Your hardware |