Agent Island vs Open Island

Agent IslandVSOpen Island

Verdict

Pick Open Island for a native macOS notch or top-bar control center with approvals and precise jump-back across ten documented agents. Pick Agent Island for a simpler MIT-licensed status companion that also runs on Windows and keeps five providers in one usage and attention model.

DecisionAgent IslandOpen Island
PriceFreeFree
LicenseMITGPL-3.0
PlatformsmacOS and WindowsmacOS 14+
AgentsClaude, Codex, Antigravity, Grok, CursorTen documented
Live stateClaude, Codex, Antigravity, Grok, CursorSession tracking across documented agents
Direct approvalsNoDocumented
UsageClaude, Codex, Antigravity, Grok, CursorClaude and Codex documented
PrivacyLocal, no account or telemetryLocal-first, no server, telemetry, or account
InstallGitHub ReleasesGitHub Releases or Homebrew
Best fitCross-platform attentionMac notch control

Platform reach

Agent Island provides user-facing apps on macOS and Windows, while Open Island requires macOS 14 or later. That makes operating system support a decisive constraint before feature depth is compared Review the evidence source

Control depth

Open Island documents permission approvals and precise terminal or IDE jump-back. Agent Island foregrounds state and attention but does not claim direct approval, so Mac users who want control inside the notch gain more there Review the evidence source

License and provider scope

Both projects publish source, but MIT and GPL-3.0 impose different reuse terms. Open Island documents ten agents; Agent Island uses five providers and includes all five in Usage Review the evidence source

Moving from Open Island to Agent Island

Install Agent Island from GitHub Releases and compare both locally. No settings or history move across. You give up direct approvals, its broader terminal targeting, and several agents; you gain Windows support, MIT licensing, and Agent Island’s five-provider reports.

FAQ

Is Open Island free?

Yes. Its repository declares GPL-3.0 and documents GitHub and Homebrew installation.

Can both run together?

Yes for evaluation, but duplicate notifications should be disabled in one app.

Which supports Windows?

Agent Island supports Windows 10 and 11. Open Island documents macOS 14 or later.

Which has direct approvals?

Open Island documents permission approvals. Agent Island does not claim direct approval.

Do they upload code?

Both describe local-first operation. Agent Island states no account and no telemetry; Open Island states no server, telemetry, or account.

Capabilities and sources reviewed 2026-08-10 against Agent Island 2.1.2 and this product's official documentation
Open Island official repository · Agent Island source · public session-state fixtures