Mantle
Verified Oct 15, 2026 ActiveSelf-hosted AI assistant with persistent memory that ingests email, files, and calendars, free to run yourself.
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- 100% Free
Free to self-host under the Functional Source License (converts to MIT after 2 years per release). A separate commercial license, priced on contact, is required only for competing or embedded commercial use.
Use tool ↗About Mantle
Mantle is self-hosted software, not a SaaS account: you run it via Docker and it ingests emails, files, notes, calendar events, and conversations into a structured memory store, then works in the background to help without being asked, showing a live trail of its reasoning as it goes. It's built by Cross Works Engineering (Pty) Ltd, a South African company, and licensed under the Functional Source License, meaning it's free to self-host and modify unless you're embedding it in a competing commercial product, in which case a separate commercial license applies. Reachable through a web interface, an iOS companion app, Telegram, and an API with MCP support for connecting other AI clients.
- API
- Yes
- Last verified
- Oct 15, 2026
Verified sources
- Describes the self-hosted memory assistant, FSL licensing terms, and per-turn cost estimatemantle-ai.tech ↗
- Domain registration for the licensing contact (crossworks.engineering) resolves through a South African host, consistent with the South Africa claimcrossworks.engineering ↗
Is Mantle legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Domain registered
- Jun 10, 2026Registry record (RDAP), registrar Tucows Domains Inc., looked up Sep 6, 2026
- TLS certificate
- Issued by Let's Encrypt, valid until Jan 6, 2027Seen in our own connection to the site on Oct 15, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 15, 2026The site answered
- Operated by
- Cross Works Engineering (Pty) Ltd, South AfricaOur research, card verified Sep 1, 2026
Pros & cons of Mantle
Mantle suits someone who wants an AI assistant with real memory but doesn't want their email and files sitting in someone else's cloud. Running it yourself via Docker means you're responsible for the infrastructure, and the free license has real restrictions once you'd be competing with Mantle commercially.
Pros
- Self-hosted, so data stays on infrastructure the user controls
- Reported running cost under $5/month with local embeddings
- Reaches users through web, iOS, Telegram, and an API with MCP support
- Free source-available license for non-competing use
Cons
- Requires Docker and some technical setup, not a sign-up-and-go product
- Free license has real limits: commercial or competing use needs a paid license
- No evidence of a hosted/managed option for non-technical users
Best for
- Privacy-conscious users willing to self-host with Docker
- People who want one assistant with memory across email, files, and calendar rather than separate tools
Not for
- Users who want a zero-setup hosted SaaS product
- Teams needing a vendor-managed service with support SLAs
Watch out: The Functional Source License is not the same as open source until two years after each release; read the competing-use clause before building on top of it.
Alternatives to Mantle
Mantle head-to-head
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