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Rowboat vs Sauna

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan
Both — Rowboat is free to use, Sauna has a free plan
Higher Trust score
Rowboat — 89 vs 84 for Sauna
Best fit
Rowboat: Privacy-minded professionals who want memory built from their own email and meetings · Sauna: Founders and operators who want one assistant across iMessage, Slack and email
Platforms
Rowboat: macOS, Windows, Linux · Sauna: Web, iOS
Status
Both up at our last check (Oct 2, 2026)

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

RowboatOpen-source desktop AI coworker that builds a local knowledge graph from your email and meetings and runs background agents.SaunaProactive AI teammate with persistent memory that works through iMessage, Slack, email and the web, and builds routines for repeat tasks.

Side by side

FactRowboatSauna
CategoryPersonal AI AssistantsPersonal AI Assistants
Pricing modelFreeFreemium
Starts at—$29/mo
Trust score89 / 10084 / 100
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, LinuxWeb, iOS
CompanyRowboat LabsWordware
Launched2024—
Last verifiedOct 2, 2026Oct 2, 2026

What our research says

Rowboat

Interesting for people who want an assistant that learns from their own work context while keeping the data on their machine. It bundles email, notes, browser, meetings and coding agents in one app, which is a lot to adopt at once. Treat it as a fast-moving open-source project: the team-collaboration layer is explicitly early and may change.

Pros

  • Apache 2.0 licensed with frequent releases and a large GitHub following
  • Memory is stored as readable Markdown files on your machine
  • Works with local models through Ollama or LM Studio, or your own API keys
  • Spaces server Harbor can be self-hosted with Postgres

Cons

  • Broad feature set means a long setup, including optional keys for voice, search and tools
  • The Spaces protocol is marked early, with breaking changes expected
  • No published pricing for hosted Spaces servers in the README or on the readable pages

Sauna

An interesting bet for professionals who want an assistant that remembers context and gradually takes over repeat chores, reachable from the chat apps they already use. It is aimed at knowledge work rather than coding. Pricing starts at $29 a month and climbs quickly, and the product is young, so try the free start before committing a team.

Pros

  • Persistent memory is the core of the design
  • Reachable from web, iOS, iMessage, Slack and email
  • Thousands of integrations and custom MCP connectors
  • States SOC 2 Type II compliance and no training on user data

Cons

  • Monthly billing only, with no annual discount
  • Upper tiers are expensive, with Team at $999 a month
  • Free allowance is described two different ways on the site

Which one fits

Choose Rowboat if you need

  • Privacy-minded professionals who want memory built from their own email and meetings
  • Small teams that want agents inside a shared chat and file room they can self-host

Choose Sauna if you need

  • Founders and operators who want one assistant across iMessage, Slack and email
  • Teams that want shared memory and routines for recurring work

Rowboat vs Sauna: the questions people ask

Is Rowboat cheaper than Sauna?

Rowboat is free to use; Sauna starts at $29/mo.

Does Rowboat or Sauna have a free tier?

Both: Rowboat is free to use, and Sauna has a free tier.

More comparisons

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