Lapu AI vs Screenbox

Lapu AI is a desktop agent for carrying out multi-step tasks with files, terminals and desktop applications on macOS and Windows. Give it a plain-language goal and it plans steps, selects tools and can pause for approval. It controls applications through interfaces exposed by the operating system, rather than taking over the mouse and keyboard. Workflows can be packaged as reusable skills and scheduled. It can operate services such as Notion, Slack, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 through desktop or signed-in browser interfaces, without native connectors. Files, documents, folders, application data and audit logs remain on the user's machine; only context needed for a reasoning step is sent to the model provider. High-risk actions require explicit confirmation, and local action logs are retained by default for up to 90 days. The native app requires macOS 12 Monterey or later on Apple Silicon, or Windows 10 or 11 on 64-bit x86_64, with at least 4 GB RAM. A free plan is available; paid plans are listed from $20/mo.

Screenbox gives AI agents isolated virtual desktops with real browsers and desktop applications. Each desktop includes Chromium with DevTools and extensions, plus tools such as file managers, terminals, and office applications. Agents can use 21 MCP tools across more than 100 actions, including screenshots, OCR, clicks, typing, shell access, file operations, and clipboard control. It connects to MCP clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Cursor through stdio, streamable HTTP, or SSE. A web dashboard supports live viewing, agent management, snapshots, session logs, and a knowledge browser. Users can save and restore desktop states, including files and browser sessions, and clone desktops from templates. Activity can be viewed through RDP or noVNC, with mouse and keyboard control available. Desktops run in Docker containers with memory limits, network isolation, and no bind mounts; the maker cautions that they are not hardened sandboxes. The software is self-hosted and open source under AGPL-3.0. The maker says deployment data stays on the user's infrastructure and the software sends no telemetry to Screenbox or third parties. It requires about 2 GB of RAM per desktop and no GPU; idle desktops pause automatically.