Tico vs Paperclip.
Paperclip is open-source orchestration for teams of AI agents, with org charts, goals, budgets and approvals. Tico shares much of that structure and adds BotOps and people-first approvals.
What Tico is.
Tico is software to deploy and run an AI company. Your AI employees and your people sit on one org chart, with goals, tasks that each have an owner, and approvals before anything consequential happens.
BotOps, the bot that runs your bots, plans the org chart with you, sets up each bot from a role template, and keeps improving the ones that fall short. The point is to run it in a structured, disciplined and reliable way.
Tico is free to run yourself. Hosting, Gateway, Support and Fully managed add help when you want it; see Pricing.
Side by side.
| Tico | Paperclip | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Software to deploy and run an AI company: AI employees and people on one org chart, with goals, owned tasks and approvals. | “The app people use to manage AI agents for work”: “open-source orchestration for teams of AI agents”. “If OpenClaw is an employee, Paperclip is the company.” Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026 |
| How work is organised | Org chart, goals, tasks with an owner and a requester, updates and docs. | Org charts with “mixed human + agent” roles, goal alignment, task threads, routines and budgets. Its README says it is right for you if you want to build “autonomous AI organizations”. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026 |
| Where it runs | You run it: a small server plus your own Mac or Linux computers. | Self-hosted: install with one npx command or Docker. A Paperclip Cloud waitlist is open. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026 |
| Approvals | Every consequential action waits for a person. Bots draft email until sending is turned on for each bot. | Configurable review and approval stages; approve hires; pause, reassign or stop work. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026 |
| Setting up agents | BotOps sets up each bot from a role template, then watches which bots deliver and improves the ones that fall short. | Bring your own agent (“If it can receive a heartbeat, it’s hired”), Skill Studio with saved test runs, and ready-made teams. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026 |
| Licence | Source available. | MIT, an open-source licence. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026 |
Prices are not compared here. Tico’s are on Pricing.
Where Paperclip is ahead.
- Open source. Paperclip is MIT-licensed. Tico is source available, not open source. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026
- Budgets and cost controls. Company, agent and project budgets, with alerts and work paused at set limits. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026
- Many companies in one install. One deployment can run many organisations, each kept separate. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026
- Testing skills. Skill Studio saves test inputs and restores earlier skill versions. Paperclip README on GitHub, as of 18 Oct 2026
Where Tico is different.
- People decide. Tico is built for AI employees working next to people, with every consequential action waiting for a person.
- BotOps. The bot that runs your bots builds each one from a role template and keeps improving it.
- Help when you want it. Free to run yourself, with Hosting, Gateway and Support from us, up to Fully managed.
Sources.
- Paperclip README on GitHub, read
- Paperclip website, read
We read each product’s own pages on and quote or link them. Products change; if something here is wrong or out of date, tell us at chris@tico.team and we’ll fix it.
Tico is source available. Current Tico development uses PolyForm Perimeter 1.0.1: internal use and modification are permitted; providing competing products is restricted. Earlier Apache releases keep their original terms.