Apache Maka vs Aside: Features, Pricing & Which Is Better (2026)
A side-by-side comparison of Apache Maka and Aside — features, pricing, and ideal use cases — to help you decide which AI tool fits your workflow.
Apache Maka
The Apache Software Foundation
Apache-licensed local-first agent workspace that runs tools in a sandbox and records every model message and tool call as a recoverable execution log.
Key features
- Append-Only Execution Record: Model messages, tool calls, tool results, permission decisions, and turn termination events are written down durably, so the transcript is evidence rather than a disposable chat buffer.
- Context Trimming Without Data Loss: Old tool output can be omitted from the next prompt to shorten context while the full saved history remains intact and inspectable.
- Single Runtime Host: Desktop, terminal, and evaluation all execute through one runtime, so behavior does not diverge between how you develop and how you benchmark.
- Sandboxed Tool Boundary: Built-in Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, and Grep tools run under a sandbox; anything leaving that boundary requires approval, and Computer Use and catalog skills are opt-in.
- Crash Recovery and Resume: Runs can be aborted, failures are classified, and an interrupted turn can optionally be resumed rather than restarted from scratch.
- Session Branching and Search: The desktop workspace supports creating, archiving, searching, renaming, retrying, regenerating, and branching sessions from any turn.
- Bring Your Own Model: Connect a cloud API, a locally hosted model, or a compatible gateway, with streaming output, thinking, usage reporting, and clearer provider errors.
- Declarative Evaluation Harness: maka eval expands multi-arm experiments into task by repetition by subject cells with immutable per-cell attempts and a result kernel covering score, normalized usage, attributable cost, duration, and failure reason.
- Local-First Storage: Sessions, settings, artifacts, and run records stay on the machine by default, with local memory and optional web search when configured.
Best for
- Auditable Agent Runs: Keeping a defensible record of exactly what an agent did and which permissions were granted during a task.
- Long Coding Sessions: Working through a multi-turn refactor with branching and resume instead of losing state when a turn fails.
- Agent Benchmarking: Running reproducible multi-arm experiments comparing models, prompts, or external agent subjects on the same task set.
- Air-Gapped or Regulated Work: Running an agent workspace where sessions and artifacts must remain on local infrastructure.
- Cost and Usage Analysis: Attributing token usage, cost, and duration per experiment cell to decide which model configuration to ship.
- Terminal Workflows: Driving an agent from the current project directory or scripting a single non-interactive turn from CI or a shell.
- Open-Source Agent Research: Building on a permissively licensed runtime whose execution semantics and architecture are fully documented.
Aside
Aside Computer Inc.
A Chromium desktop browser with a built-in agent that signs in and completes real work across your logged-in sites.
Key features
- Agentic Browsing: The agent operates your logged-in websites directly - clicking, typing and navigating - so tasks that need no public API still get done.
- Local Memory: Browsing history is distilled into on-device memory files so the agent already knows which tools and accounts a recurring task involves.
- Agent Password Manager: Credentials are autofilled into pages through hardware-backed encryption and Secure Enclave storage, never handed to the model.
- Human Approval Gates: Sensitive steps such as payments, posts and outbound messages pause for your confirmation before the agent proceeds.
- Access Audit Log: Every credential use and scoped permission grant is recorded so you can see exactly what the agent touched and when.
- Routines: Scheduled recurring tasks, such as a 9am daily briefing, run on their own and drop results back into the browser.
- Bring Your Own Model: Connect an existing ChatGPT or Claude subscription or your own API key rather than paying twice for inference.
- Sandboxed Execution: Filesystem and network access are isolated with guardrails so agent runs cannot reach beyond what the task needs.
Best for
- Operations Backfill: Push the same record update through several internal dashboards that have no shared API.
- Recruiting Prep: Reopen a candidate profile viewed yesterday and assemble interview notes from the sites already visited.
- Inbox and Comment Triage: Draft replies, follow-ups and comment responses across email and social accounts under review.
- Daily Briefing: Schedule a routine that gathers overnight metrics and trending topics into one morning summary.
- Sales Research: Work through prospect sites and CRM screens to collect context before an outreach sequence.
- Spreadsheet and Document Work: Have the agent edit local files and web spreadsheets as part of a longer task.