Beam vs OpenLLM
Beam and OpenLLM are both developer tools tools. Beam is aimed at developers and creators, while OpenLLM is aimed at developers and freelancers. Beam costs less, from $12/mo versus $30/mo for OpenLLM. Both have a free plan.
Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another
Routes coding agents through your AI plans, API keys and local models
| Pricing | Freemium · $12 | Freemium · $30 |
| Starting price | $12/mo | $30/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | 3 days |
| Built for | Developers, Creators, Freelancers, Small businesses | Developers, Freelancers |
| Platforms | macos | macos, linux |
| Country | — | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Beam if
Developers and creators with two Apple silicon Macs who want a remote app to behave like a local window instead of a full screen share.
- Uses one remote app without taking over the whole desktop
- Window traffic goes directly between your Macs, not through Beam's servers
- Free plan has no card requirement and no limit on host Macs
Look elsewhere if: People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).
Choose OpenLLM if
Individual developers who pay for several AI plans and want every coding agent to use them through one endpoint with automatic fallback.
- Free tier is generous at 50M non-cached tokens a month
- Existing config such as ~/.claude is left unmodified
- Keeps agents running through rate limits with fallback chains
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need a self-hosted, governed gateway or pay-per-token access to many models without accounts (LiteLLM, OpenRouter).
Beam vs OpenLLM pricing
Beam
- Free$0Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use
- Monthly$12/moUnlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links
- Yearly$84/yrSame as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually
- Lifetime$199One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections
- Team$12/seat/moOr $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice
OpenLLM
- Free$050M non-cached tokens/mo included, 2 devices, no card
- Pro$30/moUnlimited tokens, 5 devices, hosted gateway; 3-day trial
Beam · Key features
- Single windows from another Mac open as native windows with Dock and Command-Tab entries
- Beam several windows at once or share an entire display
- Direct typing, shortcuts, two-way resizing, app audio and clipboard sync
- Works with headless Mac minis and Mac Studios that have no display
- Encrypted Mac-to-Mac connection on local Wi-Fi or over Tailscale
- Guest share links open one window in any browser, view-only by default
Cons
- macOS only, with Apple silicon and Sonoma or later required on both Macs
- Free use is capped at 20 minutes a day
- Devices without the Mac app, such as phones, only get browser links
OpenLLM · Key features
- One OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible endpoint and key for every connected model
- Use Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi Code and Grok subscriptions from other agents
- Fallback model chains when a model is rate-limited or unavailable
- Auto-detection of local Ollama and LM Studio model servers
- Shared MCP memory across Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build and OpenCode
- Browser-side AES-256-GCM key vault with a user-held recovery phrase
Cons
- No Windows support for the local daemon
- Single-user today, with no team features
- Losing the recovery phrase means re-entering every key
Beam vs OpenLLM: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Beam or OpenLLM?
Beam starts at $12/mo and OpenLLM at $30/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Beam and OpenLLM have a free plan?
Yes, both Beam and OpenLLM have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Beam or OpenLLM?
Beam lists small businesses as a core audience, while OpenLLM is aimed more at developers and freelancers.