The OpenClaw Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about OpenClaw in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
OpenClaw
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source personal AI agent you run yourself and message in chat
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI agents, read from OpenClaw’s own pages.
Made by OpenClaw Foundation · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
- 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 06The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 07Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from OpenClaw’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on OpenClaw’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.2
GPA, above 49 of the 51 other AI agents we grade
OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI agent that runs on your own computer or server and is reached through chat apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and iMessage. A single self-hosted Gateway connects those channels to the model provider you choose, keeps memory between conversations, and can browse the web, work with files and run shell commands. It is MIT licensed and stewarded by the non-profit OpenClaw Foundation, with no paid version and no hosted service.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about OpenClaw, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The desktop apps do install the Gateway for you, and no rating is on record.
- 1
Best for a free agent on your own hardware, reached by chat
There's no hosted service, so installing, running and updating the Gateway is on you, and model usage is billed by whoever you connect.
- 2
It is free
OpenClaw has no paid plan at all. The whole product is free and MIT licensed, with no paid version or hosted tier. You supply the machine it runs on and your own model access, which the model provider bills separately.
- 3
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 4
Self-hosted Gateway
One Gateway process on your own machine or server handles sessions, routing and channel connections. Desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux install it for you.
- 5
Chat channels
Message the agent from WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage and other channels, 29 in all, in direct messages and group chats.
- 6
Bring your own model
Works with hosted providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, with gateways such as OpenRouter, and with local models through Ollama or LM Studio.
- 7
A 3.2 GPA, above 49 of 51
That is against the other AI agents we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
OpenClaw is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
OpenClaw at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- OpenClaw Foundation
- Category
- AI Agents
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
The report card
Best for a free agent on your own hardware, reached by chat
OpenClaw is a personal agent you run on your own computer or server and message from WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or iMessage, and the software is free with no paid version. There's no hosted service, so installing, running and updating the Gateway is on you, and model usage is billed by whoever you connect. The phone apps need a Gateway on another machine, and the desktop app wants macOS 15 or later.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | It costs nothing: MIT licensed, with no paid version and no hosted tier to be sold up to. You pay for the AI model, billed by whichever provider you connect, and local models through Ollama or LM Studio cost nothing either. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The whole product is free, the Gateway, the desktop and phone apps, the chat channels and the plugins, with nothing held back. You bring the machine and your own model access. |
| Features | B | It covers the job: browsing and form filling, files, shell commands with a sandbox if you prefer, memory of people and projects kept on your own machine, 29 chat channels, cron jobs, hooks and webhooks, and skills it writes itself. There's no hosted service, and the phone apps are only companions to a Gateway. |
| Ease of use | D | You host it yourself. There's no hosted service, so installing, running and updating the Gateway is on you, and you bring your own model access before it answers anything. The desktop apps do install the Gateway for you, and no rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Desktop apps for Mac, Windows and Linux, phone apps for iPhone and Android, a web interface, and 29 chat channels from WhatsApp to iMessage plus Gmail and GitHub. The catch: the phone apps are companions and need a Gateway running elsewhere. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who OpenClaw is for
- Fits if you want an assistant on your own hardware, with its memory kept on your machine
- Works for reaching one agent from WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or iMessage
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want someone else to run it, because there's no hosted service at all
- Not for you if a phone is all you have, as the iPhone and Android apps need a Gateway on another machine
- Tight if your Mac is older, as the desktop app needs macOS 15 or later, and the Linux app is x64 only
- Watch out: the software is free, but model usage is billed by the provider you connect unless you run a local model
Good to know
Good for
- Developers and power users who want an assistant on their own hardware
- Reaching one agent from WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or iMessage
- Teams sharing a single gateway with sessions everyone can open
Worth knowing
- There is no hosted service: you install, run and update the Gateway yourself on a computer or server.
- The software is free, but model usage is billed by whichever provider you connect, through an API key or an existing subscription.
- The iOS and Android apps are companion nodes and need a Gateway running on another machine.
- The macOS desktop app requires macOS 15 or later, and the Linux desktop app is x64 only.
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
6
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about OpenClaw that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from OpenClaw’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from OpenClaw's docs (API usage and costs, OpenAI setup, pairing, security, backups and updating) on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Pay less
Sign in with your ChatGPT plan instead of paying for an API key
Its OpenAI setup page has you run openclaw models auth login --provider openai to use a ChatGPT or Codex subscription you already pay for. An API key is the other route, and that one is billed per use on top.
docs.openclaw.ai - 2
Shortcut
Type /usage full to see what every reply costs
The footer is off by default. /usage full adds tokens and an estimated cost to each reply, /usage cost prints a summary and /usage off hides it again. /status shows the last reply's cost. They're estimates from local history, not your provider's bill.
docs.openclaw.ai - 3
Pay less
Keep memory search and web search off the meter
Its cost page says a remote memory search provider calls a paid embeddings API. Set memory.search.provider to local and the embeddings stay on your machine with no API use. DuckDuckGo needs no key for web search and isn't billed.
docs.openclaw.ai - 4
Setting
Approve strangers yourself before the agent answers them
In pairing mode, someone new gets a code that expires after an hour and is ignored until you approve it with openclaw pairing approve, or under Settings, Channels, DM access requests. Approval covers direct messages only, not groups.
docs.openclaw.ai - 5
Privacy
Run openclaw security audit after you change the setup
It checks your install against the safe defaults, and openclaw security applies the fixes it can. Worth it on a server: a normal install only listens on the machine itself, but container images open it up by default, so they need auth.
docs.openclaw.ai - 6
Leaving
Make a verified backup before a big update or a move
openclaw backup create with --verify saves state, config, credentials, agents and workspaces in one archive, and its docs say that's what to do before an update, an uninstall or a new machine. The archive holds your logins and chat history, so store it encrypted.
docs.openclaw.ai
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
OpenClaw is free to use.
It costs nothing: MIT licensed, with no paid version and no hosted tier to be sold up to.
OpenClaw (MIT licensed)
Free
The complete product: Gateway, desktop and mobile apps, chat channels and plugins. Model usage is billed separately by the provider you connect.
The free plan
The whole product is free and MIT licensed, with no paid version or hosted tier. You supply the machine it runs on and your own model access, which the model provider bills separately.
Read from openclaw.ai on Oct 5, 2026.
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Open-source personal AI agent you run yourself and message in chat. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, local-first, chat assistant, workflow automation, AI agents.
There's no hosted service, and the phone apps are only companions to a Gateway.
- Self-hosted Gateway
- One Gateway process on your own machine or server handles sessions, routing and channel connections. Desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux install it for you.
- Chat channels
- Message the agent from WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage and other channels, 29 in all, in direct messages and group chats.
- Bring your own model
- Works with hosted providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, with gateways such as OpenRouter, and with local models through Ollama or LM Studio.
- Persistent memory
- Remembers preferences, projects and people from one conversation to the next, with state stored on your machine rather than in a vendor cloud.
- System access and sandboxing
- Can browse the web, fill in forms, read and write files and run shell commands, with a choice between full access and a sandbox.
- Skills, plugins and automation
- Skills and plugins extend the agent, and it can write its own skills. Cron jobs, hooks and webhooks run work on a schedule or in response to events.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Telegram
- Discord
- Slack
- Signal
- iMessage
- Gmail
- GitHub
Who makes OpenClaw
OpenClaw is stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, a US 501(c)(3) non-profit that employs its core team and signs its releases. The software is free and MIT licensed with no paid version; the Foundation is funded by donations from companies, a university and individual GitHub sponsors.
- Founded
- 2026openclaw.ai
- Based
- Remote-first, with a team distributed across the worldopenclaw.org
- Ownership
- Nonprofit. Stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, an independent US 501(c)(3) non-profit, which keeps the project MIT licensed. It says donors fund it but do not own or direct it; OpenAI is a donor and employs creator Peter Steinberger, and OpenClaw is not an OpenAI product.openclaw.ai
- Funding
- Funded by donations, not investment. The Foundation names Microsoft, NVIDIA, Offline Holdings, OpenAI, Red Hat and the University of Michigan, its largest donor, among its backers, and says 329 people and organizations sponsor OpenClaw through GitHub Sponsors.openclaw.orgopenclaw.ai
- Founders and leaders
- Peter Steinberger, Creator of OpenClawopenclaw.ai
- Dave Morin, Chairperson, OpenClaw Foundationopenclaw.org
- Vincent Koc, Chief Architectopenclaw.org
- Mollie Anderson, Chief of Staffopenclaw.org
- Hiring
- 3 open roles, all in engineering (Forward Deployed Engineer, Member of Technical Staff, Product Designer), plus a general application to its talent networkopenclaw.org
- Lately
- Tencent AIG joins ClawScan · Oct 2, 2026
- OpenClaw Enterprise - The Open Agent Platform · Sep 29, 2026
- OpenClaw Completes Security Audit Through OpenAI's Patch the Planet Initiative · Sep 21, 2026
- OpenClaw improves user onboarding with a new installer on macOS, plus easier local model setup for Windows NVIDIA RTX PCs · Sep 3, 2026
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 05 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
49/51
Other AI agents it is graded above
OpenClaw's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 49 of the 51 other AI agents we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 46 of 51) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
OpenClaw has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 52 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. OpenClaw’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 45 of 51
- AFree plan and trialAbove 46 of 51
- BFeaturesAbove 27 of 51
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 51
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 43 of 51
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 49 AI agents. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. OpenClaw is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
OpenClaw is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 49 of the 51 other AI agents we grade.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. OpenClaw’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 06 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Hermes Agent, NanoClaw, Agent Zero, goose and Poke
The 5 tools OpenClaw is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Hermes Agent
Free plan · from $20/mo
Open-source AI agent with persistent memory and a messaging gateway.
- Only OpenClaw lists iOS and Android apps.
- 2.6GPA
NanoClaw
Free
Open-source personal AI agent that runs in containers you host.
- Only OpenClaw lists a web app.
- Only OpenClaw lists iOS and Android apps.
- NanoClaw also covers templates.
- 2.8GPA
Agent Zero
Free
Open-source agent framework that works in its own Linux computer.
- Only OpenClaw lists iOS and Android apps.
- OpenClaw also covers chat assistant and workflow automation.
- 2.8GPA
goose
Free
Open-source AI agent with a desktop app, CLI and API.
- Only OpenClaw lists a web app.
- Only OpenClaw lists iOS and Android apps.
- OpenClaw is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Poke
Free plan · from $19/mo
AI assistant you text in Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Only OpenClaw lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- OpenClaw is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is OpenClaw free?
Yes. OpenClaw is free to use.
How much does OpenClaw cost?
OpenClaw lists one plan. OpenClaw (MIT licensed): Free.
What platforms does OpenClaw work on?
OpenClaw is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Is OpenClaw open source?
Yes. OpenClaw is open source, according to its own site.
What does OpenClaw integrate with?
OpenClaw's listing names WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage, Gmail and GitHub.
Who makes OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is made by OpenClaw Foundation. Stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, an independent US 501(c)(3) non-profit, which keeps the project MIT licensed.
What are the alternatives to OpenClaw?
The closest alternatives to OpenClaw in our directory are Hermes Agent, NanoClaw, Agent Zero, goose and Poke.
How does OpenClaw compare with other AI agents?
OpenClaw's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 49 of the 51 other AI agents we grade, and level with 2.
Is OpenClaw good value for money?
ToolGPA grades OpenClaw A for value for money. OpenClaw has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from OpenClaw’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from OpenClaw's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-09-27.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by OpenClaw Foundation. Prices change, so check openclaw.ai before you buy.
Part 08 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- OpenClaw, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/openclaw
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "OpenClaw: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/openclaw
Know someone choosing between AI agents?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/openclaw/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI agents after OpenClaw, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Agents Insider's GuideEvery one of the 52 AI agents we grade, compared
- Genspark Insider's GuideAI workspace with an agent for research, slides, sheets and docs3.2 GPA
- Manus Insider's GuideGeneral AI agent for research, slides, websites and browser tasks3.2 GPA
- Pally Insider's GuideFree AI personal assistant that you reach by text message3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what OpenClaw’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. OpenClaw is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by OpenClaw Foundation. Prices and plans change: check openclaw.ai before you buy.