OpenClaw
Free open-source personal AI agent you run on your own machine and message from WhatsApp, Slack or Telegram.
Free
Bottom line
OpenClaw is the best-known open-source personal AI agent: it runs on your own machine, lives in WhatsApp, Slack or Telegram and remembers your work between chats. Free under the MIT license; you pay only for the AI model you plug in.
Stands out for: Nothing is locked to one vendor. You choose the model, keep the agent's memory as files on your own hardware, and extend it with community skills. Recruiters already build desk assistants on it, RecruiterClaw being one example.
Watch out for: You install and secure it yourself. Researchers found tens of thousands of OpenClaw instances exposed on the public internet, so keep it off open ports, review third-party skills and think hard before giving it candidate data.
Overview
OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI agent created by Peter Steinberger in 2025. It spread under the names Clawdbot and Moltbot before settling on OpenClaw in January 2026, and it is now stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, a US nonprofit backed by donors including OpenAI.
An always-running gateway keeps the agent online and connected to your chat apps, so you message it on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or Signal like a coworker. It can manage email and calendars, automate browser tasks, and work with files and shell commands, and it stores memory as plain files it reopens next time.
For recruiters, the draw is a free, always-on assistant that can triage an inbox, research companies, draft outreach and run repeat routines, built exactly how you want. The trade-off is that you host it, connect the model and own its security.
The software costs nothing. Running it means paying for model usage through your own API key, or running a local model, plus any server you host it on.
Who it's for
Best for
- Technical recruiters and agency owners happy to self-host
- Teams that want an agent in Slack or WhatsApp without a monthly seat fee
- Builders creating their own recruiting desk assistant
Not ideal for
- Non-technical users who want a hosted app
- Teams without anyone to own security and updates
Key features
Lives in your chat apps. Message the agent on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or Signal and it works around the clock.
Persistent memory. Preferences and project context are saved as plain files in a workspace the agent reopens each time.
Skills. Modular skill packages teach it new jobs, and Skill Workshop lets the agent propose procedures for you to review before they go live.
Any model. Connect a hosted model with your own API key or run a local one.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Persistent memory across conversations | Free |
| Email, calendar and browser task automation | Free |
| Skill Workshop proposes reusable procedures for review | Free |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
Pricing
OpenClaw is free and open source under the MIT license. Your cost is the AI model you connect (your own API key or a local model) plus any server you run it on. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 16 Oct 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is OpenClaw expensive?
OpenClaw starts at Free. We list 21 AI assistants tools in total. 18 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $19 a month.
- 2 quote-based
- 18 free tier
- 14 public price
Worked out automatically from every AI assistants listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source under MIT
- Works with any hosted or local model
- Huge community and skill library
Cons
- You install, host and secure it yourself
- Exposed instances are a known security risk
- Model usage costs vary with how hard you work it
Integrations
WhatsApp Telegram Slack Discord Signal
What's new at OpenClaw
See all 3 OpenClaw updates, taken from OpenClaw's own announcements and our price checks.
Follow OpenClaw
Get an email when OpenClaw ships a new feature, posts release notes or changes its starting price. Only when something changes, and you can stop in one click.
How OpenClaw compares
See all OpenClaw alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw (this tool) | ✓ | Free | – | – | |
 Hermes Agent The other big open-source agent, built to write its own reusable skills as it works. | ✓ | Quote | – | – | Compare |
| | – | $600/mo | – | – | Compare |
 Perplexity Computer A hosted cloud agent with nothing to install, if you would rather pay than self-host. | – | $20/mo | – | – | Compare |
Hermes AgentQuote Free tier
The other big open-source agent, built to write its own reusable skills as it works.
$600/mo
A ready-made recruiting desk assistant in Slack if you do not want to build one yourself.
Perplexity Computer$20/mo
A hosted cloud agent with nothing to install, if you would rather pay than self-host.
Your next step
Shortlisting OpenClaw?
Still deciding? Ask an AI assistant about OpenClaw.
ChatGPT (opens in a new tab)Claude (opens in a new tab)Grok (opens in a new tab)