Compare/Head to head

OpenClaw vs Orkas

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

OpenClaw

Quote Free tier

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.

Where OpenClaw fits

  • 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

Orkas

$5.99/mo Free tier

Orkas is a free, open-source desktop app where one lead agent directs a team of specialist AI agents to produce research, reports, slides, videos and code, and repeat that work on a schedule. It suits a small recruiting agency or solo recruiter who wants recurring research and client reports without a subscription; paid plans start at $5.99 a month for extra credits and sync.

Where Orkas fits

  • Solo recruiters and small agencies doing their own marketing
  • Recurring research and weekly client reports
  • Teams that want to bring their own model key
  • Users who want open-source, local-first AI

At a glance

DetailOpenClawOrkas
Starting priceQuote$5.99/mo
Free tier✓Yes✓Yes
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No✓Yes
Listed underAI assistantsAI assistants

Where they pull apart

OpenClaw

Stands out: 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: 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.

Not the right fit for

  • Non-technical users who want a hosted app
  • Teams without anyone to own security and updates

Orkas

Stands out: It is a team, not a single chatbot: a Commander hands one goal to specialist agents and returns finished files (a deck, a video, a spreadsheet), and any request can become a scheduled job. The desktop app is MIT open source, keeps files and chat history on your computer by default, and can pull in Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw and Hermes as team members.

Watch out: Nothing in it is built for recruiting: there is no sourcing, outreach or ATS agent, so you set up those workflows yourself. The company is based in China, and work that runs on Orkas's built-in models goes through its servers; connect your own model key if that matters. It is a desktop app, so jobs run only while your computer is on.

Not the right fit for

  • Sourcing, outreach or ATS work out of the box
  • Teams that need a US-based vendor
  • Jobs that must run while the laptop is off

Pros and cons

OpenClaw

  • Free and open source under MIT
  • Works with any hosted or local model
  • Huge community and skill library
  • You install, host and secure it yourself
  • Exposed instances are a known security risk
  • Model usage costs vary with how hard you work it

Orkas

  • Free, open-source desktop app
  • Specialist agents return finished files
  • Works with your own model keys
  • No recruiting-specific agents
  • China-based vendor
  • Runs only while your computer is on

What each one costs

OpenClaw

Quote

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

Orkas

$5.99/mo

The Orkas desktop app is free and open source, and new users get 500 lifetime credits for its built-in models. Paid plans add monthly credits, cloud sync across devices, more cloud storage and up to 50 shared projects with 50 members each: Lite is $5.99 a month with 1,000 credits, Pro is $16.99 a month with 5,000 credits, and Max is $29.99 a month with 10,000 credits. Each plan's price moves with the monthly credit allowance you pick, and a single month can be bought without auto-renewal for $1 more. Using your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or other model key costs no Orkas credits; that provider bills you directly. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 8 Nov 2026

Common questions

Can you try OpenClaw or Orkas for free?
OpenClaw and Orkas carry a free tier on our listing.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 16 Oct 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?