The best OpenClaw alternatives

OpenClaw is a free, open-source assistant you run on your own machine and reach from 29 chat apps. If you'd rather not install, secure and update it yourself, need it for a team, or want another open-source option, start here.

Updated 31 October 2026. Every option is checked against its own site; sources are at the foot of the page.

Why look past OpenClaw

What OpenClaw doesn't do.

You run it

There's no hosted tier: you install the gateway, pair your chat apps, add your model keys and keep it updated.

Tools run on your machine

Its own docs say tools run on the host unless you set up a sandbox.

Teams need separate gateways

Its docs say people who don't trust each other need separate gateways.

The bills are yours

The software is free; the model, the machine and any phone or browser services are paid by you.

At a glance

7 OpenClaw alternatives, side by side.

Option	Best for	Where it works	Price
Cicada	Anyone whose work happens in chats: a team, a group, or one person who wants an agent in their messages, apps and meetings.	iMessage and WhatsApp (one-to-one and group chats), Slack, email and a web app	300 free credits to start with a card at sign-up, then $25 for 200 credits when you run low, or plans from $99 a month. Credits are shared across the workspace and roll over.
Hermes Agent	A technical person who wants an open-source agent with memory and skills it builds as it goes.	Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, SMS, email, Microsoft Teams and more; iMessage through BlueBubbles or Photon	Free and open source (MIT) with your own model; Nous Portal plans from $20 a month for model and tool credits, and optional cloud hosting
Poke	One person who wants a proactive assistant in their texts, free to start.	iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram	Free; Pro $19 a month; Ultra $199 a month, which adds Poke Human, a real person for calls and orders
Pally	One person who wants a free assistant that can call as well as text.	iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, phone calls and its own email address	Free with weekly limits; Cloud Mac $95 a month; VIP by invitation
OpenAI dots	People who live in ChatGPT and already pay for Pro or Business Premium.	ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, Slack and Microsoft Teams; texting (iMessage or RCS, one-to-one) in a US beta for some Pro users since 28 October	Included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) and Business Premium seats; Enterprise in beta
Claude Duet	Claude users in the US who want a proactive personal agent running Opus 5.5 for $20 a month.	Its own app on iOS and Android, and claude.ai on the web	Included in Claude Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100) and Ultra ($200), sharing their usage limits; US only, by waitlist
Grok Bot	People on X or in Cursor who want bots that operate software on their own computer.	Its own apps (desktop and mobile), @bot on X and email; Slack on Team plans	Included in X Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) a month, and in Cursor's paid plans; not in X Plus or Free

Cicada

by Cicada Labs

OpenClaw's idea without the hosting: you sign up and it's running, with nothing to install or keep updated. It's in iMessage and WhatsApp (groups included), Slack and email, built for a team, and any member can set each app to Full, Ask first or Read-only for every agent.

What it is: AI agents you text on iMessage and WhatsApp, mention in Slack or email, and add to your group chats, where they keep every message and file and follow up on what people promised.
Where it works: iMessage and WhatsApp (one-to-one and group chats), Slack, email and a web app
What it costs: 300 free credits to start with a card at sign-up, then $25 for 200 credits when you run low, or plans from $99 a month. Credits are shared across the workspace and roll over.
Worth knowing: Built for work rather than personal shopping and errands, and phone calls are switched off for now.

Start free

Hermes Agent

by Nous Research

The other big open-source agent: MIT-licensed like OpenClaw, with a memory, skills it writes itself, and an optional cloud host through Nous Portal.

What it is: A free, open-source agent that runs on your computer or server, keeps a memory, writes its own skills and talks to you through your chat apps.
Where it works: Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, SMS, email, Microsoft Teams and more; iMessage through BlueBubbles or Photon
What it costs: Free and open source (MIT) with your own model; Nous Portal plans from $20 a month for model and tool credits, and optional cloud hosting
Worth knowing: You set it up and keep it running yourself, and iMessage goes through a third-party bridge.

Hermes Agent's site

Poke

by The Interaction Company of California, now joining Cognition

A hosted assistant in iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram, with nothing to set up and a free plan.

What it is: A personal assistant you text in iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram, that connects to your email, calendar and apps and gets in touch first.
Where it works: iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram
What it costs: Free; Pro $19 a month; Ultra $199 a month, which adds Poke Human, a real person for calls and orders
Worth knowing: A personal assistant for one phone number; its FAQ doesn't describe group chats or team use, and its maker is joining Cognition.

Poke's site

Pally

by Pally

Free and hosted, with its own number and email address, phone calls and a browser; a Cloud Mac add-on ($95 a month) keeps it running on a Mac around the clock.

What it is: A free personal assistant with its own number and email address, phone calls both ways and a browser it uses for you.
Where it works: iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, phone calls and its own email address
What it costs: Free with weekly limits; Cloud Mac $95 a month; VIP by invitation
Worth knowing: One Pally per person, it reads meeting recordings rather than joining calls, and it trains on your data unless you opt out.

Pally vs Cicada Pally's site

OpenAI dots

by OpenAI

An always-on agent with its own cloud computer that can also use your laptop if you let it, on ChatGPT Pro.

What it is: OpenAI's always-on agents inside ChatGPT, each with a cloud computer of its own, launched in September 2026.
Where it works: ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, Slack and Microsoft Teams; texting (iMessage or RCS, one-to-one) in a US beta for some Pro users since 28 October
What it costs: Included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) and Business Premium seats; Enterprise in beta
Worth knowing: One primary dot per person today, texting only in a one-to-one US beta for some Pro users (no group messages), and it needs a $100-a-month plan to start.

OpenAI dots vs Cicada OpenAI dots's site

Claude Duet

by Anthropic

Anthropic's proactive agent with its own cloud computer, in Claude Pro, in the US by waitlist.

What it is: Anthropic's proactive agent in its own app: a morning brief, then a check of your apps every few hours.
Where it works: Its own app on iOS and Android, and claude.ai on the web
What it costs: Included in Claude Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100) and Ultra ($200), sharing their usage limits; US only, by waitlist
Worth knowing: US-only waitlist, you message it in its own app rather than your texts, and it isn't on Team or Enterprise plans yet.

Claude Duet vs Cicada Claude Duet's site

Grok Bot

by SpaceXAI and Cursor

Always-on bots on a cloud computer of their own, in X Premium from $30 a month.

What it is: Always-on bots on a shared cloud computer, reached through their own apps, by email and on X.
Where it works: Its own apps (desktop and mobile), @bot on X and email; Slack on Team plans
What it costs: Included in X Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) a month, and in Cursor's paid plans; not in X Plus or Free
Worth knowing: Launched in beta on 11 August 2026, not in your texts, and meetings aren't in its docs yet.

Grok Bot vs Cicada Grok Bot's site

How to choose

Start from what you need.

If you need	Look at
Nothing to install	Cicada, Poke or Pally
Another open-source agent	Hermes Agent
A team	Cicada
A cloud computer of its own	OpenAI dots, Claude Duet or Grok Bot
Free	Hermes Agent (the software), Poke or Pally
Your own model keys	Hermes Agent

Questions

OpenClaw alternatives, answered.

What is the best alternative to OpenClaw?

If you don't want to host it, Cicada for work and teams, or Poke and Pally for one person. For another open-source agent, Hermes Agent. For an agent with its own cloud computer, OpenAI dots, Claude Duet or Grok Bot.

Is there a hosted version of OpenClaw?

Not from the project: its site says there's no hosted tier and no paid version, as of October 2026. Hermes Agent offers optional cloud hosting through Nous Portal, and Cicada, Poke and Pally are hosted services.

Is there an OpenClaw alternative for teams?

OpenClaw's docs say people who don't trust each other need separate gateways. Cicada is a workspace: every person gets their own agents, a coordinator splits jobs between specialists, and teammates' agents check with each other.

How does OpenClaw compare with Hermes Agent?

Both are free, MIT-licensed agents you run yourself and reach from your chat apps. Hermes Agent, from Nous Research, adds skills it writes as it goes and an optional cloud host; OpenClaw says it has no hosted tier.

Is OpenClaw free?

The software is free and MIT-licensed. You pay for the model you connect, the machine it runs on and any extra services. Cicada starts free with 300 credits, then $25 for 200 credits or plans from $99 a month.

Sources

Products change fast. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at support@cicadalabs.io and we'll fix it.

The full comparison

OpenClaw vs Cicada, feature by feature

Other alternatives

One teammate. The output of a team.

Works nights, remembers every decision, answers in the thread. Start free with 300 credits.

Start free