Updated 1 October 2026. Prices and providers below were re-checked against each provider's own pricing page. Since this post was first published in March, one provider has shut down, one has rebranded, and most of the rest have changed their prices.
The OpenClaw Pricing Landscape
OpenClaw is free, open-source software. You never pay for the software itself. What you pay for is hosting, meaning a machine that runs OpenClaw 24/7, and AI model usage, the tokens your agent spends every time it thinks.
Most hosting pages only show the first number. This guide shows both, so you can compare what you would actually pay each month.
Managed OpenClaw Hosting, Compared
| Provider | Entry price | AI model usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw Launch Lite | $3 first month (new customers), then $6/mo | $1/mo of credits included; top up, or use your own key or ChatGPT subscription | 30-minute free trial, no card. Also runs Hermes Agent at the same price |
| OpenClaw Launch Pro | $20/mo | $10/mo of credits included | Up to 3 bots, 2 vCPU / 4 GB |
| PlusAgents (formerly ClawHosted) | Starter $19/mo; free tier available | $10/mo of LLM credits on Starter, $1 on Free | Free tier is limited to 1 active hour a day. Priced per agent |
| ClawHosters | €19/mo | Managed AI included with daily and monthly token limits; own key optional | German servers, 48-hour free trial |
| xCloud | $9.99 first month, then $19.99/mo | Your own key | 6 GB VPS plan |
| ClawCloud | $29/mo | Your own key, or paid managed credits | 2 vCPU / 2 GB |
| MyClaw | $29/mo Lite, or $199/yr | Not included on Lite | Also offers Hermes Agent |
| RunMyClaw | $30/mo | Your own key | New signups paused, waitlist only |
| Self-hosting on a VPS | About $5–$12/mo | Your own key | You handle setup, updates and backups |
Prices as listed on each provider's own pricing page on 1 October 2026. SimpleClaw, which was in the March version of this table, has shut down and cancelled all subscriptions. We could not read current prices on OneClaw's or KiloClaw's own pages, so they are left out rather than guessed. Prices change often, so check before you buy.
The Hidden Cost: Bring Your Own Key
Several providers above are BYOK: you bring an API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter or another provider, and that provider bills you separately for every token. So the hosting price is not the full cost.
As a rough guide for a personal assistant on a mid-priced model:
- Light use, a few conversations a day: a few dollars a month
- Daily use with some browsing and scheduled jobs: around $5–$15 a month
- Heavy research, coding or browsing on a frontier model: $20–$50 or more
Your own number depends on the model and how much your agent does. An agent that browses pages and runs tools uses many more tokens than a single chat reply.
True Monthly Cost, Hosting Plus Model
Here is the same illustrative usage budget, $5–$15 a month of model spend, added to each option:
| Option | Hosting | Model | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw Launch Lite | $6 | $1 included, $4–$14 more | About $10–$20 |
| OpenClaw Launch Pro | $20 | $10 included, up to $5 more | About $20–$25 |
| PlusAgents Starter | $19 | $10 included, up to $5 more | About $19–$24 |
| ClawHosters | About $22 (€19) | Included within token limits | About $22, more if you pass the limits |
| xCloud (after first month) | $19.99 | $5–$15 | About $25–$35 |
| ClawCloud | $29 | $5–$15 | About $34–$44 |
| MyClaw Lite | $29 | $5–$15 | About $34–$44 |
| Self-hosting | $5–$12 | $5–$15 | About $10–$27, plus your time |
Best Value by Situation
Lowest entry price: OpenClaw Launch Lite
$3 for the first month and $6 after is the cheapest managed OpenClaw plan we found. It includes $1 a month of model credit, which covers light use. Beyond that you can top up, connect your own OpenRouter key, or use a ChatGPT subscription you already pay for. See plans.
Model credit bundled at around $20: OpenClaw Launch Pro or PlusAgents Starter
Both include $10 a month of model credit at about $20. PlusAgents prices per agent. OpenClaw Launch Pro covers up to three bots on one plan, with 2 vCPU and 4 GB of memory, and lets you run Hermes Agent as well as OpenClaw.
EU hosting with managed AI: ClawHosters
German servers and a managed model included within token limits, which suits EU businesses with data-residency requirements. The included models are a fixed set, so check they fit your work.
Full control: self-hosting
Rent a VPS and run OpenClaw yourself. It is the cheapest on paper, but you own Docker, updates, backups and uptime. See our self-hosting reality check.
How OpenClaw Launch Keeps the Entry Price Low
- Containers, not a VM per user. Each bot runs in its own isolated container on shared servers, which costs far less than a dedicated virtual machine.
- A warm pool. Pre-started containers mean a new bot is live in under 30 seconds without provisioning a server.
- No markup on models. Included credits pay for models through OpenRouter at standard rates, and you can switch to your own key whenever you like.
Running Hermes Agent instead of OpenClaw? The Hermes version of this comparison is Hermes Agent pricing: every option compared. Want to spend nothing at all? Read free OpenClaw hosting options.
Start with the 30-minute free trial, then $3 for your first month →