OpenClaw vs Vellum

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan: Both — OpenClaw is free to use, Vellum has a free plan
Public API: Vellum has one; not confirmed by us for OpenClaw
Best fit: OpenClaw: Developers and tinkerers who want a hackable assistant with system access · Vellum: Individuals who want one assistant with memory across email, calendar and chat
Platforms: OpenClaw: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Vellum: Web, macOS, iOS, Slack app
Trust score: About even — OpenClaw 75, Vellum 76

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

OpenClawOpen-source, self-hosted AI assistant you message from WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and 10+ other chat apps

VellumPersonal AI assistant with persistent memory that acts across email, calendar, files and chat apps

Side by side

Fact	OpenClaw	Vellum
Category	Personal AI Assistants	Personal AI Assistants
Pricing model	Free	Freemium
Starts at	—	$30/mo
Public API	Not confirmed	Yes
Trust score	75 / 100	76 / 100
Platforms	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android	Web, macOS, iOS, Slack app
Company	OpenClaw Foundation	—
Launched	2025	—
Last verified	Oct 16, 2026	Oct 16, 2026

What our research says

OpenClaw

The strongest open alternative to hosted assistant products: your context, memory and skills stay on your machine, reachable from whatever chat app you already use. The catch is that you are the ops and security team — sandboxing, updates and model bills are entirely on you.

Pros

MIT license with no vendor lock-in and a hackable plugin/skill system
Bridges 10+ chat channels including WhatsApp, Signal, Teams and iMessage
Foundation governance with full-time maintainers and major ecosystem partners
Runs fully on your own hardware with sandboxing options

Cons

A chat-reachable agent with system access is a serious attack surface if misconfigured
No hosted option: needs an always-on machine and ongoing maintenance
Model API costs come on top and scale with how much you use it

Vellum

An ambitious personal agent that pairs deep memory with real tool access, and the MIT-licensed runtime is a rare escape hatch in this category. The company is visibly mid-pivot - its docs subdomain still describes the earlier enterprise LLM platform - so expect product churn and check that plan credits cover your actual usage.

Pros

Persistent memory plus real actions, not just chat
Open-source MIT runtime allows self-hosting without platform fees
Wide surface: web, macOS, iOS, CLI, Slack, Telegram
Transparent hosted pricing with defined compute and credit bundles

Cons

Brand confusion: documentation and older coverage describe a different enterprise product
Usage credits on top of the subscription make heavy use costlier than the sticker price
Company details for the current product are thin on the site

Which one fits

Choose OpenClaw if you need

Developers and tinkerers who want a hackable assistant with system access
Privacy-minded users who refuse to park personal context in a vendor cloud
People who live in messaging apps and want one agent across all of them

Choose Vellum if you need

Individuals who want one assistant with memory across email, calendar and chat
Tinkerers willing to self-host an open-source assistant runtime
Mac-centric users who want a native app plus mobile and Slack access