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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. Vellum publishes a starting price ($30); OpenClaw does not. Both have a free tier. Only Vellum ships a public API.

OpenClawOpen-source, self-hosted AI assistant you message from WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and 10+ other chat appsVellumPersonal AI assistant with persistent memory that acts across email, calendar, files and chat apps

Side by side

FactOpenClawVellum
CategoryPersonal AI AssistantsPersonal AI Assistants
Pricing modelFreeFreemium
Starts at—$30 month
Public APINoYes
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, AndroidWeb, macOS, iOS, Slack App
CompanyOpenClaw Foundation—
Launched2025—
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 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

More comparisons

All Vellum alternatives →Browse all Personal AI Assistants →