OpenClaw
Open-source, self-hosted AI assistant infrastructure stewarded by a non-profit foundation.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- OpenClaw Foundation
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Headquarters
- United States
- Company size
- <10
- Market role
- B2C Consumer App / Platform
- Official website
- openclaw.ai
What OpenClaw does
The Foundation governs and maintains an MIT-licensed open-source agent platform. Users deploy the software on their own machines and infrastructure, retaining operational control rather than buying a managed SaaS service. Value is created through core-team stewardship, signed releases, community contribution and local-first deployment; financial support is donation-funded.
Category differentiation
OpenClaw is self-hosted open-source AI assistant infrastructure, not a managed AI-agent SaaS platform or a foundation-model provider. The OpenClaw Foundation is its non-profit steward, not a commercial cloud-service operator.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant and agent platform that runs on users' own computers and infrastructure. It is stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, an independent US 501(c)(3) non-profit that employs the core team, signs releases and maintains the product under an MIT licence. The project serves individuals, technical users and developers seeking a self-hosted personal assistant rather than a managed cloud agent service. The Foundation does not sell subscriptions, hosted services or tokens; it funds stewardship and core development through donations.
Company news briefing
Briefing updated:
OpenClaw has released version 2.0 of its open-source personal AI agent platform, featuring architectural upgrades and managed deployment options. Meta acknowledged that its popular Muse AI assistant app was heavily inspired by OpenClaw's design and functionality. Additionally, creator Peter Steinberger made a seven-figure investment in RegTech startup signteq, which is developing 'Know Your Agent' verification capabilities.
Business model & monetisation
The Foundation has no commercial software monetisation model. It explicitly sells no paid tier, hosted service or token and is funded through donations.
- Donations
- Donation-funded non-profit stewardship
- Paid tiers, hosted services and tokens
- Not offered
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
Meta Confirms Muse AI Inspired by OpenClaw
AI · Recorded impact score: 3/5
Meta has acknowledged that its new AI assistant app, Muse, was heavily inspired by the open-source personal AI agent OpenClaw, according to a post by Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta's Superintelligence Labs (MSL). Friedman stated that while Muse was built from scratch, the team at Meta was deeply influenced by OpenClaw's design and functionality, including its use of configuration files like SOUL.md. The acknowledgment came after viral posts on X highlighted striking similarities between Muse and OpenClaw, including identical file names and nearly identical file content. Friedman praised OpenClaw's creator, Peter Steinberger, and said Meta aimed to make a similar agent safe and scalable for billions of users. Muse has already reached No. 1 on the U.S. App Store and is outpacing ChatGPT's early mobile launch.
- Meta's AI assistant Muse is heavily inspired by OpenClaw, an open-source personal AI agent.
- Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta's Superintelligence Labs, confirmed the inspiration in an X post.
Cursor Automation vs OpenClaw: AI Agent Comparison
Infrastructure · Recorded impact score: 3/5
This article compares two AI agent platforms: Cursor Automation, a cloud-based system for team workflows, and OpenClaw, a self-hosted personal assistant. Cursor Automation, launched by Cursor in March 2026, offers event-driven execution, cloud sandboxes, and MCP integrations. OpenClaw, created by Peter Steinberger, is open-source, self-hosted, and integrates with messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. The comparison covers features, pricing, use cases, and architecture. It recommends Cursor Automation for team automation and OpenClaw for individual, privacy-focused tasks. Both can be used together for different layers of work.
- Cursor Automation launched in March 2026.
- OpenClaw created by Peter Steinberger in early 2026.
Grok Bot Review: Managed Agent Computer vs OpenClaw
AI Agents · Recorded impact score: 3/5
This article is a hands-on review of Grok Bot, xAI's managed agent platform, comparing it with OpenClaw 2.0. The author highlights Grok Bot's ease of setup, where users can connect services like X and Freshdesk via simple browser logins, eliminating complex configurations. Grok Bot is described as a "MacBook-like" managed system, offering a persistent cloud computer, while OpenClaw is a "Linux-like" user-owned platform with more customization. The review covers features like bot personification, multi-account support, virtual browser workflows, and device syncing, but also notes trade-offs such as lack of model picker and limited context controls. OpenClaw 2.0's release this week narrows the gap with Quick Start and managed deployment options.
- Grok Bot allows connecting services like X and Freshdesk via simple browser logins without coding.
- OpenClaw 2.0 was released this week, featuring Quick Start and one-click managed deployment via Hostinger.
Openclaw 2.0: Biggest Project Update Released
Conversational AI & Chatbots · Recorded impact score: 2/5
Openclaw 2.0, the largest update in the project's history, was released on 2026-08-31 by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, now at OpenAI. This comprehensive overhaul introduces a redesigned browser interface centered on conversations, simplified installation that detects existing ChatGPT/Claude subscriptions and local AI models, session storage in SQLite for faster loading and full-text search, session migration to paired devices or cloud, and an agent progress map. The update includes over 16,000 pull requests from 933 contributors (569 first-time), and took nearly seven weeks to develop. It also enhances security for passwords and permissions. Full release notes are available at docs.openclaw.ai/releases/2026.8.1.
- Openclaw 2.0, the largest update in project history, was released on 2026-08-31, led by Peter Steinberger (now at OpenAI).
- The update comprises over 16,000 pull requests from 933 contributors, including 569 first-time contributors, and took nearly seven weeks to develop.
OpenClaw 2.0 Released: Major AI-Agent Overhaul
Technical Release · Recorded impact score: 3/5
After seven weeks of development, the open-source AI agent platform OpenClaw has launched version 2.0, its largest release to date, merging over 16,000 pull requests from 933 contributors. Key updates include architectural upgrades to SQLite for fast full-text search, a redesigned browser-first interface, collaborative Shared Cloud Sessions, persistent automations, local-to-cloud migration, and remote execution on cloud workers. Security remains a priority with masked credential prompts and defenses against prompt injection. The OpenClaw Foundation, established as a US 501(c)(3) non-profit with backing from OpenAI, Microsoft, and NVIDIA, ensures long-term independence under the MIT license. However, the competitive landscape is intensifying with enterprise alternatives like Meta, Hermes Agent, LangGraph, and OpenAI's ChatGPT Work. Separately, OpenAI classified its upcoming Astra model as 'Critical' for cybersecurity, raising safety concerns and sparking industry-wide discussions on collective defense.
- OpenClaw 2.0 includes over 16,000 pull requests from 933 contributors, making it the largest release yet.
- The release introduces a browser-first interface, SQLite full-text search, remote session execution on cloud workers, and local-to-cloud migration.
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Questions about OpenClaw
What is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an MIT-licensed open-source AI assistant and agent platform that runs on users' own computers and infrastructure.
Who uses OpenClaw?
It is used by individuals, developers and technical teams seeking a self-hosted, user-controlled AI assistant.
How does OpenClaw make money?
The Foundation does not sell software, hosting or tokens; it funds the project through donations.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
12 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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