Question 1

Is OpenClaw free?

Accepted Answer

The software is free and open-source. You pay for two things: hosting (a cloud server costs $12–24/month, or you can use a Mac Mini you already own) and AI model API costs ($50–200/month depending on which model you use and how much your agent processes). If you use a fully local model through Ollama, the API cost drops to $0 but you need a machine with enough RAM to run the model. For a full cost breakdown, see our pricing page.

Question 2

Is OpenClaw safe to use with my business data?

Accepted Answer

OpenClaw itself is a tool — its safety depends entirely on how it's configured. The default installation has known security gaps (42,665 exposed instances were found by security researchers). With proper hardening — Docker sandboxing, firewall rules, tool permission lockdown, and ongoing security patching — it can be run securely. We recommend reading our 5 security essentials before deploying, whether you self-host or use a managed service.

Question 3

Do I need to know how to code to use OpenClaw?

Accepted Answer

To use an already-deployed OpenClaw agent, no. You interact with it through messaging apps (Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack) using natural language. To set it up yourself, you need Linux command line, Docker, and networking knowledge — not traditional coding, but definitely technical skills. If you don't have those skills, a managed deployment service handles the technical setup so you can focus on using the agent, not building the infrastructure.

Question 4

What happened to ClawdBot and MoltBot?

Accepted Answer

Same project, different names. It launched as ClawdBot in November 2025, briefly rebranded to MoltBot in January 2026, and became OpenClaw on January 30, 2026. The OpenClaw name stuck because it signals the project's goal: to be the open-source standard for AI agents. All three names refer to the same codebase and community. If you see references to ClawdBot or MoltBot in older tutorials, they're talking about OpenClaw.

Question 5

How is OpenClaw different from Zapier or Make?

Accepted Answer

Zapier and Make follow if/then rules: "If I receive an email with 'invoice' in the subject, move it to this folder." OpenClaw makes decisions: "Read this email, determine if it's urgent based on context, draft an appropriate reply, and flag it for my review if the amount exceeds $5,000." Zapier is deterministic automation. OpenClaw is autonomous decision-making. They're complementary — many OpenClaw users also use Zapier for simple triggers — but they solve different problems. Learn more about our approach.

Category: OpenClaw Setup

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