head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs odysseus
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars, 81,995 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. odysseus has 87,357 stars, 903 forks, 1,233 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 346% (390,029 vs 87,357 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; odysseus is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, odysseus 1%. OpenClaw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| OpenClaw | odysseus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 87K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 903 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenClaw if
- You weight community size — 390K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick odysseus if
- You want the odysseus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and odysseus fits your workflow better
About OpenClaw
OpenClaw is an open source, self hosted AI assistant in the AI & Machine Learning / AI Interaction & Interfaces category that runs on hardware the user controls and meets them inside the messaging channels they already use, for individuals who want a personal assistant on a laptop and teams that want a shared deployment.
read the full OpenClaw overview →
About odysseus
Odysseus is a self hosted AI workspace written in Python and released under the AGPL 3.0 or later licence, built for people who want chat, agents, research, documents, email, notes, tasks, and calendar in one deployment on infrastructure they control.
read the full odysseus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or odysseus more popular?
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars and odysseus has 87,357. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and odysseus free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and odysseus is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and odysseus?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and odysseus in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenClaw or odysseus?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (390,029 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose odysseus if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.