head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs cindy
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars, 82,755 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. cindy has 9,009 stars, 1,086 forks, 1,390 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 4,271% (393,747 vs 9,009 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under MIT; cindy is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, cindy 12%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| OpenClaw | cindy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 394K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 83K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenClaw if
- You weight community size — 394K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cindy if
- You want the cindy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and cindy fits your workflow better
About OpenClaw
OpenClaw 🦞 — Your assistant, on your devices, in your chats OpenClaw is an open source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and meets you in the channels you already use: Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, and 20+ more, plus native apps for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. One Gateway runs it as a personal assistant on a laptop or as a shared team deployment; configuration is the only difference. Yours, with no catch. State, memory, and credentials live on your hardware. Models and agent harnesses (Claude, Codex, local models) are plugins you can swap without changing anything…
read the full OpenClaw overview →
About cindy
English · 简体中文 🌐 cindy.app · ⬇️ Download Cindy is an open source AI agent that works out of the box. She brings multiple harnesses, models and tools into one agent that finishes real work in your projects and apps. Ready from day one, yours to shape over time. Cindy runs locally on your own machine, using your real files and logged in apps. The first supported harnesses are Claude Code and Codex — more are being added, and a native harness is in the works. Models and harnesses mix freely and can switch mid task while your workspace, memory, skills and tools stay continuous; one task can even be planned…
read the full cindy overview →
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Interaction & Interfaces projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Interaction & Interfaces field.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or cindy more popular?
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars and cindy has 9,009. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and cindy free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw is licensed under MIT and cindy under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and cindy?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and cindy in TypeScript. 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 cindy?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (393,747 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose cindy if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.