head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs claude-forge
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars, 81,995 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped today. claude-forge has 837 stars, 178 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 46,498% (390,029 vs 837 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; claude-forge is written in Shell under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, claude-forge 21%. 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 | claude-forge | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 837 |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 178 |
| 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 claude-forge if
- You want the claude-forge feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and claude-forge 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 claude-forge
⚡ New here? Walk through setup in 60 seconds → English · 한국어 · 中文 · setup guide in 13 languages oh my zsh for Claude Code — one install, full professional kit What is it? • Why bother? • Install • What's inside • How to use • Architecture • FAQ • 한국어 v4.3.0 (September 2026, latest) — session time report now reads Codex too. Same hook, same report; it detects whether a transcript is a Claude Code transcript or a Codex rollout log and counts either. Wiring for Codex is two entries you add to /.codex/hooks.json (how). v4.2.0 (September 2026) — Adds session time report (22nd hook): …
read the full claude-forge overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or claude-forge more popular?
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars and claude-forge has 837. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and claude-forge free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and claude-forge is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and claude-forge?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and claude-forge in Shell. 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 claude-forge?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (390,029 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose claude-forge if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.