head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs k-dense-byok
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars, 82,755 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. k-dense-byok has 1,421 stars, 189 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 27,609% (393,747 vs 1,421 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under MIT; k-dense-byok is written in TypeScript under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, k-dense-byok 13%. 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 | k-dense-byok | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 394K | ★ 1.4K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 83K | ⑂ 189 |
| 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 k-dense-byok if
- You want the k-dense-byok feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and k-dense-byok 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 k-dense-byok
K Dense BYOK 🎥 Webinar recording: Getting Started with K Dense BYOK An online walkthrough of installing Kady and running your first research task, with live Q&A. 👉 Watch the recording on YouTube Your own AI research assistant, running on your computer, powered by the accounts and API keys you choose. K Dense BYOK (Bring Your Own Keys) is a free, open source app that gives you Kady — an AI research assistant for scientists in any field. Describe a task in plain language — analyze this dataset , review my manuscript , search the literature , build this figure — and Kady works through it in a complete research…
read the full k-dense-byok overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or k-dense-byok more popular?
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars and k-dense-byok has 1,421. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and k-dense-byok free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw is licensed under MIT and k-dense-byok under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and k-dense-byok?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and k-dense-byok 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 k-dense-byok?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (393,747 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose k-dense-byok if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.