head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs Leon
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars, 81,978 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Leon has 17,518 stars, 1,469 forks, 112 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 2,126% (389,982 vs 17,518 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Leon is written in TypeScript under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, Leon 8%. OpenClaw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai, assistant), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | Leon | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 18K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| 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 Leon if
- You want the Leon feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Leon 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 Leon
Leon is open source personal AI assistant. It lives in Node.js and TypeScript ecosystem, under AI Interaction & Interfaces category. Project builds around tools, context, memory, and agentic execution. It aims to stay practical, privacy aware, and grounded in real environment. Leon can operate locally, use dedicated tools instead of relying on free form guessing, and complete tasks from start to finish across deterministic workflows and agent style execution.
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or Leon more popular?
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars and Leon has 17,518. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and Leon free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and Leon is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and Leon?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and Leon 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 Leon?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (389,982 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Leon if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.