head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs LobsterAI
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars, 81,978 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LobsterAI has 6,046 stars, 968 forks, 601 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 6,350% (389,982 vs 6,046 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; LobsterAI is written in TypeScript under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, LobsterAI 16%. 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 | LobsterAI | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 6.0K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 968 |
| 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 LobsterAI if
- You want the LobsterAI feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and LobsterAI 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 LobsterAI
LobsterAI is an MIT licensed, Electron based desktop AI agent from NetEase Youdao that runs tools against your real local files, terminal, and browser and accepts commands from your phone through messaging apps — built for developers, analysts, and office teams who want agent automation to stay on their own machine.
read the full LobsterAI overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or LobsterAI more popular?
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars and LobsterAI has 6,046. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and LobsterAI free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and LobsterAI is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and LobsterAI?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and LobsterAI 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 LobsterAI?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (389,982 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose LobsterAI if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.