head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs NanoClaw
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars, 82,755 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. NanoClaw has 31,073 stars, 12,681 forks, 1,102 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 1,167% (393,747 vs 31,073 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under MIT; NanoClaw is written in TypeScript under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, NanoClaw 41%. OpenClaw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (openclaw), 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 | NanoClaw | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 394K | ★ 31K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 83K | ⑂ 13K |
| 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 NanoClaw if
- You want the NanoClaw feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and NanoClaw 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 NanoClaw
An AI assistant that runs agents securely in their own containers. Lightweight, built to be easily understood and completely customized for your needs. nanoclaw.dev • docs • 中文 • 日本語 • 한국어 • • Agents in Slack: one app per agent Setup provisions each agent its own Slack app: manifest, avatar, and workspace install, no tokens to paste. Spawn teammates from chat: every one gets its own bot identity, container, and memory, with shared rooms and canvases. Why I Built NanoClaw OpenClaw is an impressive project, but I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I had given complex software I didn't understand full access to my…
read the full NanoClaw overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or NanoClaw more popular?
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars and NanoClaw has 31,073. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and NanoClaw free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw is licensed under MIT and NanoClaw under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and NanoClaw?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and NanoClaw 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 NanoClaw?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (393,747 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose NanoClaw if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.