head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs vellum-assistant
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars, 81,995 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped today. vellum-assistant has 1,280 stars, 186 forks, 179 open issues and last shipped today. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 30,371% (390,029 vs 1,280 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; vellum-assistant is written in TypeScript under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, vellum-assistant 15%. 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 | vellum-assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 186 |
| 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 vellum-assistant if
- You want the vellum-assistant feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and vellum-assistant 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 vellum-assistant
A personal AI assistant that evolves with you. 8 different types of memory (episodic, semantic, procedural, emotional, prospective, behavioral, narrative, shared) make it truly yours. It learns how you work, remembers what matters, and takes action across your apps. What It Does If you've set up a Personal AI on OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, or Claude Code, you know how long it takes, and how many times you have to hatch a new one to get it right. Vellum gets you the result you're looking for out of the box, one download away. Get Started 1. Sign up or download the app The desktop app is available for macOS and Windows…
read the full vellum-assistant overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or vellum-assistant more popular?
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars and vellum-assistant has 1,280. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and vellum-assistant free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and vellum-assistant is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and vellum-assistant?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and vellum-assistant 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 vellum-assistant?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (390,029 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose vellum-assistant if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.