head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs venom
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars, 81,995 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped today. venom has 6,580 stars, 1,331 forks, 62 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 5,827% (390,029 vs 6,580 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; venom is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, venom 20%. OpenClaw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai), 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 | venom | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 6.6K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 venom if
- You want the venom feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and venom 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 venom
Venom is an Apache 2.0 TypeScript framework that drives WhatsApp Web through Puppeteer, giving JavaScript and TypeScript developers a programmatic API for chatbots, customer service flows and message automation.
read the full venom overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or venom more popular?
OpenClaw has 390,029 GitHub stars and venom has 6,580. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and venom free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and venom is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and venom?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and venom 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 venom?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (390,029 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose venom if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.