DeepCrew vs OpenClaw. Which one fits you.
Both give you AI that keeps working while you're away. OpenClaw is free, open-source software you run on your own machine or server. DeepCrew Cloud gives you a team of AI teammates on a computer of their own, which we set up and keep running. If you're looking at OpenClaw alternatives, here is how the two differ. OpenClaw's side comes from its own website and documentation, linked at the bottom.
OpenClaw facts checked on 13 October 2026. DeepCrew is not affiliated with OpenClaw or the OpenClaw Foundation.
You want to run it yourself.
- You want it free and open source today (MIT licensed).
- You want it on your own hardware: a Mac, a Raspberry Pi or a server.
- You want to talk to it in WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage or one of its many other chat apps.
- You want models beyond Claude and ChatGPT, including local models that keep data on your device.
- You like to set things up yourself: sandboxing, permissions, plugins.
- You want one assistant shared with your team.
You want it running for you.
- You don't want to run a server: your DeepCrew computer is set up for you, stays on and gets updated.
- You want a team with jobs, not one assistant: twenty ready-made teammates, hand-offs, group chats and a task board.
- You want guard rails on from the start: risky actions wait for your OK, and teammates never see your app keys.
- You want a browser it uses for you, where you take over the screen to sign in.
- You'd rather use a web app and your phone's Home Screen than a chat app.
The details.
| Topic | OpenClaw | DeepCrew Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI assistant you run on your own infrastructure, for yourself or shared with your team. Stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, a non-profit. | A team of AI teammates you message like colleagues. Each has its own job, memory and skills. |
| Where it runs | Your Mac, Windows or Linux machine, a Raspberry Pi or a server you rent. The project offers no hosted version: its site says "No hosted tier." | A DeepCrew computer that's only yours, run by us in data centres in the EU. It stays on while your laptop is closed. |
| Setup | A one-line installer and an onboarding wizard; the docs say about 5 minutes. For around-the-clock use the docs suggest a server, which you run yourself. | Nothing to install. Sign up, sign in to your AI, pick teammates. We update your computer when a new version ships. |
| Where you talk to it | Many chat apps: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage and more, plus a web Control UI and companion apps for iPhone, Android and Mac. | Its own web app, in any browser or on your phone's Home Screen with notifications. Slack, through a Slack app you add in Settings. No WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or iMessage. |
| AI models | Many providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter and local models such as Ollama. Routing and failover per agent. An API key, or an existing Claude Code or Codex login. | Claude or ChatGPT, through Claude Code or Codex, with your own plan or an API key. Connect both and teammates switch when one plan runs out. No Gemini or local models yet. |
| Several assistants | Several isolated agents in one gateway, with messages routed to each, and sub-agents for background work. | A team: teammates hand work to each other, talk in group chats and share a task board. Twenty ready-made teammates, or describe your own. |
| Apps and skills | Skills and plugins, including community ones from ClawHub, a public registry anyone can publish to. | One-tap apps like Notion, Linear, Jira and Stripe, your own MCP servers, and skills teammates save from work that went well. One-tap Gmail, Calendar and Outlook come during the beta. |
| Browser | A browser profile the agent controls, or your own signed-in Chrome. Computer use on its own desktop or a paired one. | A real browser on your DeepCrew computer. When a site wants your password, you take over the screen from the chat or your phone. Logins stay saved. |
| Memory | Plain Markdown files in the agent's workspace, with keyword and vector search. | Plain-text notes per teammate that you can read and edit, with search across them. Teammates learn your preferences as you go. |
| Schedules | A built-in scheduler, a regular heartbeat check and webhooks. | Routines on a schedule, once at a time you pick, or when another app calls them. A run with nothing new stays quiet. |
| Safety | You configure it. The gateway listens only on its own machine by default, and on most chat apps a stranger's message waits for a pairing code. Sandboxing is off by default and can be turned on. Command approvals are a policy you set. Credentials can stay as plain files or be moved to secret references. | On from the start. Sending, paying, deleting and other risky actions wait for your OK, or a rule you set once. App sign-ins and keys are sealed in a vault, and teammates use your apps through DeepCrew without seeing them. |
| Cost | The software is free, with no paid edition. You pay for your AI usage and, for around-the-clock use, a server or a device that stays on. | Free during the private beta. You pay your AI provider for what teammates use. Prices for after the beta aren't set yet, and we'll email them before it ends. |
| Open source | Yes, MIT licensed, today. | At launch, under the AGPL-3.0. Then you can run it on your own server for free. |
| Who can use it | Anyone, today. A shared gateway for a team is supported. | A private beta, by invite. One person per DeepCrew for now. |
What DeepCrew doesn't do yet.
If one of these matters to you, OpenClaw may suit you better today.
- No WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or iMessage
You talk to teammates in DeepCrew's own app, on the web or your phone, or in Slack.
- Claude and ChatGPT only
No Gemini, other providers or local models yet.
- Gmail, Calendar and Outlook aren't one tap yet
They come during the beta. Until then they need your own Composio key, or your own Google or Microsoft app.
- One person per DeepCrew
Seats for colleagues are planned. You can share a teammate's setup with a link.
- The code isn't public yet
It goes public under the AGPL-3.0 when DeepCrew launches.
- Invite only
It's a private beta. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when there's room.
Questions people ask.
Is DeepCrew built on OpenClaw?
No. DeepCrew is separate software and isn't affiliated with OpenClaw or the OpenClaw Foundation. Its teammates think with Claude Code or Codex, signed in with your own account.
Is there a hosted OpenClaw?
Not from the OpenClaw project: its website says there is no hosted tier and no paid version. Other companies offer OpenClaw hosting; we haven't reviewed them.
Can I use my Claude or ChatGPT plan?
With DeepCrew, yes: you sign in to Claude Code or Codex on your DeepCrew computer, or add an API key. Your provider bills that usage, under your plan's limits. OpenClaw's docs also describe reusing an existing Claude Code or Codex login, or using a provider API key.
Can I move from OpenClaw to DeepCrew?
There's no import tool. Both keep memory as plain Markdown files, so you can upload the notes that matter to a teammate in the chat and ask it to remember them.
Is DeepCrew free?
During the private beta, yes. You bring your own Claude or ChatGPT account and your provider bills that usage. Before the beta ends, we'll email you the plans and prices, and you decide whether to stay.
Can I run DeepCrew myself, like OpenClaw?
Once the code is public. DeepCrew goes open source under the AGPL-3.0 at launch, and runs with Docker on a Linux server.
Where OpenClaw's side comes from.
Everything said about OpenClaw on this page comes from OpenClaw's own website, documentation and code repository, checked on 13 October 2026. Software changes, so check these pages for the latest. If something here is out of date, write to support@deepcrew.so and we'll correct it.
- openclaw.ai: no hosted tier or paid version, MIT licence, chat apps, models.
- What is OpenClaw?: own infrastructure, shared gateway, the OpenClaw Foundation.
- LICENSE on GitHub: MIT.
- Install and Getting started: systems, installer, about 5 minutes.
- Providers and hosting: a server for around-the-clock use.
- Channels and Platforms: chat apps and companion apps.
- Providers and Anthropic: models, API keys, Claude Code login.
- Multi-agent and Sub-agents.
- Skills and ClawHub.
- Browser and Computer use.
- Memory.
- Automations and Heartbeat.
- Security, Sandboxing, Exec approvals and Secrets.
OpenClaw is an open-source project stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation. DeepCrew is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by OpenClaw or the OpenClaw Foundation. Names are used only to identify the products compared.
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