OpenClaw alternative. The OpenClaw alternative with nothing to host.

OpenClaw is a great open-source agent if you’re happy to host it, wire up model keys and keep it secure. SmallForce gives your business a team of always-on AI employees on its own private computer. We run it. You give it work.

Get started Talk to Maya
  • One click starts your HQ
  • AI included, no API keys
  • Its own machine for every business
  • Up to 100 people on your team

Same idea. Nothing to run.

  • No machine to babysitYour HQ runs in the cloud, online 24/7.
  • No API keysAI is included, or bring your ChatGPT plan.
  • A team, not one botReceptionist, inbox, social, ads and website.
  • Safe by defaultIts own machine, sandboxes, limits and a log.

Self-hosted vs hosted, in plain terms

OpenClaw hands you the keys. SmallForce hands you the work.

Both give you an agent that’s always on. The difference is who keeps it running, paid for and safe.

Who does the upkeep: self-hosting OpenClaw or SmallForce
The upkeep Self-hosting OpenClaw SmallForce
Pick a machine and keep it on YouA Mac mini, a PC or a VPS SmallForceIts own cloud computer, online 24/7
Install it and keep it updated YouInstaller, wizard, then every release SmallForceUpdates roll out at night, when it’s idle
Connect AI models and pay for them YouYour API keys, your bills SmallForceIncluded, or your ChatGPT plan
Vet the skills you add YouRead them before you install SmallForceBuilt-in skills; no public marketplace
Keep it off the open internet YouFollow the hardening guide SmallForcePrivate by default, per business
Let your team in safely YouOne trusted group per gateway SmallForceRoles, and who may ask each employee

Built for a business

Not skills to install. Jobs that get done.

OpenClaw can learn almost anything once you find or write the skill. SmallForce employees arrive knowing the work a small business runs on.

Work by a sample business’s AI employees. Names and numbers are fictional.

Side by side

SmallForce vs OpenClaw.

Both are always-on agents you can message. OpenClaw is a personal agent you run yourself. SmallForce is an AI team we run for your business.

SmallForce vs OpenClaw.
OpenClaw (self-hosted)SmallForce AI employees
Price of the software Yes: Free and open source ~ Partly: $149 a month for the business
What else you pay for ~ Partly: A machine to run it, and model usage Yes: Nothing: computer and AI are included
Getting started ~ Partly: Command-line installer and setup wizard Yes: One click starts your HQ
Where it runs ~ Partly: Your Mac, PC or a server you manage Yes: Its own private cloud computer
AI models ~ Partly: Bring your own provider and keys Yes: 70+ models included, or your ChatGPT plan
Chat apps Yes: Telegram, iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord and more ~ Partly: Telegram, Slack, iPhone, web and email
Business jobs out of the box ~ Partly: Add skills from ClawHub or write your own Yes: Calls, inbox, social, reviews, ads, website
A receptionist on your number ~ Partly: Voice plugins you set up yourself Yes: Maya answers 24/7, with transcripts
Safety ~ Partly: Yours to harden; one gateway is one trust boundary Yes: Own machine, sandbox per employee, limits, log, Stop
A team of people ~ Partly: Roles for a group that trusts each other Yes: Up to 100 people, roles, shared chats
Updates ~ Partly: You install each release Yes: Rolled out for you, at night, when it’s idle

OpenClaw details from its README and documentation (github.com/openclaw/openclaw and docs.openclaw.ai), read October 7, 2026. OpenClaw is a trademark of its owners; SmallForce isn’t affiliated with the OpenClaw Foundation.

Safe by default

Security you don’t have to set up.

Self-hosting makes safety your job: the machine, the network, the keys, every skill. Here it’s how the product works on day one.

  • Its own computer

    Every business runs on a private machine with its own storage.

  • Keys stay out of reach

    Each request gets its own short-lived pass. Account keys never enter an employee’s shell.

  • A sandbox per employee

    Internet, commands and folders are limited for each employee, separately.

  • No skill store to vet

    Skills come built in or are written by your own employees, not downloaded from strangers.

Where you talk to it

Message your team from where you already are.

Like OpenClaw, your AI employees live in your chats. Unlike a personal agent, the whole business can use them.

  • TelegramMessage your team from a chat you already use.
  • SlackMention an employee in any channel.
  • iPhone and Apple WatchChat, voice notes and notifications.
  • Web dashboardEvery chat, file and log in one place.
  • EmailEach employee can have its own mailbox.
  • Phone callsCall an employee and just talk.

Not yet: WhatsApp, iMessage, Discord and Signal. If you live in those, OpenClaw reaches more chat apps today.

Built for a team of people, too. Up to 100 people share the same chats, @mention any employee and choose who may ask each one for what.

See multiplayer AI

AI models

Every leading model, and no API keys to manage.

OpenClaw runs on the provider and keys you bring. Here AI is included: give each employee the right model from 70+ across 24 labs, and switch any time.

  • Anthropic

    Claude Opus 5Claude Sonnet 5

    Used by Maya

  • OpenAI

    GPT-6 AstraGPT-5.5

    Used by Emma

  • Google

    Gemini 3.8 FlashGemini 3.5 Flash

    Used by Lucas

  • xAI

    Grok 4.6Grok Build 0.1

    Used by Omar

  • DeepSeek

    DeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeek V4 Pro

    Used by Daniel

  • Qwen

    Qwen3.8 MaxQwen3.7 Plus

    Ready for any employee

  • Z.ai

    GLM 5.3GLM 5.2

    Ready for any employee

  • Mistral

    Mistral Medium 3.5

    Ready for any employee

  • Meta

    Muse Spark 1.3

    Ready for any employee

+15 more labs

  • Moonshot · Kimi K3
  • NVIDIA · Nemotron 3 Ultra
  • MiniMax M3
  • Cohere
  • IBM Granite
  • Tencent
  • StepFun
  • Poolside
  • Sakana
  • Upstage
  • Inception
  • Kwaipilot
  • Nex AGI
  • Thinking Machines
  • Aion Labs

What it costs

Free software isn’t a free employee.

OpenClaw costs nothing to download. Running it costs a machine, model usage and your evenings. SmallForce is one price with all of that included.

Self-hosting OpenClaw

$0 software

  • A Mac mini, PC or VPS that stays on
  • Model usage on your own API keys
  • Your time: setup, updates, security
  • Each extra job: find or write a skill

SmallForce

$149 / month

  • Your own private HQ, online 24/7
  • AI included: 2,000 AI Credits a month, or your ChatGPT plan
  • Every AI employee, as many as the work needs
  • Up to 100 people, or $49 a week, cancel any time
Get started See pricing

An honest answer

When OpenClaw is the better pick.

OpenClaw is a remarkable open-source project. For some people it’s the right tool.

You want it on your own hardware

OpenClaw runs on your machine, with your files, and you can read every line of its code.

You live in WhatsApp or iMessage

OpenClaw connects to more chat apps today, including WhatsApp, iMessage, Discord and Signal.

You enjoy building it

If tinkering with skills, models and config is the fun part, a personal agent you run yourself is hard to beat.

Running a business, not a side project? Hand the work to a team that’s already set up, and keep your evenings.

See the team at work

FAQ

OpenClaw alternatives, answered.

Still deciding? Ask Maya, our own AI receptionist, about your business.

Talk to Maya Book a demo

What’s better than OpenClaw for a small business?

If you’d rather not run a server, an AI team that’s hosted and set up for business work. SmallForce gives you AI employees that answer calls, clear the inbox, post, reply to reviews and run ads, on a private computer we keep running.

Is OpenClaw safe?

It can be run safely, but the safety is your job. OpenClaw’s docs treat each gateway as one trust boundary and publish a hardening guide. In 2026 a one-click remote code execution bug (CVE-2026-25253) was fixed in version 2026.1.29, and researchers found malicious skills on ClawHub, after which OpenClaw added VirusTotal scanning. SmallForce runs every business on its own machine, with a sandbox and limits for each employee.

Is OpenClaw free?

Yes. OpenClaw is free and open source under the MIT license. You pay for the computer it runs on and the AI models you connect. SmallForce is $149 a month or $49 a week, with the computer and AI included.

Do I need a Mac mini or a VPS?

For OpenClaw, yes: it runs on your own Mac, PC or a server you manage, and it needs to stay on. With SmallForce you don’t. Each business gets its own private cloud computer, online around the clock.

Can I use my ChatGPT plan?

Yes. Connect a ChatGPT Plus or Pro plan, or SuperGrok or X Premium, and your employees run on it. Otherwise AI is included through your plan’s AI Credits, with 70+ models to choose from. No API keys either way.

Does SmallForce work in WhatsApp or iMessage?

Not yet. You can message your AI employees from Telegram, Slack, the iPhone app, the web and email, and call them. OpenClaw connects to more chat apps today, including WhatsApp and iMessage.

Can my whole team use it?

Yes. Up to 100 people can join as Owners, Admins or Members, share the same chats, @mention any employee and choose who may ask each employee for what.

Is my business data private?

Each business runs on its own private computer, and SmallForce doesn’t use your content to train AI models.

Skip the setup weekend

Spend the weekend on your business, not your agent.

Start your HQ, meet your AI team and hand over the first job today. We keep the computer, the models and the security running.

Get started Talk to Maya

Your setup, start to finishNo terminal

  1. Subscribe$149 a month or $49 a week (done)
  2. Start your HQOne click. We build your private computer. (done)
  3. Meet your teamMaya, Emma, Lucas and the rest are ready (done)
  4. Give them the first job“Answer the phone while I’m on site.” (next)