The Real Cost of Running OpenClaw in 2026: DIY vs. Managed Hosting

February 7, 2026

OpenClaw went from a niche project to a mainstream personal AI tool in weeks. But the first question everyone asks after the excitement fades is: what does it actually cost to run? The answer depends on whether you self-host from scratch or use a managed deployment service.

The two bills: server + API

Running OpenClaw means paying for two things. First, a server to host the gateway—the always-on process that connects your assistant to email, calendar, and messaging apps. Second, API calls to the AI model that powers the brain. The server cost is fixed. The API cost depends on how much you use it.

DIY self-hosting

If you spin up your own VPS, you're looking at $6-24/month for the server depending on the provider and specs. But that's just the start. You need to install Node.js, configure OpenClaw, set up firewall rules, create a systemd service so the gateway survives reboots, and handle updates yourself. If something breaks at 2 AM, it's on you. The hidden cost is time—initial setup takes 30-60 minutes if you know Linux, and ongoing maintenance adds up.

Managed deployment

With OpenClaw Deploy, you click one button and get a running assistant in about 5 minutes. The server, configuration, firewall, process management, and updates are handled for you. Plans start at $29/month for 2GB RAM and go up to $49/month for 4GB with priority support. You bring your own API key, so you pay the AI provider directly and keep full control over model choice and spending.

API costs: the variable part

This is where most people get surprised. A quick back-of-envelope: light usage (a few conversations a day) runs $5-15/month with GPT-5 or Claude Sonnet. Moderate usage (email triage, calendar management, regular chat) is $15-40/month. Heavy power-user mode with Claude Opus can hit $10-25/day. The cheapest option is Google Gemini Flash at roughly $1-5/month for light use. Pick the model that matches your budget, and you can always switch later from the control panel.

Bottom line

For most people, the total cost of a managed OpenClaw assistant is $35-70/month: $29 for the server plus $5-40 in API costs. That's less than most SaaS productivity suites—and you own the data. DIY saves $5-20/month on the server but costs hours in setup and maintenance. If your time is worth more than $20/hour, managed deployment pays for itself on day one.