How Much Does OpenClaw Cost Per Month? (Real Numbers for 2026)
Short answer: Expect roughly $20–$65 a month for typical use. That's $9–$15 for a VPS plus $10–$50 in AI model usage. Managed hosts run $9–$79 a month, and some include model credits.
See VPS plans for OpenClawOpenClaw itself is free and open source. What you pay for is the computer it runs on and the AI model it thinks with. The model is usually the bigger bill.
The three costs
| Cost | What it is | Typical monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Server | A VPS that keeps OpenClaw online 24/7 | $9–$15 |
| AI model | Usage billed by your provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter…) | $10–$50+ |
| Your time | Updates, fixes, security | 0–4 hours |
By how much you use it
| Usage | Server | Model | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (a few questions a day) | ~$9 | ~$10 | ~$20 |
| Regular (daily tasks, a few skills) | ~$12 | ~$25 | ~$37 |
| Heavy (browser automation, many scheduled jobs) | ~$15+ | $50+ | $65+ |
These are planning ranges, not quotes. Model costs depend heavily on which model you choose and how much the agent does on its own.
VPS vs managed hosting
| Option | Monthly | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Your own VPS (e.g. Hostinger KVM 2) | ~$7 on a 24-month term with our referral discount, then $14.99 | Full control; you handle updates and security |
| KiloClaw | $9 ($4 first month) | Fully managed; model gateway included |
| xCloud | $24 | Managed; bring your own model key |
| BetterClaw | $19 per agent, Pro $49 | Managed, security-focused |
| Ampere.sh Pro | $39, with AI credits | Managed; model credits included |
Prices checked November 2026. Always confirm current pricing on each provider’s site.
A simple rule: if you’d spend more than about 4 hours a month looking after your server, managed hosting is probably cheaper once you value your time.
How to keep the bill down
- Pick the right model for the job. Use a smaller, cheaper model for routine tasks and a stronger one only where it matters.
- Turn off scheduled jobs you no longer need. Always-on routines quietly use tokens.
- Set spending limits in your model provider’s dashboard.
- Take the longer term on your VPS. A 24-month term usually costs far less per month than monthly billing.
- Try local models only if you have the RAM. Ollama can cut model costs, but it needs a much bigger server (or a GPU).
Is it worth it?
For comparison, many hosted AI assistant subscriptions cost $20 or more a month and don’t run 24/7 on your own data. A self-hosted agent at ~$20–$40 a month that works through your messages, files and schedule while you sleep is good value, as long as you set it up securely.
Ready to start? Follow our step-by-step VPS setup guide or compare hosts.