{
  "$schema": "https://shelldex.com/schemas/compare.schema.json",
  "generated": "2026-05-15T16:51:32.692Z",
  "source": "https://shelldex.com/compare/freeclaw-vs-openclaw/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "pair": {
    "canonical": "freeclaw-vs-openclaw",
    "slugA": "freeclaw",
    "slugB": "openclaw"
  },
  "projects": [
    {
      "name": "FreeClaw",
      "slug": "freeclaw",
      "tagline": "Minimal OpenClaw-like Python agent",
      "description": "Python implementation of the OpenClaw concept with multi-agent profiles and lightweight CLI operation.",
      "language": "python",
      "category": [
        "minimal",
        "lightweight"
      ],
      "github": "openconstruct/freeclaw",
      "status": "active",
      "tier": 1,
      "highlight": "Multi-agent profiles, minimal footprint — no framework bloat",
      "emoji": "🆓",
      "platform": [
        "server"
      ],
      "requires_llm": true,
      "mcp_support": false,
      "ecosystem_role": "reimplementation",
      "added": "2026-02-27T00:00:00.000Z",
      "github_data": {
        "stars": 56,
        "forks": 10,
        "open_issues": 2,
        "license": null,
        "topics": [],
        "last_commit": "2026-02-22T17:20:21Z",
        "latest_release": "0.1.0",
        "latest_release_date": "2026-02-22T17:20:21Z",
        "star_growth_7d": 0,
        "last_enriched": "2026-05-15T16:50:56.658Z"
      },
      "stars": 56,
      "leaderboard": {
        "rank": 49,
        "health_score": 25,
        "health": {
          "issues_stars_ratio": 0.0357,
          "days_since_last_release": 81,
          "days_since_last_commit": 81
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "OpenClaw",
      "slug": "openclaw",
      "tagline": "The OG self-hosted AI super-agent",
      "description": "The original. Self-hosted AI super-agent platform. Formerly Clawdbot, then Moltbot. The project that started it all.",
      "language": "typescript",
      "category": [
        "reference",
        "self-hosted"
      ],
      "github": "openclaw/openclaw",
      "status": "active",
      "tier": 1,
      "highlight": "On a rocket ship full of stars. The one that started the molt.",
      "emoji": "🦞",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "type": "tweet",
          "url": "https://x.com/lexfridman/status/2021785659644453136",
          "author": "Lex Fridman",
          "author_url": "https://x.com/lexfridman",
          "quote": "Here's my conversation with Peter Steinberger, creator of OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent that has taken the Internet by storm, with now over 180,000 stars on GitHub.",
          "date": "2026-02-20",
          "source": "X"
        },
        {
          "type": "tweet",
          "url": "https://x.com/scottbelsky/status/2017436989604192505",
          "author": "Scott Belsky",
          "author_url": "https://x.com/scottbelsky",
          "quote": "good breakdown of the architecture behind OpenClaw/Clawdbot, and also makes it perfectly clear that our operating systems are overdue for reimagination.",
          "date": "2026-01-28",
          "source": "X"
        },
        {
          "type": "article",
          "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/openclaw-creator-peter-steinberger-joins-openai/",
          "author": "TechCrunch",
          "title": "OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI",
          "date": "2026-02-15",
          "source": "TechCrunch"
        }
      ],
      "platform": [
        "server"
      ],
      "requires_llm": true,
      "mcp_support": true,
      "ecosystem_role": "reference",
      "added": "2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z",
      "github_data": {
        "stars": 372129,
        "forks": 77049,
        "open_issues": 7041,
        "license": "MIT",
        "topics": [
          "ai",
          "assistant",
          "crustacean",
          "molty",
          "openclaw",
          "own-your-data",
          "personal"
        ],
        "last_commit": "2026-05-15T16:50:31Z",
        "latest_release": "v2026.5.12",
        "latest_release_date": "2026-05-14T18:28:04Z",
        "star_growth_7d": 3106,
        "last_enriched": "2026-05-15T16:51:06.489Z"
      },
      "stars": 372129,
      "leaderboard": {
        "rank": 1,
        "health_score": 95,
        "health": {
          "issues_stars_ratio": 0.0189,
          "days_since_last_release": 0,
          "days_since_last_commit": 0
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "key_differences": [
    "OpenClaw has 6645x more stars (372k vs 56), indicating significantly broader adoption.",
    "OpenClaw is growing faster with +3.1k stars this week vs +0 for FreeClaw.",
    "FreeClaw is written in Python while OpenClaw uses TypeScript, which may influence your choice depending on your stack.",
    "OpenClaw was updated today, while FreeClaw's last commit was 81 days ago.",
    "OpenClaw has MCP (Model Context Protocol) support while FreeClaw does not.",
    "FreeClaw focuses on minimal, lightweight while OpenClaw targets reference, self-hosted."
  ],
  "urls": {
    "page": "https://shelldex.com/compare/freeclaw-vs-openclaw/",
    "json": "https://shelldex.com/api/compare/freeclaw-vs-openclaw.json",
    "markdown": "https://shelldex.com/md/compare/freeclaw-vs-openclaw.md"
  }
}