{
  "$schema": "https://shelldex.com/schemas/compare.schema.json",
  "generated": "2026-05-15T16:51:32.623Z",
  "source": "https://shelldex.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "pair": {
    "canonical": "openclaw-vs-picoclaw",
    "slugA": "openclaw",
    "slugB": "picoclaw"
  },
  "projects": [
    {
      "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
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "PicoClaw",
      "slug": "picoclaw",
      "tagline": "AI agents on a $10 board",
      "description": "Runs on $10 RISC-V boards with less than 10MB of RAM. One-second boot time. The tiniest claw in the sea.",
      "language": "go",
      "category": [
        "iot",
        "embedded",
        "lightweight"
      ],
      "github": "sipeed/picoclaw",
      "status": "active",
      "tier": 1,
      "highlight": "Runs on $10 RISC-V boards, <10MB RAM, 1s boot",
      "emoji": "💡",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "type": "tweet",
          "url": "https://x.com/SipeedIO/status/2020832292885930288",
          "author": "Sipeed",
          "author_url": "https://x.com/SipeedIO",
          "quote": "Ditch your Mac Mini — now you can run a full AI assistant on $10 RISCV hardware with 10MB RAM.",
          "date": "2026-02-08",
          "source": "X"
        },
        {
          "type": "article",
          "url": "https://www.hackster.io/news/forget-the-mac-mini-run-this-openclaw-alternative-for-just-10-da23b2819d25",
          "author": "Nick Bild",
          "title": "Forget the Mac Mini: Run This OpenClaw Alternative for Just $10",
          "date": "2026-02-10",
          "source": "Hackster.io"
        },
        {
          "type": "article",
          "url": "https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/02/10/picoclaw-ultra-lightweight-personal-ai-assistant-run-on-just-10mb-of-ram/",
          "author": "Jean-Luc Aufranc",
          "title": "PicoClaw ultra-lightweight personal AI Assistant runs on just 10MB of RAM",
          "date": "2026-02-10",
          "source": "CNX Software"
        }
      ],
      "platform": [
        "embedded"
      ],
      "requires_llm": true,
      "mcp_support": false,
      "ecosystem_role": "reimplementation",
      "perf": {
        "ram": "<10MB",
        "startup_time": "1s"
      },
      "added": "2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z",
      "github_data": {
        "stars": 28999,
        "forks": 4152,
        "open_issues": 116,
        "license": "MIT",
        "topics": [],
        "last_commit": "2026-05-15T14:06:08Z",
        "latest_release": "v0.2.8",
        "latest_release_date": "2026-04-30T15:15:51Z",
        "star_growth_7d": 184,
        "last_enriched": "2026-05-15T16:51:09.437Z"
      },
      "stars": 28999,
      "leaderboard": {
        "rank": 6,
        "health_score": 95,
        "health": {
          "issues_stars_ratio": 0.004,
          "days_since_last_release": 15,
          "days_since_last_commit": 0
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "key_differences": [
    "OpenClaw has 13x more stars (372k vs 29k), indicating significantly broader adoption.",
    "OpenClaw is growing faster with +3.1k stars this week vs +184 for PicoClaw.",
    "OpenClaw is written in TypeScript while PicoClaw uses Go, which may influence your choice depending on your stack.",
    "PicoClaw supports embedded/IoT hardware while OpenClaw does not.",
    "OpenClaw has MCP (Model Context Protocol) support while PicoClaw does not.",
    "OpenClaw focuses on reference, self-hosted while PicoClaw targets iot, embedded, lightweight."
  ],
  "urls": {
    "page": "https://shelldex.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw/",
    "json": "https://shelldex.com/api/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw.json",
    "markdown": "https://shelldex.com/md/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw.md"
  }
}