# OpenClaw vs SafeClaw

> Side-by-side comparison of two projects in the OpenClaw ecosystem.

Canonical HTML: https://shelldex.com/compare/openclaw-vs-safeclaw/
JSON: https://shelldex.com/api/compare/openclaw-vs-safeclaw.json

| Field | OpenClaw | SafeClaw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | The OG self-hosted AI super-agent | Zero-LLM OpenClaw alternative |
| Language | typescript | python |
| Status | active | active |
| Stars | 372k | 280 |
| Forks | 77049 | 35 |
| Open issues | 7041 | 2 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Last commit | 2026-05-15T16:50:31Z | 2026-05-09T13:48:23Z |
| 7d growth | 3106 | 2 |
| MCP support | yes | no |
| Requires LLM | yes | no |
| Platforms | server | server |
| Categories | reference, self-hosted | minimal, lightweight |
| Health score | 95/100 | 85/100 |
| Leaderboard rank | #1 | #39 |

## Key differences

- OpenClaw has 1329x more stars (372k vs 280), indicating significantly broader adoption.
- OpenClaw is growing faster with +3.1k stars this week vs +2 for SafeClaw.
- OpenClaw is written in TypeScript while SafeClaw uses Python, which may influence your choice depending on your stack.
- SafeClaw works without any API keys — zero LLM cost — while OpenClaw requires an LLM provider.
- OpenClaw has MCP (Model Context Protocol) support while SafeClaw does not.
- OpenClaw focuses on reference, self-hosted while SafeClaw targets minimal, lightweight.

## Descriptions

### OpenClaw

The original. Self-hosted AI super-agent platform. Formerly Clawdbot, then Moltbot. The project that started it all.

### SafeClaw

Rule-based and local-first assistant positioned as an OpenClaw alternative with no required LLM API spend.