OpenClaw itself is free and open-source. But running it costs money — servers, AI API calls, and your time. Here's a realistic breakdown of what you'll actually spend in 2026.
The Two Costs of OpenClaw
1. Hosting (Where OpenClaw Runs)
You need a server. Here are your options:
| Provider | Type | Price | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClawTank | Managed | Free trial, then subscription | No setup, 1 minute deploy | Less control |
| Hetzner | VPS | $3.49/mo | Cheapest VPS option | Full DIY setup |
| DigitalOcean | VPS | $12/mo | One-click droplet | Still needs configuration |
| Hostinger | VPS | $6.99/mo | Pre-configured template | Limited locations |
| xCloud | Managed | $24/mo | No DevOps needed | Higher price |
| Oracle Cloud | VPS | Free tier | Free forever | Complex setup, limited resources |
2. AI API Usage (The Big Variable)
This is where most of your money goes. OpenClaw sends your messages to an AI provider and pays per token:
| Usage Level | Monthly Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Light | $1-5 | A few conversations per day |
| Moderate | $5-30 | Regular daily use |
| Heavy | $30-100 | Constant use with complex tasks |
| Power user | $100-300+ | Heavy automation, long conversations |
The cost depends heavily on your AI model choice:
- Claude Opus 4.6 — most capable, higher cost per token
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 — great balance of quality and cost
- GPT-4.1 — competitive pricing
- Gemini 2.5 Flash — cheapest for high volume
Real-World Cost Examples
Casual user (a few messages a day):
- Hosting: $3.49/mo (Hetzner) or free trial (ClawTank)
- API: ~$3/mo
- Total: ~$6.50/mo
Daily driver (regular use throughout the day):
- Hosting: $6.99/mo (Hostinger) or ClawTank subscription
- API: ~$15/mo
- Total: ~$22/mo
Power user (heavy automation, multiple channels):
- Hosting: $12/mo (DigitalOcean)
- API: ~$80/mo
- Total: ~$92/mo
The Hidden Cost: Your Time
Self-hosting means:
- Initial setup: 1-3 hours (if experienced)
- Debugging: Telegram pairing, Docker issues, SSL certificates
- Maintenance: Updates, backups, monitoring
- Troubleshooting: When things break at 2 AM
For non-technical users, the setup alone can take a full day or more.
Managed hosting (like ClawTank) eliminates all of this. You trade a slightly higher monthly cost for zero DevOps overhead.
How to Reduce Costs
- Choose a cheaper model — Sonnet 4.5 is ~5x cheaper than Opus 4.6 for most tasks
- Set token limits — configure max tokens per response in OpenClaw settings
- Use smart model routing — have OpenClaw use a cheaper model for simple tasks
- Avoid runaway conversations — set conversation length limits
ClawTank Pricing
ClawTank offers a 7-day free trial to test everything. After that, you bring your own API key — so your only cost is the AI usage itself.
This means:
- No surprise hosting bills
- You control your API spend
- Cancel anytime
Bottom Line
For most users, OpenClaw costs $10-30/month total. The AI API is the main expense, not hosting. If your time is valuable, managed hosting pays for itself by saving you hours of setup and maintenance.
Ready to try it? Deploy OpenClaw in under 1 minute with ClawTank.