OpenClaw is an open source, self-hosted AI assistant that connects to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, and iMessage. It runs on your own server as a personal or team AI agent, handling tasks like managing calendars, browsing the web, organising files, running terminal commands, and automating workflows across platforms. Unlike cloud-based AI assistants, your data stays on your infrastructure.
Running OpenClaw requires a VPS or dedicated server with at least 2 GB of RAM, a Linux-based operating system, and API access to your chosen AI model provider such as Anthropic Claude or OpenAI. Several hosting providers now offer one-click OpenClaw deployment through pre-built Docker templates, which eliminates the manual setup process and gets your AI assistant running in minutes.
A VPS is the most common choice for OpenClaw hosting because it provides dedicated resources at a reasonable cost, always-on availability so your assistant works around the clock, and network-level isolation from your personal machine. This is important because OpenClaw can access files, execute commands, and interact with external services, making a separate server environment the safer approach.
When choosing a provider for OpenClaw hosting, prioritise dedicated CPU and RAM (not burstable), NVMe storage for fast state handling, unmetered or generous bandwidth for API calls and messaging traffic, data centre locations close to your users, and straightforward VPS management tools. Our OpenClaw cost calculator can help you estimate the resources and monthly cost before you commit. One-click deployment is a significant advantage if you want to avoid manual Docker and dependency configuration.
