Facts checked · OpenClaw Foundation
OpenClaw alternative: MausBot
An OpenClaw alternative that asks before shell commands run, ships as a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Ubuntu, and uses the Claude or ChatGPT login you have.
OpenClaw is the most-starred self-hosted agent: a gateway you run on a server and reach through WhatsApp, Telegram and twenty other channels, with shell execution set to full by default. MausBot is the OpenClaw alternative for people who want a desktop app with an approval gate, no exposed port, and any model per bot.
What OpenClaw is
OpenClaw, formerly Clawdbot and Moltbot, has about 390,000 GitHub stars and shipped version 2.0 on August 30, 2026 with a rebuilt Control Center. It is a gateway daemon with channels, skills from ClawHub and MCP connectors, running Claude, OpenAI, DeepSeek or local models. Its creator joined OpenAI in February 2026 and the project now sits under the OpenClaw Foundation.
Launched: January 2026 (as OpenClaw); 2.0 on August 30, 2026. Sources: OpenClaw docs: exec approvals; OpenClaw 2.0 release notes.
Why people look for a OpenClaw alternative
- Exec approvals default to full on gateway hosts, so shell commands run without a prompt unless you change it.
- A security history: CVE-2026-25253 (one-click remote code execution), the ClawHavoc malicious-skill campaign, and exposed gateways on port 18789 counted at 17,500 by one scan and over 100,000 by another.
- Setup is a sysadmin job: Tailscale, SSH lockdown, systemd, memory tuning; a maintainer says it is too dangerous for anyone who cannot run a command line.
- Token cost: a heartbeat cron that burned $20 overnight is the story users repeat.
- Approval is a mode you switch on, not the default; the 2.0 Control Center is a browser UI over a gateway you host.
OpenClaw vs MausBot
The OpenClaw column comes from the vendor's own pages and the press cited above, checked on September 26, 2026. Where the vendor has not said, the cell says so.
| OpenClaw | MausBot | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | A gateway reached through chat apps, a browser Control UI, a CLI | A desktop chat app; iOS and Android companions |
| Before a shell command runs | Nothing by default on gateway hosts (exec mode full); ask mode available | Allow / Deny cards for shell commands and file edits; answer cards for questions |
| Exposed to the internet | The gateway port, unless you firewall it | No; the harness listens on 127.0.0.1 only |
| Models | Claude, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Ollama and more | Claude, Codex, Grok, and other CLIs, chosen per bot; switch mid-conversation |
| Setup | Install script, Node 24, a server, Tailscale or a tunnel | Download, sign in with your CLI, meet a bot |
| Agents | One gateway, reached from 20+ channels | As many bots as you like, in group rooms |
| Platforms | Gateway on macOS, Linux, Windows; native apps incl. iOS and Android | macOS, Windows, Ubuntu; iOS and Android companions |
| License, stars | MIT, about 390k | Apache 2.0, about 4k |
What MausBot is
MausBot is a free, open-source chat app where every contact is an AI bot with its own model, its own computer, and its own connected apps. Bots run on the claude, codex, and grok CLIs installed on your own machine, with your existing logins, so one bot can be on Claude and the next on ChatGPT. Shell commands and file edits surface as Allow / Deny cards before they run, bots share group rooms and hand work to each other, and your data stays in ~/.openmausbot on your disk. It is published on GitHub under Apache 2.0, with iOS and Android companions, and paid Cloud plans from $29 a month keep bots working with the laptop closed.
What OpenClaw still does better
- Lives in the messaging apps you already use: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage and more.
- ClawHub, a skill catalogue MausBot has no equivalent of, and a far larger community.
- Local models through Ollama, built in.
Other OpenClaw alternatives
MausBot is the open-source option. The other agents in this category, each with its own comparison page:
- Bops by Orgo (Organic Intelligence, Inc.): Bops is a macOS app from Nick Vasilescu, co-founder of Orgo, the cloud-computer company.
- Grok Bot by xAI: Grok Bot has been in beta since August 11, 2026.
- Meta Muse by Meta: Muse launched on September 8, 2026 from Meta Superintelligence Labs.
- OpenAI dots by OpenAI: Dots launched at DevDay on September 29, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- Does OpenClaw ask before running commands?
- Not by default on gateway hosts: the exec approval mode defaults to full. Ask and allowlist modes exist and must be switched on. MausBot surfaces shell commands and file edits as Allow / Deny cards before they run.
- Is there an OpenClaw alternative with a GUI?
- MausBot is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Ubuntu with phone companions; OpenClaw's own 2.0 Control Center is a browser UI over a gateway you host.
- Can I use my ChatGPT or Claude subscription?
- In both. OpenClaw routes OpenAI turns through a ChatGPT subscription; MausBot runs bots on the claude and codex CLIs with your existing logins.
- Which runs on Windows?
- Both. OpenClaw has a native Windows companion app and install.ps1, though its docs still call WSL2 the most Linux-compatible runtime; MausBot ships a native Windows x64 installer.