If you've been anywhere near tech Twitter, Hacker News, or Reddit in the past month, you've probably heard of OpenClaw—the open-source AI assistant that went from obscure GitHub project to global phenomenon in about three weeks.

I've been running my own OpenClaw instance for a while now, and after helping several friends get set up, I built OpenClaw VPS—a managed hosting service for people who want the benefits without the DevOps headaches.

But first, let me tell you what all the fuss is about.

What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that runs on your own hardware. Unlike cloud-based assistants, it connects to your everyday apps—Telegram, Slack, Discord, WhatsApp, iMessage—and acts as a proactive digital assistant that can:

  • Manage emails and calendars
  • Browse the web and summarize content
  • Run code and shell commands
  • Take autonomous actions across your online life
  • Learn your preferences through "skills" you can install or create

The key difference? It's yours. Your data stays on your server. No company watching your conversations.

The Viral Rollercoaster

OpenClaw was created by developer Peter Steinberger (founder of PSPDFKit) in late 2025. It was originally called Clawdbot—until Anthropic's lawyers came calling about the "Claud" similarity.

After a brief rebrand to Moltbot, it's now settled on OpenClaw. But the name changes barely slowed it down. The GitHub repo crossed 149,000 stars in just two months—one of the fastest-growing projects in GitHub history.

The Moltbook Phenomenon

Things got weird when one OpenClaw agent—named "Clawd Clawderberg" by its creator Matt Schlicht—built Moltbook, a social network exclusively for AI agents.

On Moltbook, agents generate posts, comment, argue, joke, and upvote each other. Since launching on January 28, it's ballooned to over 1.5 million agents.

Andrej Karpathy, Tesla's former AI director, called it "genuinely the most incredible sci-fi takeoff-adjacent thing I have seen recently."

The Security Nightmare

But with great power comes great vulnerability. The drama unfolded in real time on Reddit and Hacker News as The Register reported on what they called a "security dumpster fire."

In just three days, the project issued three high-impact security advisories:

And then there's the cost problem. One user reported OpenClaw burning through $20 worth of API tokens while he slept—just by checking the time. Each time check cost about $0.75, and the bot ran 25 of them.

Why Managed Hosting Makes Sense

This is exactly why I built OpenClaw VPS.

Self-hosting OpenClaw requires significant technical knowledge:

  • Infrastructure complexity — VPS provisioning, reverse proxies, SSL certificates, tunnel configuration
  • Security hardening — Firewalls, fail2ban, keeping up with CVEs and security patches
  • Messaging integrations — Telegram bots, Slack apps, webhook configuration
  • Ongoing maintenance — Updates, monitoring, troubleshooting
  • Cost management — Preventing runaway API usage and surprise bills

Most people want the benefits of a private AI assistant without becoming a sysadmin—or waking up to a $750 API bill.

What OpenClaw VPS Offers

OpenClaw VPS provides two paths to get running:

Done-For-You Setup

  • Standard ($500) — Discovery call, full deployment, security hardening, 30-day support, 1 month Pro hosting
  • Premium ($1,000) — Extended setup, custom integrations, 3-5 skills configured, training call, 3 months Business hosting

Monthly Managed Hosting

  • Starter ($39/mo) — 1 messaging app, basic monitoring, 48hr support response
  • Pro ($69/mo) — 3 apps, config changes, priority 24hr support
  • Business ($129/mo) — Unlimited apps, dedicated infrastructure, same-day support

What You Get

  • Zero DevOps — No servers to manage, no patches to run, no security bulletins to track
  • Enterprise security — DDoS protection, zero-trust architecture, automatic updates
  • Predictable pricing — Flat monthly fee with no surprise API overages
  • Human support — Real people who understand your setup and can help troubleshoot
  • Curated skills — We vet skills before deployment, avoiding the ClawHub malware problem

Technical Details

For those interested in the stack powering the service:

  • Frontend: Next.js 16 with TypeScript
  • Backend: Convex for real-time booking and customer data
  • Payments: Polar for both one-time setup fees and recurring subscriptions
  • Security: Cloudflare Turnstile, rate limiting, Zod validation

The booking flow handles the full journey from product selection through Polar checkout, with real-time status tracking.

Follow OpenClaw

Want to stay up to date with the project?

Get Started

If you've been wanting your own AI assistant but the technical setup (or security headlines) have been holding you back, OpenClaw VPS handles it all for you.

Check out the pricing page or book a setup to get started.

Questions? Find me on X/Twitter or drop a comment below.