OpenClaw Hosting: Self-Host vs Managed vs VPS

Running OpenClaw locally on your laptop is fine for experimentation. But the moment you want an always-on agent -- one that responds to messages while you sleep, processes workflows on a schedule, or serves clients reliably -- you need to make an infrastructure decision.

Three options exist. Each serves a different profile of user, budget, and technical comfort level. The choice you make here shapes how your skills scale, how much maintenance you absorb, and how much you pay month over month.

Key Takeaways

• Self-hosting on a personal machine costs nothing but requires your computer to stay on and connected, limiting reliability and portability
• Agent37 managed hosting starts at $3.99/month and deploys in roughly 30 seconds with zero server configuration
• VPS self-hosting via Docker runs $5-20/month and gives full control over the environment at the cost of setup and maintenance time
• Security posture differs dramatically between approaches -- managed hosting handles SSL and updates, self-hosting puts that burden on you
• The right choice depends on your use case: experimentation favors self-hosting, client work favors managed, and technical users with specific requirements favor VPS

The Three Hosting Approaches

Option 1: Self-Host on Personal Machine

The simplest path. Install OpenClaw on your Mac, Linux, or Windows machine and run it directly.

How it works: OpenClaw runs as a local process. Your messaging channels (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, etc.) connect through the internet, but all processing happens on your hardware. Skills execute locally. Memory persists on your filesystem.

Cost: Free (aside from API keys for your chosen AI provider).

Best for: Learning, experimentation, personal automation that does not need 24/7 uptime.

The catch: Your agent dies when your laptop sleeps, loses power, or disconnects from the internet. You cannot serve clients this way. You cannot guarantee response times. And if you are running resource-intensive skills, your daily work competes with your agent for CPU and memory.

Option 2: Agent37 Managed Hosting

Agent37 is the official managed hosting platform for OpenClaw. It abstracts away all server management and lets you go from zero to deployed agent in about 30 seconds.

How it works: You configure your OpenClaw instance through Agent37's interface, connect your messaging channels, and deploy. Agent37 provisions a container with your specifications, handles SSL certificates, manages updates, and monitors uptime.

Infrastructure specs:

• 2 vCPU
• 4GB RAM
• SSL included
• Automatic updates
• Deploy time: approximately 30 seconds

Best for: Non-technical users, client-facing agents, anyone who values time over control.

Option 3: VPS Self-Host via Docker

The power-user path. Rent a virtual private server from any cloud provider and deploy OpenClaw using Docker.

How it works: You spin up a VPS (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Linode, Vultr, etc.), install Docker, pull the OpenClaw image, and configure it. You manage the server, handle updates, configure SSL, and monitor uptime yourself.

Best for: Developers who want full control, users with specific compliance or networking requirements, those who already manage servers.

Pricing Comparison

Hidden Costs to Consider

The sticker price tells only part of the story.

Self-hosting locally costs electricity and wear on your hardware. More importantly, it costs opportunity -- your machine cannot be shut down, and you lose portability.

Agent37 managed hosting includes everything in the price. No surprise bandwidth charges, no storage overages. The $3.99 starter tier handles most individual use cases. The $9.99 tier adds more resources for heavier workloads.

VPS self-hosting adds the cost of your time. Initial setup runs 30-60 minutes if you know Docker. SSL configuration, firewall rules, automatic restarts, log rotation, security patches -- these accumulate into a real maintenance burden. Budget 2-4 hours per month for a well-maintained server.

Security Comparison

Security matters more for AI agents than for typical web applications. Your agent has API keys, accesses messaging platforms, and may process sensitive information through its skills.

The managed hosting advantage is that security defaults are sensible. SSL is not optional -- it is automatic. Firewall rules exist from the start. You do not need to remember to patch your Ubuntu server when a critical vulnerability drops.

The VPS advantage is full control. If you have specific compliance requirements (data residency, network isolation, custom encryption), a VPS lets you implement exactly what you need.

Performance and Reliability

Uptime Reality

Self-hosting on a laptop gives you maybe 16 hours of uptime per day if you are disciplined about not closing the lid. Agent37 targets production-grade uptime. A well-configured VPS can match that, but only if you set up monitoring, automatic restarts, and health checks.

For skills that run on schedules -- like the HEARTBEAT.md proactive check-in system -- uptime is not negotiable. A missed heartbeat means a missed client interaction or a dropped automation.

Scaling Considerations

If your agent gets popular or your client base grows, scaling looks different across options:

• Local: You hit your machine's limits fast. No horizontal scaling.
• Agent37: Upgrade your plan. The platform handles the rest.
• VPS: Resize your droplet or provision additional servers. You manage the orchestration.

This connects to the broader question of how skills distribute and scale across the ecosystem. As we covered in our analysis of the skill distribution landscape, infrastructure decisions cascade into how effectively skills reach users.

Decision Framework

Choose Self-Hosting (Local) When:

• You are learning OpenClaw for the first time
• You want to test skills before deploying them
• Your agent is purely for personal use
• Budget is zero
• You do not need 24/7 availability

Choose Agent37 Managed When:

• You serve clients or external users
• You want zero maintenance overhead
• You value deployment speed over customization
• You are not comfortable managing servers
• You need reliable uptime without effort

Choose VPS Self-Host When:

• You have specific compliance or data residency requirements
• You want to run multiple OpenClaw instances
• You already manage servers and have the workflow
• You need custom networking (VPN, private subnets)
• You want to save money at scale (many agents)

Migration Paths

One advantage of OpenClaw's architecture: your agent configuration is portable. AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, TOOLS.md, MEMORY.md -- these are all files. Moving from local to Agent37 or from Agent37 to a VPS means copying your workspace files. Your skills come along because they are defined in your configuration, not tied to infrastructure.

This portability is a deliberate design choice. As we explored in our coverage of how skills and protocols form complementary layers, the best architectures separate capability from infrastructure.

Real-World Hosting Patterns

Solo developer building personal automations: Start local, move to Agent37 when you want the agent running while you sleep.

Freelancer offering AI services: Agent37 from day one. The $3.99/month is negligible compared to client revenue, and the reliability matters.

Technical team with compliance needs: VPS on a provider that meets your regulatory requirements. Use Docker Compose for reproducible deployments.

Agency running agents for multiple clients: VPS with multiple OpenClaw instances, or multiple Agent37 accounts depending on whether you want to manage infrastructure or focus on skill development.

For more context on how OpenClaw fits into the broader AI ecosystem, see our breakdown of the OpenClaw skill ecosystem.

FAQ

Can I migrate from Agent37 to self-hosting without losing data?

Yes. Your workspace files (AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, MEMORY.md, etc.) are portable. Export them from Agent37, copy them to your VPS or local machine, and your agent resumes with full context. Skills installed from ClawHub also transfer since they are configuration-based.

Does Agent37 give me SSH access to the underlying server?

No. Agent37 is a managed platform, not a VPS provider. You configure your agent through their interface, not through direct server access. If you need shell access, go with a VPS.

What VPS providers work best for OpenClaw Docker deployments?

Any provider that supports Docker works. Community favorites include Hetzner (best price-to-performance in Europe), DigitalOcean (developer-friendly with good documentation), and Vultr (competitive pricing with global regions). The OpenClaw docs include deployment guides for major providers.

How much bandwidth does an OpenClaw agent typically use?

For text-based messaging, bandwidth is minimal -- a few GB per month at most. If your skills process images, files, or make heavy API calls, bandwidth increases proportionally. Most VPS plans include 1-5TB of transfer, which is more than sufficient.

Can I run OpenClaw on a Raspberry Pi?

Technically yes, but performance will be limited. The AI processing happens on the provider's servers (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.), so the Pi only needs to handle message routing and skill execution. A Pi 5 with 8GB RAM can handle light workloads. For anything production-facing, use a proper VPS or managed hosting.

Choosing Your Path

Infrastructure is not the interesting part of building AI agents. Skills are. Workflows are. The automations that save your clients hours per week are.

Pick the hosting option that lets you spend the least time thinking about servers and the most time building what runs on them. For most people, that means starting with Agent37 and only moving to a VPS when you have a specific reason that demands it.

Explore production-ready AI skills at aiskill.market/browse or submit your own skill to the marketplace.