Qiu vs OpenClaw
OpenClaw is free software you install, configure and maintain on your own machine. Qiu is a team of agents already running 24/7, and it hands you the finished task.
Reviewed: November 2026
Two ways to get work done
Choose Qiu if...
- You don't want to install or maintain anything. Open Telegram or the web and start, with a 15-day free trial and no card.
- You need it to work outside the browser too. The desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux sees the screen and uses the mouse and keyboard (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign; phase 1).
- You want a "Confirm" card before every sensitive action, and no money decision made without your approval.
- You want your whole team to use it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once (Business plan, €299/mo).
Choose OpenClaw if...
- You want MIT-licensed open-source code you can read, change and run without paying for a license.
- You're comfortable in a terminal. It installs with a script or
npm, needs Node, and you run it yourself: the gateway, the config and the updates. - You need to reach your agent from many channels. Its catalog lists 33, including WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Signal and iMessage.
- You want local models or your own choice of AI provider, with your data staying on your own machine.
Qiu and OpenClaw, row by row
| Feature | Qiu | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| The agent | Coworkers: specialist super-agents (sales, support, marketing…) plus a coworker-manager that splits up and coordinates the work. A real browser, and a desktop app that uses the mouse and keyboard. | A self-hosted gateway that connects chat apps to AI agents. Built-in tools include browser, exec, web_search and automations (cron). You extend it with skills (SKILL.md) and plugins. |
| Where it runs | In Qiu's cloud, in Europe (Germany), as a managed service. It keeps working when your computer is off. | On your Mac, Windows or Linux machine, or a server you run. "State lives on your machine", with no hosted service in between. It runs only while that machine is on. |
| How you start | Message Qiu on Telegram or the web. 15-day trial, no card. | curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash (or npm i -g openclaw), then openclaw onboard. Needs Node 24/26 and an API key from your model provider. |
| Your team | Workspaces with members and permissions. Coworkers work together through consent routing and an orchestrator. | Several people can share one gateway, each with their own agent. openclaw agents team create sets up a team of agents with a coordinator. For strict separation it recommends separate gateways. |
| Connecting apps | API connectors for Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, GoHighLevel, banking via Ponto, Brevo and more, plus email, social posting via GHL, and building and publishing websites and apps. | 33 chat channels in its catalog (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage…). Tools and services come through skills (SKILL.md) and plugins installed from ClawHub, npm or git. It publishes no total integration count. |
| What you pay | Personal €29/mo, Pro €99/mo, Business €299/mo. Connect your own Claude or ChatGPT and those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu. | The software is free: "No subscription. No hosted tier." and "no paid version". You pay separately for the AI model (or run a local one) and for the machine it runs on. |
OpenClaw facts checked on 3 November 2026 against openclaw.ai and docs.openclaw.ai. They may change.
What changes day to day
In Qiu, a "Confirm" card appears before every sensitive action, and no money decision is made without your approval. If a captcha, a code or a password comes up along the way, it asks you instead of working around it. OpenClaw has command approvals, but approval prompts are off by default and it's up to you to define the policies and allowlists.
Qiu keeps a personal memory across chats, a separate memory for each group, and semantic search across all of it. On Monday it knows what you told it on Friday. OpenClaw keeps long-term memory in files in your workspace, such as MEMORY.md, which load at the start of each session. That works well, but the files, the backups and keeping them tidy are up to you.
Qiu runs background goals, routines and watches 24/7 in the cloud, and it resumes where it left off after a restart. OpenClaw has its own scheduler for one-off jobs, cron and webhooks, and it saves those jobs. But, like the rest of OpenClaw, it lives on the machine you install and maintain, so if that machine goes down, keeping the schedule running is on you.
Both let you use your own model. In OpenClaw you set up the provider, the keys and the spending yourself, and local models are an option. In Qiu you connect your Claude or ChatGPT subscription and those runs cost nothing extra. The Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, GoHighLevel, Ponto and Brevo connectors come ready to use, with no plugins to install.
Switch in 3 steps
- Bring your context. Paste the essentials of your
MEMORY.mdand your instructions (AGENTS.md) into Qiu, so it starts out knowing how you work. - Move one automation. Pick one OpenClaw cron job and set it up in Qiu as a routine. Connect the accounts it uses (Google, Microsoft 365, Slack…).
- Turn it off once it works. When Qiu has done that task well for a few days in a row, disable it on your gateway and move on to the next one.
What people ask us
Is Qiu open source like OpenClaw?
No. OpenClaw is MIT-licensed and you can host it yourself. Qiu is a managed service, and its code isn't offered for self-hosting. In return, you don't install or maintain anything: we do.
OpenClaw is free. Why pay for Qiu?
OpenClaw's software costs nothing, but you supply the machine, the AI and the hours spent installing and maintaining it. Qiu costs €29, €99 or €299 a month and comes with the connectors, the memory and the approval step already working, with nothing to host. You can try it for 15 days without a card.
Can I talk to Qiu on WhatsApp, like OpenClaw?
Not today. Qiu works on Telegram and the web. If you need WhatsApp, Discord or iMessage right now, OpenClaw covers more channels.
Can I use my Claude or ChatGPT subscription?
Yes. Connect your Claude or ChatGPT and those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu. OpenClaw also supports your own model, including local ones, which you set up yourself.
Which one gives me more control over what the agent does?
In OpenClaw you decide through tool policies, allowlists and command approvals (exec approvals). Approval prompts are off by default and you configure them by hand. In Qiu, a "Confirm" card appears before every sensitive action, and money decisions always need your approval.
Can Qiu use desktop software, not just the browser?
Yes. Qiu's desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux sees the screen and uses the mouse and keyboard, for example in Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign (phase 1). OpenClaw's docs also mention computer tools that click, type and take screenshots on an attached desktop environment, which you set up yourself.
From €29/mo
Every plan runs on your own AI: connect your Claude or your ChatGPT and those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu.
Qiu Personal
Your personal AI for everyday use. Connect your Claude or your ChatGPT.
Qiu Pro
Your marketing and product team in one AI: builds and publishes websites and apps, with specialist coworkers and more capacity. Connect your Claude or your ChatGPT.
Qiu Business
Qiu for your whole team, no limits: everyone on your team uses it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once, with your own AI (your Claude or ChatGPT).
Free trial and plan changes at /en/pricing.
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