# OpenClaw vs ZeroClaw: two open-source agents you run, and the review a team needs

> OpenClaw and ZeroClaw are both open-source agents that run on your own machine. They differ in language, autonomy, isolation, and where configuration lives. For a team that needs company work under review, the answer is Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System.

URL: https://openclaw-alternative.com/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw

## OpenClaw, ZeroClaw, and Kortix side by side

Each rival cell comes from that project's own repository, checked October 2026.

| | Kortix (recommended) | OpenClaw | ZeroClaw |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Yes | Yes |
| What it is | A cloud service or a self-hosted stack you run. | A TypeScript gateway that runs on Node.js 24.16+. | A single Rust binary you configure and run. |
| Where it runs | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or your own on-prem network. | On your own computer, for one person or a team. | On your own machine, with your own keys. |
| Where configuration lives | In one git repo you own, as reviewed files. | A config file on your machine. | One TOML file at ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml. |
| Who reviews the work | A person reads the diff and merges the change request. | The assistant acts and replies in your chat. | Supervised by default: risky calls need approval. |
| Session isolation | One isolated sandbox per session and branch. | Tools run on the host unless you configure sandboxing. | OS-level sandboxes: Landlock, Bubblewrap, Seatbelt, or Docker. |
| Models | Any model provider with your own keys. | Hosted and local models; harnesses are swappable plugins. | Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, and about 20 more. |
| What a team pays | Self-host free; Team $40 per seat per month. | No paid tier, hosted service, or token. | Run it yourself and bring your own keys. |

Rival cells from each project's own repository; the Kortix price is from its pricing page. Star counts and release dates are checked October 2026.

## The review gate a team needs

`kortix.com/docs`

```
Each session runs one agent in its own sandbox.
The sandbox clones the repo and works on a new branch.
The agent commits, pushes the session branch, and opens a change request against the project's default branch.
A person with the project.gitops.merge permission reviews the change request and merges it into the default branch.
```

Source: https://kortix.com/docs

The review step, quoted from the Kortix documentation.

## What OpenClaw and ZeroClaw each are

OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant that runs as a gateway on your own computer and meets you in the chat apps you already use. It runs as a personal assistant on a laptop or as a shared team deployment, and its documentation says configuration is the only difference. ZeroClaw is an open-source agent runtime shipped as a single Rust binary that talks to about 20 model providers and reaches more than 30 channels. Its repository describes it as an agent runtime you configure and run, with everything on your machine, with your keys, in your workspace.

## How the two differ, dimension by dimension

The comparison table on this page sets the two side by side with Kortix. Three differences matter most for a company. The first is where configuration lives. OpenClaw keeps a config file on your machine; ZeroClaw keeps one TOML file at `~/.zeroclaw/config.toml`. Kortix keeps the whole setup in a git repo you own, so the agents, skills, memory, and connector rules are files a team can read and diff. The second is autonomy. ZeroClaw's default posture is supervised: medium-risk operations require approval and high-risk operations are blocked, and it records a receipt for every tool call. OpenClaw's agent acts and replies in chat, and its safeguards are ones you configure. The third is where tools run. OpenClaw's tools run on the host for the main session unless you configure sandboxing, while ZeroClaw runs under OS-level sandboxes such as Landlock, Bubblewrap, Seatbelt, or Docker.

## Who reviews the work before it lands

Both projects gate a moment before or during a command. ZeroClaw approves or blocks a risky operation, and OpenClaw prompts for pairings and lets you configure sandboxing. Neither turns finished work into a change a person reads as a diff before it joins a shared repository. For a personal assistant that is the right trade. For company work it leaves the important question open: who signs off on the week of work an agent assembled, and where does that record live? On both projects the answer is the chat, because the output is a reply rather than a reviewable change. [OpenClaw for teams](/openclaw-for-teams) works through the shared-deployment question, and [the field of OpenClaw alternatives](/openclaw-alternatives) ranks these projects by who owns the work.

## What a team does with company work under review

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. The review step is built into the flow. Session work reaches main through a change request, and merge is default-deny for agents, so a person reads the diff before it lands. One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch. Per-resource permissions for people and agents, with roles, groups, and an audit trail. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free. For the direct comparison, [Kortix vs OpenClaw](/kortix-vs-openclaw) sets out the same review gate, and the [Kortix blog](https://kortix.com/blog/personal-ai-agents-vs-company-os) draws the line between a personal agent and a company operating system.

## Common questions about OpenClaw and ZeroClaw

### Is ZeroClaw a replacement for OpenClaw?

Both are personal agents you run on your own machine. ZeroClaw is a Rust runtime with one TOML config; OpenClaw is a TypeScript gateway with a config file. Each runs as one operator's setup, so neither replaces the shared repo, permissions, and review a company needs.

### Does ZeroClaw approve work before it happens?

ZeroClaw supervises risky operations by default: medium-risk operations need approval and high-risk operations are blocked, and it records a receipt for each tool call. That gates a command as it runs, not a finished change before it joins a shared branch.

### What does ZeroClaw cost to run?

ZeroClaw's repository presents it as software you run yourself, with your own keys, and quotes no hosted price. You cover your model provider and your own machine.

### Can a team run ZeroClaw for company work?

It can run the assistant, but it does not hold company configuration in a shared repo and it has no change-request review. A team that needs both runs Kortix: agents, skills, memory, and connectors in one git repo you own, with merge default-deny for agents.

## Put company work under a review a person signs off on.

Kortix is open source. Self-host for free, or start in the managed cloud.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem