{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "gaia", "name": "GAIA", "vendor": "The Experience Company", "vendorUrl": "https://heygaia.io", "kind": "platform", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "GAIA is a personal AI assistant from The Experience Company for email, calendar, todos and scheduled workflows. It runs as a hosted service at heygaia.io with messaging bots, and its source is published for noncommercial self-hosting.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json", "repo": "https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia", "license": "PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@heygaia/cli" } ], "auth": "oauth", "authNotes": "People sign in to the hosted app in a browser, and the backend uses WorkOS for sign-in. Integrations connect by OAuth on the provider's consent screen, through Composio for built-in ones, and Gmail asks for the `gmail.modify` scope. Custom MCP servers take no auth, a bearer token or OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and dynamic client registration, with tokens Fernet-encrypted in PostgreSQL. Bot users link a chat identity with `/auth`. No API key for outside callers was found (https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/blob/master/apps/api/app/config/oauth_config.py; https://docs.heygaia.io/guides/adding-mcp-integrations).", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Pro is $30 a month on the pricing page, the only plan shown there, and its FAQ says GAIA is a paid product. The README and docs also describe a Free plan with daily caps and an Enterprise plan by contact, so whether a new account can use the hosted service without paying was not established. Payments run through Dodo Payments. Self-hosting is free for noncommercial use, plus model usage and a WorkOS account (https://heygaia.io/pricing; https://docs.heygaia.io/guides/usage-subscription; checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "$30 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the backend source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 308, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.heygaia.io", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.heygaia.io/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.accounts", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "source-available", "noncommercial-licence", "self-hosted", "messaging", "imessage", "whatsapp", "telegram", "slack", "discord", "gmail", "mcp-client", "status-page", "llms-txt", "approval-off-by-default" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-14", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 49.5, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 813, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 10, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 54, "maintenance": 78, "payments": 20, "reliability": 67, "schema": 51, "security": 54, "transparency": 60 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -5, "negativeNotes": [ "-3. The release notes of 26 August 2026 say GAIA pauses and asks before a tool that deletes, sends or overwrites, the privacy policy (7 August 2026) says destructive actions require explicit approval, and the pricing page says anything outward-facing waits for the owner's OK. The source at `api-v0.24.0` (14 September 2026) and on master sets the default mode to `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated until flipped after launch. Read from source, not from a live account. https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/blob/master/apps/api/app/models/hil_models.py", "-2. The pricing page FAQ, read on 12 October 2026, says GAIA never shares data with model providers. Section 3.1 of the privacy policy says content, files and data from connected accounts are shared with third-party AI model providers. https://heygaia.io/pricing and https://heygaia.io/privacy" ], "verdict": "GAIA's source is public, so its approval gate, memory store and token handling can be read. Three approval modes and per-tool overrides exist, but the default mode in the source runs every action unasked, which the privacy policy and release notes do not say. Pro costs $30 a month and self-hosting is limited to noncommercial use.", "bestFor": "It suits one person who wants mail triage, meeting briefs, todos and scheduled workflows from one assistant reachable on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or iMessage, and who wants to read the source.", "strengths": [ "The whole product is in a public repository under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, including the approval gate, memory engine and five messaging bots.", "Approval settings have three modes and per-tool overrides, and adding an MCP server, pairing a device or disconnecting an account asks in every mode.", "Memory is visible in Settings as facts, a journal, four documents and a graph, and each item can be edited or deleted, with a clear-all control.", "A BetterStack status page covers the API, web app and four bots, and lists no incident in the 90 days to 12 October 2026.", "Three sets of tagged releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026, the latest on 14 September, with 91 commits on master in the last 30 days." ], "weaknesses": [ "The default approval mode in the source is `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated, while the privacy policy and the 26 August release notes say destructive actions wait for approval.", "The pricing page FAQ says data is never shared with model providers. The privacy policy says content, including data from connected accounts, is shared with them.", "The README lists a Free plan at $0 forever, while the pricing page shows only Pro and says GAIA is a paid product.", "Gmail connects with the `gmail.modify` scope, and built-in integrations run through Composio, so a third party holds those OAuth connections.", "No security.txt, bug bounty, certification, subprocessor list or DPA was found, and self-hosting needs a WorkOS account and five data services.", "The Terms of Service forbid automated systems accessing the Service. Recorded as a fact, and it matters before any probe is run." ], "agentNotes": [ "Set Settings \u003e Approvals to Always ask or Auto before connecting mail. The default in the source runs every action, including send and delete, without asking.", "Expect no public API on the hosted service. The backend turns off its OpenAPI document in production, so reach GAIA through its apps, bots or CLI.", "Check the plan before relying on the hosted service. The README and docs describe a Free plan, and the pricing page says GAIA is a paid product.", "For self-hosting, prepare Docker, Node.js 20, a WorkOS account and a model key first, and confirm the use is noncommercial under the licence.", "Add outside tools as MCP servers by URL on the Integrations page. GAIA asks before adding a server in every approval mode." ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 49.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 54, "maintenance": 78, "payments": 20, "reliability": 67, "schema": 51, "security": 54, "transparency": 50 }, "provenanceScore": 70 }, "connect": { "install": "npm install -g @heygaia/cli \u0026\u0026 gaia init # choose Self-Host (Docker), then open http://localhost:3000" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/gaia" }, "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pro", "unit": "month", "usd": 30, "note": "billed monthly, with usage limits the pricing page does not state" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "The Experience Company, Inc.", "domain": "heygaia.io", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://heygaia.io/terms", "privacy": "https://heygaia.io/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.heygaia.io", "changelog": "https://docs.heygaia.io/release-notes", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The Terms of Service (effective 14 August 2026) name The Experience Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Neither the terms nor the privacy policy gives a postal address.", "The privacy policy (effective 7 August 2026) gives support@heygaia.so as its contact, a different domain from heygaia.io, where the README's security and contact addresses sit.", "heygaia.io/.well-known/security.txt returned 404 on 12 October 2026. The repository's SECURITY.md gives an email address for reports.", "The status page lists api.heygaia.io as the backend. We sent nothing to that host.", "heygaia.io's robots.txt allows every path and names ClaudeBot, Claude-Web and anthropic-ai with Allow. docs.heygaia.io carries Content-Signal ai-input=yes. status.heygaia.io returned an empty robots.txt.", "The domain's registration date was not looked up." ], "score": 70 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.json", "live": { "slug": "gaia", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.heygaia.io", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T17:28:08.466725732Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-12T17:28:08.466725732Z" } }, "answer": "OpenClaw scores 67.1 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in every scored category.", "b": { "slug": "openclaw", "name": "OpenClaw", "vendor": "OpenClaw Foundation", "vendorUrl": "https://openclaw.ai", "kind": "harness", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "Open-source personal AI assistant that runs as a Gateway on the owner's own computer and answers in WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, iMessage and other chat apps, with desktop and mobile apps. The OpenClaw Foundation maintains it under the MIT licence.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openclaw", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openclaw.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openclaw.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openclaw.json", "repo": "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "openclaw" }, { "registry": "oci", "name": "ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "No OpenClaw account exists. The owner supplies model provider API keys or signs in with a ChatGPT or Claude subscription, and adds a bot token, QR pairing or OAuth grant for each channel and account. Clients reach the Gateway with a token or password (`gateway.auth.mode`), or through a trusted proxy, and paired devices hold their own tokens. Operator scopes (`operator.read`, `operator.write`, `operator.admin` and others) apply to paired clients, but a shared-secret bearer token on `POST /tools/invoke` gets full operator access whatever scopes the caller sends (https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/tools-invoke-http-api; https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/operator-scopes).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under the MIT licence, with no paid tier, hosted service or subscription. The owner pays the model provider for usage, or nothing with a local model, plus any search, speech or media API they configure (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw; https://docs.openclaw.ai/reference/api-usage-costs).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 391800, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.openclaw.ai", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.accounts", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "local", "free", "foundation", "llms-txt", "docker", "typescript" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-12", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 67.1, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 270, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 77, "maintenance": 86, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 84, "security": 74, "transparency": 68 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -8, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-09-11. The project's security page and GitHub advisory list show 722 advisories published between 31 January and 11 September 2026, 14 critical, 249 high, 390 medium and 69 low, 39 with a CVE. The largest groups are Gateway auth and scopes (182) and exec, sandbox and approvals (160). The project says all 14 critical issues are fixed and disclosed and reports no known compromise of its infrastructure. Fixed and published, which decays the deduction, but the volume and the two areas affected bear directly on an assistant that holds its owner's accounts, -8. https://openclaw.ai/security; https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories" ], "verdict": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with state, memory and credentials kept on the owner's machine and no paid tier. A fresh install runs tools on the host with full access, no approval prompt and no sandbox, and the project has published 722 security advisories since January 2026, 14 of them critical.", "bestFor": "A technical owner who wants an assistant on their own machine across many chat apps, with their choice of model and files they can read and delete.", "strengths": [ "State, memory and credentials stay under `~/.openclaw` on the owner's machine, and the project sells no hosted service or paid tier", "Memory is plain Markdown files in the workspace, and `openclaw memory forget` removes what a named session contributed", "Four session permission modes (`read-only`, `guarded`, `workspace`, `full`), exec approvals and an optional Docker or Podman tool sandbox", "Unknown direct-message senders get a pairing code by default and are ignored until the owner approves them", "Telemetry is documented field by field. Feature statistics are opt-in and `update.checkOnStart: false` stops every automatic request", "13 stable releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026, with npm provenance attestations on the published package" ], "weaknesses": [ "Without configuration the default is full access. Host exec runs with no approval and sandboxing is off", "Agents with the message tool can send across conversations and channel providers by default, with no approval step for a send", "722 advisories published between 31 January and 11 September 2026, 14 critical and 249 high, per the project's own security page", "Credentials sit in files and SQLite databases under `~/.openclaw`, protected by file permissions unless the owner configures a secret provider", "The project's own maturity scorecard rates the product at 68 per cent, labelled Alpha", "The privacy policy covers the mobile apps, the Chrome extension and website analytics, and says it does not cover the Gateway" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set a session permission mode of `guarded` or `workspace`, or `tools.exec.mode`, before connecting mail. The default runs host commands without approval", "Turn on `agents.defaults.sandbox` for any agent that reads mail, web pages or attachments. Sandboxing is off by default", "Set `tools.message.crossContext.allowAcrossProviders` and `allowWithinProvider` to `false` to confine sends to the current conversation", "Route incoming mail to a restricted reader agent, as the IMAP and Gmail guides show, and deny `gateway`, `cron`, `sessions_spawn` and `sessions_send` for it", "Run `openclaw security audit` after setup, and treat the Gateway token as an owner credential. `POST /tools/invoke` accepts it with full operator access" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 67.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 77, "maintenance": 86, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 84, "security": 74, "transparency": 82 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash # or: npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclaw \u0026\u0026 openclaw onboard --install-daemon" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/openclaw" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "OpenClaw Foundation", "domain": "openclaw.ai", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The README and the `LICENSE` file name the OpenClaw Foundation, described as an independent 501(c)(3). Its site at www.openclaw.org gave no address, registration number, board or filings on the page we read.", "No terms of service were found for the software, so the MIT licence stands in.", "The privacy policy at openclaw.ai/privacy, effective 2 August 2026, covers the iOS and Android apps, the Chrome extension and website analytics, and says it does not cover the gateway, server or AI provider the owner connects. It is not linked here for that reason.", "openclaw.ai/.well-known/security.txt returned 404 on 12 October 2026. The repository has a SECURITY.md with private GitHub reporting and security@openclaw.ai.", "There is no hosted endpoint. A Gateway answers on its owner's own host. The daily update check goes to telemetry.openclaw.ai.", "The domain registration date was not looked up." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openclaw.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "Platform", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "The Experience Company", "b": "OpenClaw Foundation", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0", "b": "MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-14", "b": "2026-10-12", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-08-14", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-08-07", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "308 stars", "b": "392k stars", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "OpenClaw scores 67.1 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in every scored category.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, GAIA or OpenClaw?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for GAIA. OpenClaw is open source (MIT).", "question": "Are GAIA and OpenClaw open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "It suits one person who wants mail triage, meeting briefs, todos and scheduled workflows from one assistant reachable on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or iMessage, and who wants to read the source.", "slug": "gaia", "watchFor": "The default approval mode in the source is `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated, while the privacy policy and the 26 August release notes say destructive actions wait for approval." }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 75 against 67", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 84 against 51", "Agent ergonomics, 77 against 54", "Security \u0026 auth, 74 against 54", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 20", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 86 against 78", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 68 against 60" ], "also": [ "Open source" ], "goodFor": "A technical owner who wants an assistant on their own machine across many chat apps, with their choice of model and files they can read and delete.", "slug": "openclaw", "watchFor": "Without configuration the default is full access. Host exec runs with no approval and sandboxing is off" } ], "job": { "capability": "assistant.proactive", "name": "Assistant proactive" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-gaia.json", "title": "AstrBot vs GAIA", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-gaia" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "AstrBot vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia.json", "title": "CowAgent vs GAIA", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-gemini-spark.json", "title": "GAIA vs Gemini Spark", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-gemini-spark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-grok-bot.json", "title": "GAIA vs Grok Bot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-grok-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-haven.json", "title": "GAIA vs Haven", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-haven" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.json", "title": "GAIA vs Hermes Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct.json", "title": "GAIA vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-ironclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs IronClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-ironclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-leon.json", "title": "GAIA vs Leon", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-leon" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-lindy.json", "title": "GAIA vs Lindy", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-lindy" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanobot.json", "title": "GAIA vs nanobot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanobot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "GAIA vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke.json", "title": "GAIA vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "GAIA vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Gemini Spark vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Grok Bot vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Haven vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "IronClaw vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Leon vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Lindy vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "nanobot vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Dots vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "OpenClaw vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-poke.json", "title": "OpenClaw vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "OpenClaw vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "OpenClaw vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "OpenClaw vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zo-computer" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 8, "edge": "openclaw", "gaia": 67, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "openclaw": 75, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 33, "edge": "openclaw", "gaia": 51, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "openclaw": 84, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 23, "edge": "openclaw", "gaia": 54, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "openclaw": 77, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 20, "edge": "openclaw", "gaia": 54, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "openclaw": 74, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 40, "edge": "openclaw", "gaia": 20, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "openclaw": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "openclaw", "gaia": 78, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "openclaw": 86, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "openclaw", "gaia": 60, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "openclaw": 68, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "OpenClaw scores 67.1 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in every scored category. Both do assistant proactive.", "verdicts": { "gaia": "GAIA's source is public, so its approval gate, memory store and token handling can be read. Three approval modes and per-tool overrides exist, but the default mode in the source runs every action unasked, which the privacy policy and release notes do not say. Pro costs $30 a month and self-hosting is limited to noncommercial use.", "openclaw": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with state, memory and credentials kept on the owner's machine and no paid tier. A fresh install runs tools on the host with full access, no approval prompt and no sandbox, and the project has published 722 security advisories since January 2026, 14 of them critical." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.min.md" }, "markdown": "OpenClaw scores 67.1 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in every scored category. Both do assistant proactive.\n\n- GAIA: grade D, 49.5/100, rank #813 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json\n- OpenClaw: grade B, 67.1/100, rank #270 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openclaw.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openclaw.json\n- Best AI personal assistants that act for one person: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/personal-assistants/index.md\n- All 190 assistants comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/personal-assistants/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### GAIA (D)\n\nGood for: It suits one person who wants mail triage, meeting briefs, todos and scheduled workflows from one assistant reachable on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or iMessage, and who wants to read the source.\n\nWatch for: The default approval mode in the source is `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated, while the privacy policy and the 26 August release notes say destructive actions wait for approval.\n\n### OpenClaw (B)\n\nGood for: A technical owner who wants an assistant on their own machine across many chat apps, with their choice of model and files they can read and delete.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 75 against 67\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 84 against 51\n- Agent ergonomics, 77 against 54\n- Security \u0026 auth, 74 against 54\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 20\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 86 against 78\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 68 against 60\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: Without configuration the default is full access. Host exec runs with no approval and sandboxing is off\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | GAIA | OpenClaw | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 67 | 75 | OpenClaw +8 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 51 | 84 | OpenClaw +33 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 54 | 77 | OpenClaw +23 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 54 | 74 | OpenClaw +20 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 60 | OpenClaw +40 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 78 | 86 | OpenClaw +8 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 68 | OpenClaw +8 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | -8 | |\n| **Total** | | **49.5 · D** | **67.1 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | GAIA | OpenClaw |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Platform | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | The Experience Company | OpenClaw Foundation |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | OAuth | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Paid | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0 | MIT |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-14 | 2026-10-12 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-08-14 | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-07 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | |\n| Popularity | 308 stars | 392k stars |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**GAIA.** GAIA's source is public, so its approval gate, memory store and token handling can be read. Three approval modes and per-tool overrides exist, but the default mode in the source runs every action unasked, which the privacy policy and release notes do not say. Pro costs $30 a month and self-hosting is limited to noncommercial use.\n\n**OpenClaw.** Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with state, memory and credentials kept on the owner's machine and no paid tier. A fresh install runs tools on the host with full access, no approval prompt and no sandbox, and the project has published 722 security advisories since January 2026, 14 of them critical.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### GAIA\n\n1. Set Settings \u003e Approvals to Always ask or Auto before connecting mail. The default in the source runs every action, including send and delete, without asking.\n2. Expect no public API on the hosted service. The backend turns off its OpenAPI document in production, so reach GAIA through its apps, bots or CLI.\n3. Check the plan before relying on the hosted service. The README and docs describe a Free plan, and the pricing page says GAIA is a paid product.\n4. For self-hosting, prepare Docker, Node.js 20, a WorkOS account and a model key first, and confirm the use is noncommercial under the licence.\n5. Add outside tools as MCP servers by URL on the Integrations page. GAIA asks before adding a server in every approval mode.\n\n### OpenClaw\n\n1. Set a session permission mode of `guarded` or `workspace`, or `tools.exec.mode`, before connecting mail. The default runs host commands without approval\n2. Turn on `agents.defaults.sandbox` for any agent that reads mail, web pages or attachments. Sandboxing is off by default\n3. Set `tools.message.crossContext.allowAcrossProviders` and `allowWithinProvider` to `false` to confine sends to the current conversation\n4. Route incoming mail to a restricted reader agent, as the IMAP and Gmail guides show, and deny `gateway`, `cron`, `sessions_spawn` and `sessions_send` for it\n5. Run `openclaw security audit` after setup, and treat the Gateway token as an owner credential. `POST /tools/invoke` accepts it with full operator access\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, GAIA or OpenClaw?\n\nOpenClaw scores 67.1 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in every scored category.\n\n### Are GAIA and OpenClaw open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for GAIA. OpenClaw is open source (MIT).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"gaia\", \"b\": \"openclaw\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare gaia openclaw`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openclaw.json\n\n## Other comparisons with GAIA or OpenClaw\n\n- [AstrBot vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-gaia.md)\n- [AstrBot vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia.md)\n- [CowAgent vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Gemini Spark](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-gemini-spark.md)\n- [GAIA vs Grok Bot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-grok-bot.md)\n- [GAIA vs Haven](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-haven.md)\n- [GAIA vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [GAIA vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct.md)\n- [GAIA vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-ironclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-leon.md)\n- [GAIA vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-lindy.md)\n- [GAIA vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanobot.md)\n- [GAIA vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [GAIA vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke.md)\n- [GAIA vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Haven vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [IronClaw vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Leon vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Lindy vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [nanobot vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Dots vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-poke.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zo-computer.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-12", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "GAIA vs OpenClaw", "url": "" } ], "description": "OpenClaw scores 67.1 (B) to GAIA's 49.5 (D) for assistant proactive. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "GAIA D 49.5", "OpenClaw B 67.1", "scores" ], "h1": "GAIA vs OpenClaw", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-gaia-vs-openclaw.png", "path": "/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "GAIA vs OpenClaw for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2550, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }