# szn vs ZeroClaw

> ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) to szn's 7.3 (F) for assistants reached by message. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zeroclaw
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zeroclaw.md (~3,350 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zeroclaw.min.md (~580 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zeroclaw.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-13

ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against szn's 7.3 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do assistants reached by message.

- szn: grade F, 7.3/100, rank #1010 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/szn.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/szn.json
- ZeroClaw: grade BB, 70.2/100, rank #161 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeroclaw.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeroclaw.json
- Best AI personal assistants that act for one person: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/personal-assistants/index.md
- All 834 assistants comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/personal-assistants/index.md

## Which one, for what

### szn (F)

Good for: A person who wants calls, emails and bookings done for them and has an access code.

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where ZeroClaw loses 3 points for them

Watch for: Early access by access code only.

### ZeroClaw (BB)

Good for: One person who wants an assistant on their own hardware that answers on Telegram, Discord, Matrix or email, asks before it writes or runs commands, and works with a local model.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 74 against 5
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 10
- Agent ergonomics, 72 against 0
- Security & auth, 76 against 0
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 80 against 2
- Transparency & trust, 64 against 23

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- No key needed to call it
- Free to start without a card
- Open source

Watch for: The docs state that command execution is not audited. `[security.audit]` records certificate events only, and tool receipts are opt-in and not durable


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | szn | ZeroClaw | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 5 | 74 | ZeroClaw +69 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 10 | 82 | ZeroClaw +72 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 72 | ZeroClaw +72 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 0 | 76 | ZeroClaw +76 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 60 | ZeroClaw +40 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 2 | 80 | ZeroClaw +78 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 23 | 64 | ZeroClaw +41 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |
| **Total** | | **7.3 · F** | **70.2 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | szn | ZeroClaw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Platform | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Nomadic Futures | ZeroClaw Labs |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Closed service. No terms of service were found on theszn.ai. A privacy policy and an acceptable use policy (both last updated March 2026) apply. | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | none | 2026-09-05 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated |  | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models |  |  |
| Terms restrict automated access |  |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  |  |
| Popularity | none | 33k stars |

## Verdicts

**szn.** szn is an errand assistant in early access that makes calls, sends emails and books for its owner, free during the preview for people with an access code. No outside agent can call it, no terms of service or legal entity appear in its policies, and its privacy policy says nothing on training.

**ZeroClaw.** Supervised autonomy is the default, so tools outside a short read-only list wait for the owner's approval, and secrets are encrypted in the config file. The docs state that command execution is not written to an audit log, and the project publishes no privacy policy or terms.

## Before you call either

### szn

1. Don't plan to call szn from another agent. It answers only its web app, iMessage, SMS and email for the owner.
2. Tell the owner they need an access code to start, and that the acceptable use policy makes them responsible for confirming actions.

### ZeroClaw

1. Keep `[risk_profiles.<alias>] level = "supervised"`. `full` runs every tool not listed in `always_ask`, and the YOLO preset removes the sandbox and path rules too
2. Add sending and account tools such as `send_via`, `google_workspace` and `http_request` to `always_ask` so a session-level Always grant cannot skip the prompt
3. List senders in `[peer_groups.<name>] external_peers`. `["*"]` accepts anyone on that channel
4. Set `[web_fetch].allowed_domains` and `[http_request].allowed_domains`. Fetches run unprompted and the OS sandbox does not block egress
5. Run one-shot tasks with `zeroclaw agent -a <alias> -m "<task>"`. A cron or webhook turn has no prompt, so shell calls fall to the command policy

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, szn or ZeroClaw?

ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against szn's 7.3 (F), and leads in every scored category.

### Are szn and ZeroClaw open source?

No open-source release is listed for szn. ZeroClaw is open source (MIT OR Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zeroclaw.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zeroclaw.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "szn", "b": "zeroclaw"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare szn zeroclaw`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/szn.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeroclaw.json

## Other comparisons with szn or ZeroClaw

- [asaply vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-szn.md)
- [asaply vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Asmi vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-szn.md)
- [Asmi vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [AstrBot vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-szn.md)
- [Boba vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-szn.md)
- [Boba vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Boski vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-szn.md)
- [Brea vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-szn.md)
- [Brea vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Caddy vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-szn.md)
- [CowAgent vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-szn.md)
- [Del vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-szn.md)
- [Del vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [folk vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-szn.md)
- [GAIA vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-szn.md)
- [Grok Bot vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-szn.md)
- [Haven vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-szn.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-szn.md)
- [HireAlpha vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-szn.md)
- [HireAlpha vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Instinct vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-szn.md)
- [IronClaw vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-szn.md)
- [Lindy vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-szn.md)
- [nanobot vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-szn.md)
- [NanoClaw vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-szn.md)
- [Dots vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-szn.md)
- [OpenClaw vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-szn.md)
- [OpenInstinct vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openinstinct-vs-szn.md)
- [OpenInstinct vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openinstinct-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Orbits vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-szn.md)
- [Orbits vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Orchid vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-szn.md)
- [Orchid vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [PicoClaw vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-szn.md)
- [Poke vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-szn.md)
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- [szn vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-tab-bot.md)
- [szn vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-tomo.md)
- [szn vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-town.md)
- [szn vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zapia.md)
- [szn vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zo-computer.md)
- [Tab vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tab-bot-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Zapia vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zapia-vs-zeroclaw.md)
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- [CowAgent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [folk vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [GAIA vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Gemini Spark vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Grok Bot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Haven vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Instinct vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [IronClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)
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- [Lindy vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [nanobot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [NanoClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Dots vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [OpenClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [PicoClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Poke vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [QwenPaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Town vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/town-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [ZeroClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zeroclaw-vs-zo-computer.md)
- [Gemini Spark vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-szn.md)
- [Leon vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-szn.md)
- [Natura tinyNature vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-szn.md)
- [Natura tinyNature vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Pally vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pally-vs-szn.md)
- [Pally vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pally-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [szn vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-wajo.md)
- [Tomo vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tomo-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Wajo (Fo) vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/wajo-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [szn vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-talorys.md)
- [Talorys vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/talorys-vs-zeroclaw.md)

## Disclosure

- szn competes with LocalGhost, which Anchor Terminal's founder builds. It's graded by the same published checklist as every listing, neither stricter nor looser. Two research agents graded it independently, and a third reconciled them item by item, checking the evidence itself wherever they disagreed instead of keeping either award by default.