# Tab vs ZeroClaw

> ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) to Tab's 10.7 (F) for assistants reached by message. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tab-bot-vs-zeroclaw
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tab-bot-vs-zeroclaw.md (~3,350 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tab-bot-vs-zeroclaw.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tab-bot-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 Tab's 10.7 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do assistants reached by message.

- Tab: grade F, 10.7/100, rank #1003 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tab-bot.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tab-bot.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

### Tab (F)

Good for: A person who wants a texting assistant that browses, calls and buys with tight checkout controls.

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

Watch for: Private beta behind a waitlist.

### 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 0
- Agent ergonomics, 72 against 0
- Security & auth, 76 against 4
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 0
- Maintenance & community, 80 against 58
- Transparency & trust, 64 against 45

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 | Tab | 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) | 0 | 82 | ZeroClaw +82 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 72 | ZeroClaw +72 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 4 | 76 | ZeroClaw +72 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 0 | 60 | ZeroClaw +60 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 58 | 80 | ZeroClaw +22 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 45 | 64 | ZeroClaw +19 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |
| **Total** | | **10.7 · F** | **70.2 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Tab | ZeroClaw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Platform | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Terrasoft, Inc. | ZeroClaw Labs |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Closed service under Tab's Terms of Use (Terrasoft, Inc., effective 2 September 2026). | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | none | 2026-09-05 |
| Terms last updated |  | 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

**Tab.** Tab is a private-beta texting assistant with a detailed security page on credential isolation and checkout binding, and a public updates page. No outside agent can call it, no price is published, and its privacy policy says nothing on training with user content.

**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

### Tab

1. Don't plan to call Tab from another agent. It answers only the owner's Messages or WhatsApp thread.
2. Tell the owner that access needs a waitlist place and no price is published.

### 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, Tab or ZeroClaw?

ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Tab's 10.7 (F), and leads in every scored category.

### Are Tab and ZeroClaw open source?

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


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with Tab or ZeroClaw

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

## Disclosure

- Tab 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.