Price
Neither one sells anything. What you pay for is the AI model, and your own server if you use one.
Nod is free from n8n. You connect a ChatGPT Plus or Pro plan, an API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Azure, Vertex or 20+ other providers, or a local model server such as Ollama. Usage shows estimated model costs, and with an API key you can set a monthly spending limit. A managed hosted version is on the roadmap without a price.
OpenClaw is free software with "no subscription, no hosted tier, no token". You pay for your hosting and for the model API or subscription you connect, such as Claude, Codex or a local model.
Bottom line: both cost what your model costs. Nod's spending limit and ChatGPT-plan support make the bill easier to predict.
Where they run
| Nod | OpenClaw | |
|---|---|---|
| Mac | Desktop app, macOS 14 or later | Desktop app |
| Windows | Windows 11, preview | Desktop app (installer in beta) |
| Linux | Self-hosted server with Docker | Desktop app, installer, npm, Docker or Nix |
| iPhone / Android | No app; chat through Telegram or WhatsApp | iOS and Android apps |
| Always-on | Your own server or Mac mini; managed hosting planned | Your own computer or server |
| Who it's for | One owner per Nod; sharing planned | You, or shared with your team |
How you use them
Nod is one conversation that shows up in the desktop app, your browser, Telegram and WhatsApp. It has its own Linux workspace for files and commands and its own browser, which you can take over when a site needs you. It reads and acts in Gmail, Calendar, Slack, Notion, Linear, Drive and other apps you connect, runs schedules ("every Friday at 5 pm, send me a recap"), and watches pages for changes. If you use n8n, it can build and test workflows there too.
OpenClaw is an assistant you message from the chat apps you already use: WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, Discord, Slack, Teams, Signal, Google Chat and 20+ more. It handles your inbox, email, calendar and flight check-ins, runs scheduled jobs and reminders, and extends through skills and plugins that run on the machine where it's installed.
Bottom line: Nod is built for errands on websites from one app; OpenClaw is built to meet you in whichever chat app you're in.
Safety and privacy
Approvals. Nod's trust check runs in its server, outside the model, and compares each action with your own words; it asks when they don't cover it, and every payment waits for your yes. n8n says plainly that the check is a model's judgement and can be wrong. OpenClaw asks for pairing approval before a new direct-message contact can use it, and runs tools on the host unless you set up sandboxing.
Secrets. Nod keeps saved logins, verification codes and cards in a Vault: the model sees account names and status, never the secret. Commands run as an unprivileged user in a workspace container, and the browser in a separate container.
Data. Nod stores its database, files, memory and logins where it runs. App connections go through n8n's hosted connection service and Composio by default, and usage data (no message contents) is shared with n8n unless you turn it off. OpenClaw has no hosted service; by default it sends only a daily version check, and anonymous feature statistics are opt-in.
Bottom line: Nod has the more opinionated guardrails out of the box; OpenClaw sends less to its makers and leaves more of the setup to you.
Maturity
Nod is new: its first public release, 0.6.0, came out on November 9, 2026, and n8n labels it an early preview with rough edges and breaking changes. OpenClaw is an established project run by an independent foundation, with a wide plugin and skills ecosystem. If you want something stable today, that difference matters more than any feature on this page.