Which one keeps my data private?

openclawOS is self-hosted with no cloud data egress — your messages and memory stay on hardware you run. That's its core positioning. If you self-host OpenWA you also keep the WhatsApp transport local, but you still have to build and secure the agent, memory, and reasoning layers yourself.

Can I use both together?

Yes. If you already run OpenWA for WhatsApp transport, you can front it with openclawOS's agent loop, or use openclawOS's own WhatsApp channel directly. They sit at different layers — API vs assembled agent gateway.

Is openclawOS affiliated with OpenWA or upstream OpenClaw?

No. openclawOS is an independent, self-hosted distribution maintained by Neul Labs. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenWA or by the upstream OpenClaw project.

openclawOS vs OpenWA — WhatsApp AI agent vs WhatsApp API

OpenWA gives you a WhatsApp REST API and tools to build on. openclawOS gives you a chat-native AI agent that reasons and acts across WhatsApp plus 30+ channels, self-hosted with no cloud data egress. Pick the API if you're building your own logic; pick the gateway if you want the agent already assembled.

Updated July 5, 2026

Shape

OpenWA is a batteries-included WhatsApp REST API with tooling — the building block you use when you want programmatic control of WhatsApp and intend to write the logic yourself.

openclawOS is a chat-native AI agent gateway. The primitive is a binding: a message arrives, an agent reasons about it, and acts — across WhatsApp and 30+ other channels — self-hosted, with no cloud data egress.

They live at different layers of the stack.

Capability matrix

	openclawOS	OpenWA
Self-hosted	✓	✓
License	MIT	Open source
Primary surface	30+ chat channels	WhatsApp
AI agent loop	Built in (Pi, tool use)	Build it yourself
Agent memory	Built in (sqlite-vec)	Bring your own
No cloud data egress	✓ (core positioning)	Depends on your build
Shape	Assembled agent gateway	WhatsApp API + tools

When OpenWA wins

You want low-level, programmatic control of WhatsApp specifically.
You’re building your own bespoke logic and don’t want an opinionated agent runtime in the way.
WhatsApp is the only channel you care about.

When openclawOS wins

You want the AI agent already assembled — reasoning, tool use, and memory built in — not just a transport API.
You need more than WhatsApp: the same agent, same memory, across 30+ channels.
Privacy is a hard requirement: self-hosted with no cloud data egress.

How to stack them

If you’re already invested in OpenWA for WhatsApp transport, you can put openclawOS’s agent loop in front of it, or simply use openclawOS’s built-in WhatsApp channel. One is the pipe; the other is the reasoning that decides what to send through it.

Verdict

Different layers, not head-to-head. OpenWA if you want a WhatsApp API to build on. openclawOS if you want a private, self-hosted AI agent that already speaks WhatsApp — and 30+ other channels — out of the box.

Common questions

OpenWA is a WhatsApp REST API with tooling — it gives you programmatic access to send and receive WhatsApp messages so you can build your own logic on top. openclawOS is the layer above that: a chat-native AI agent that already reasons over incoming messages and calls tools, across WhatsApp and 30+ other channels.