How to Install OpenClaw: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide (Free & Low-Cost Options)

OpenClaw is rapidly becoming the go-to execution engine for AI agents. Unlike simple chatbots, OpenClaw lives in your terminal and can actually do things—edit files, run code, browse the web, and manage your workflows. Best of all, it’s open-source and free.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to install it locally and how to host it 24/7 for free (or very cheap) using cloud services.

Option 1: The 2-Minute Local Install (Easiest)

If you have a Mac, Linux, or Windows (WSL) machine, you can run OpenClaw right now.

Prerequisites

Node.js: Version 18 or higher. (Type node -v in your terminal to check).

Installation Steps

1. Open your terminal.

2. Run the install command:

npm install -g openclaw

3. Start your agent:

openclaw

That’s it! You can now chat with your agent directly in your terminal.

Option 2: Hosting on AWS EC2 Free Tier

Want your agent to run 24/7 to handle scheduled tasks or cron jobs? You can host it for free for 12 months on AWS.

1. Launch an Instance

Log in to the AWS Console.
Go to EC2 -> Launch Instance.
Name: OpenClaw-Agent
OS Image: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS (Free tier eligible).
Instance Type: t2.micro or t3.micro (Check which is free in your region).
Key Pair: Create a new key pair (save the .pem file!).
Click Launch Instance.

2. Connect & Install

Open your terminal and SSH into your new server:

chmod 400 your-key.pem
ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@your-instance-ip-address

Once inside, run these commands to set up the environment:

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Node.js (using NVM)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install 22

# Install OpenClaw
npm install -g openclaw

# Run it!
openclaw

Option 3: Low-Cost VPS (DigitalOcean / Hetzner)

If you need more power than the AWS free tier allows (for example, if you’re running heavier local models alongside OpenClaw), a cheap VPS is a great choice.

We recommend Hostinger for affordable, high-performance VPS options. Use the link below to get started:

Get Hostinger VPS Deal

Hetzner: Offers incredible value. You can get an ARM64 VPS (Ampere) for around €4/month which is blazing fast for Node.js workloads.
DigitalOcean: The $4/month droplet is sufficient for a basic OpenClaw instance handling text-based tasks and API coordination.

Pro Tip: Keep It Running

If you close your SSH terminal, OpenClaw will stop. To keep it running in the background, use a tool like pm2 or screen.

# Using Screen (Simple)
screen -S openclaw
openclaw
# (Press Ctrl+A, then D to detach and leave it running)

Now you have a fully autonomous agent running in the cloud, ready to work for you while you sleep!