OpenClaw vs Perplexity Computer
How the two compare on price, platforms, what they can act on and how they ask before acting. Facts come from each agent's sources page.
| OpenClaw | Perplexity Computer | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | OpenClaw Foundation | Perplexity |
| Cheapest paid plan | Free | $17/month when billed annually (Pro) |
| Free tier | Yes: the software is free and open source under the MIT license; the site states there is no subscription, hosted tier or paid version, and model provider usage is billed by the provider | Yes: eligible non paying US accounts can try Computer on the web with included turns before adding credits; the pricing page lists Computer access under Pro and Max |
| Platforms | macOSWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidSelf hostedWhatsAppTelegramSlackDiscordiMessageSignalMicrosoft TeamsMatrix | WebmacOSWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidSlackMicrosoft 365Email |
| Can act on | EmailCalendarBrowserMessagesFilesCode | BrowserEmailCalendarFilesCodeMessagesIntegrations |
| Approval model | Configurable. Host commands run only when tool policy, the allowlist and optional user approval agree; modes are deny, allowlist, ask, auto and full. The docs state the default is security full with ask off on gateway and node hosts, and deny on sandbox hosts, so prompting depends on configuration. Approval prompts can be answered in the companion apps, the Control UI or supported chat channels. | Connector tools can be set to Always ask, so the user approves a single action, allows the tool for the thread or denies it; Automations can pause for review before consequential actions, and Portable Computer asks permission before sending device content to the cloud. |
| Launched | Nov 2025 | Feb 25, 2026 |
| Last update | Oct 15, 2026: openclaw 2026.10.4 | Oct 5, 2026: Automations, inline visualizations, and GPT-6.1 Sol |
See sources on the OpenClaw and Perplexity Computer pages.
Track both every week