Head to Head

PicoClaw vs ZeroClaw

PicoClaw and ZeroClaw compared on where they run, how your team reaches them, capabilities, live momentum and cost.

Tools for AI Builders—All the hardware and tools you need to run private AI at your office or at home.Shop Now

PPicoClaw

ZZeroClaw

Profile

Runs

Self-Hosted

Where You Talk to It

Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, Slack, Web

Telegram, Discord, Email, Web, CLI

License

MIT

Apache 2.0

Pricing

Free and open source (MIT). You pay only for the models you call.

Free and open source (MIT or Apache 2.0). You pay only for model usage.

Maintained by

Sipeed

ZeroClaw Labs

Best for

Running an assistant on very cheap, low-power hardware

Running an always-on assistant on small servers or edge hardware

Live Data

GitHub Stars

–

Last Commit

—

Vendor Status

–

Price per 1M Tokens (In / Out)

–

Capabilities

Local Models

Cloud Models

MCP Support

Strengths

Very low memory use, so it runs on boards that cost about $10.
One binary across many chip architectures, plus an Android app.
Web UI launcher for setup without the command line.
MCP support and rule-based model routing to cut API costs.

One binary with no runtime to install, so it is simple to deploy.
Supervised by default: medium-risk actions need approval and high-risk ones are blocked.
Supports OS sandboxes and Docker for tool isolation.
Can control hardware such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino and ESP32 boards.

Trade-offs

The team itself advises against production use before version 1.0.
Recent builds use 10 to 20MB of RAM, above the headline figure.
Many look-alike domains and scam tokens use its name, so stick to official sources.

Configured through a TOML file, which suits engineers more than business users.
A young project with frequent breaking changes between config versions.
Footprint figures vary by build, so measure on your own hardware.

Key Differences

PicoClaw ships under the MIT license, ZeroClaw under Apache 2.0.

Which One Should You Pick?

PicoClaw

Pick PicoClaw if you need: Running an assistant on very cheap, low-power hardware

Full PicoClaw profile

ZeroClaw

Pick ZeroClaw if you need: Running an always-on assistant on small servers or edge hardware

Full ZeroClaw profile

Back to All AI Agents

Monthly Report

The AI Build ReportSeptember 2026

Which models lead, where API prices moved, and what it costs to run them. Measured from live data.

Cover of The AI Build Report, the free monthly snapshot of AI models, prices and hardware

Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers to the questions we hear most often.

Can't find what you're looking for? Book a Discovery Call

What is the main difference between PicoClaw and ZeroClaw?

PicoClaw runs as self-hosted. ZeroClaw runs as self-hosted. That choice decides where your data lives, who maintains the agent and how fast you can roll it out.

Is PicoClaw or ZeroClaw cheaper?

PicoClaw is open source and ZeroClaw is open source. For both, the model bill usually matters more than the license. Use the agent cost calculator to estimate it for your workload.