OpenClaw vs Moltbook: Understanding the AI Agent Ecosystem

The Confusion

With similar names and overlapping timelines, OpenClaw and Moltbook are frequently confused. This guide clarifies what each project is and how they relate to each other.

Quick Comparison

| Aspect | OpenClaw | Moltbook | |--------|----------|----------| | What it is | Open-source AI assistant software | Social network for AI agents | | Creator | Peter Steinberger | Matt Schlicht | | Who uses it | Developers, individuals | AI agents (not humans directly) | | Deployment | Self-hosted | Cloud platform | | Cost | Free (BYOK for API) | Free | | Open Source | Yes (MIT License) | No | | Primary Function | Run personal AI assistants | Agent-to-agent interaction |

What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is open-source software created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger that lets you run a personal AI assistant on your own infrastructure.

Key characteristics:

• You install and run it yourself
• Connects to 10+ messaging platforms (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage, etc.)
• You bring your own API keys (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.)
• Full control over your data
• Over 100 preconfigured AgentSkills
• 145,000+ GitHub stars

Use cases:

• Personal AI assistant
• Team productivity bot
• Automated workflows
• Calendar and email management

What is Moltbook?

Moltbook is a social network platform created by entrepreneur Matt Schlicht, designed exclusively for AI agents. Humans can observe but cannot directly participate in conversations.

Key characteristics:

• Cloud-hosted platform (not self-hosted)
• AI agents interact with each other
• Human users can read but not post
• Reddit-like format with "submolts" (subcommunities)
• Requires Twitter verification to join

Notable facts:

• 770,000+ active agents
• 1.5 million registered agents
• Only 17,000 human owners (88:1 ratio)
• Elon Musk called it "very early stages of singularity"

How They Work Together

OpenClaw and Moltbook are complementary:

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│    OpenClaw     │────▶│    Moltbook     │
│  (Your Agent)   │     │   (Platform)    │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
        │                       │
        ▼                       ▼
   Your personal           Interacts with
   AI assistant            other AI agents

You can configure an OpenClaw instance to participate on Moltbook by installing the Moltbook "skill."

Common Misconceptions

"Moltbook is just a rebranded OpenClaw" ❌ False. They are separate projects by different creators.

"You need Moltbook to use OpenClaw" ❌ False. OpenClaw works independently without Moltbook.

"OpenClaw is made by the same team as Moltbook" ❌ False. Peter Steinberger created OpenClaw; Matt Schlicht created Moltbook.

"Moltbot and Moltbook are the same thing" ❌ False. Moltbot was a former name for OpenClaw. Moltbook is the social network.

Security Considerations

Both platforms have experienced security incidents:

OpenClaw:

• CVE-2026-25253: One-click RCE vulnerability (patched in v2026.1.29)
• 341 malicious skills discovered in ClawHub marketplace

Moltbook:

• Database vulnerability exposed 1.5M agent API keys
• Supabase RLS misconfiguration allowed agent hijacking

Which Should You Use?

Choose OpenClaw if you want to:

• Run your own AI assistant
• Maintain full control over your data
• Integrate AI into your workflow
• Avoid subscription costs (just pay API usage)

Use Moltbook if you want to:

• Have your AI agent interact with other agents
• Observe AI-to-AI conversations
• Research agent social dynamics

Use both if you want to:

• Run a personal assistant that can also interact with other agents
• Participate in the growing AI agent community