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OpenClaw vs IronClaw

The largest plugin ecosystem against a Rust reimplementation that sandboxes untrusted tools from the first run.

The OpenClaw sandbox line and the whole IronClaw column were checked against each project's documentation on 2026-10-18 (sources below); until then this page said OpenClaw is sandbox-on by default since 2026.3. The rest of the OpenClaw column is our April 2026 reading, not a lab test. How we work

Side-by-side

AxisOpenClawIronClaw
Setup10-15 min Docker install on 2026.4. Plenty of plugins.Release installers for macOS, Linux and Windows, then ironclaw onboard.
Security modelSandbox off by default: the main session's tools run on the host until you configure one (Docker, Podman, SSH and others). Encrypted credential vault. Foundation governance.Untrusted tools in WebAssembly sandboxes with declared hosts, paths and credentials; secrets injected at the host boundary, never inside the tool; shell tool off unless ALLOW_LOCAL_TOOLS=true.
Model supportMulti-LLM, all major providers.Multi-LLM: NEAR AI by default, Anthropic, OpenAI, GitHub Copilot, Ollama and OpenAI-compatible servers.
Cost$5/mo VPS works.Free software (MIT or Apache-2.0); same kind of host. Model costs separate.
EcosystemLargest plugin ecosystem in category.Smaller: WebAssembly tools and channels as extensions, plus MCP servers. Its FEATURE_PARITY.md tracks which OpenClaw features it has.
Best forGeneral use, plugin-heavy workflows, low-stakes prototypes.Setups where tools read untrusted input and must not see your secrets.

Verdict

OpenClaw is the plugin-rich choice once its sandbox is switched on. IronClaw is the choice when you want tools confined and secrets out of their reach before anything else. The two are not really competing for the same job.

Notes

  • IronClaw is not a fork: its README calls it a Rust reimplementation inspired by OpenClaw. Until October 2026 this page said ex-OpenClaw maintainers forked it in March 2026; its first release, v0.1.0, came out on 12 February 2026 from NEAR AI.
  • Until October 2026 this page also said IronClaw defaults to gVisor and to local-first models with a per-call cloud opt-in. Its documentation describes WebAssembly and Docker sandboxes, and a provider you choose at onboarding.
  • Plugins do not carry over: IronClaw tools are WebAssembly extensions with a capabilities file, not OpenClaw plugins.

Sources

Going deeper

For the full landscape report including hosting economics, security posture and regulatory context, see the 2026 landscape report. For the OpenClaw-specific history, see the complete OpenClaw timeline.

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