What Clawdbot (OpenClaw) actually is
Clawdbot — now called OpenClaw, briefly Moltbot — went viral in January 2026. Peter Steinberger built an open-source AI assistant that connects to WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack. It handles scheduling, research, writing, and more. The hype is earned.
It has marketing plugins too: competitive intel, content writing, social media, brand monitoring, Google Ads, HubSpot. But Clawdbot is a general-purpose assistant with marketing bolted on. It gives you building blocks. You still have to know what to build.
The real cost of free
Clawdbot's code is free. Running it is not.
Money: Server ($5-20/mo) plus API keys for LLMs and services. All-in for marketing use: ~$30/month ongoing. That's $360/year.
Time: Setup, configuration, troubleshooting, updates. Hours to get running, more to customize marketing plugins. If something breaks, that's on you.
Security: Exposed instances leaking API keys and conversation histories have been documented. Self-hosted tools are only as secure as your server config.
Expertise: Clawdbot gives you raw AI output. Turning that into a strategy still requires knowing which questions to ask and how to prioritize channels. The tool doesn't close that gap.
Boost costs $29 once. No server. No API keys. No maintenance. You answer questions about your business, and the research and prioritization are done for you.
When Clawdbot makes sense
- You're technical and enjoy self-hosting — Docker, API keys, server management are familiar territory
- You already have a marketing strategy and want to automate execution (drafting posts, monitoring competitors, managing campaigns)
- You need an always-on assistant across multiple domains, not just marketing
- You want deep integration with your existing stack — HubSpot, Google Ads, Slack
When Boost makes sense
- You need to figure out your marketing strategy in the first place — who your competitors are, what's working in your market, where to focus
- You don't want to self-host or configure anything — pay once, get your plan
- You want competitive research based on real traffic data, not just AI analysis
- Your time is more valuable than your money — $29 and five minutes of input versus hours of setup and prompt engineering
Use both
Start with Boost to get clarity: who your real competitors are, which keywords are worth targeting, what channels fit your business, and what to do in the next 30 days. Use that plan as your foundation.
Then use Clawdbot to automate execution — drafting content, monitoring competitors, managing campaigns. It's a better tool when you know what to point it at.