OpenClaw vs Claude Cowork: When to Use Each (Real-World Comparison)
The question I keep getting: “What’s the difference between OpenClaw and Claude Cowork?” Short answer: They’re not competitors. They’re complementary. OpenClaw is an AI agent runtime. Claude Cowork is a coding assistant IDE. Here’s when to use each, based on 4 days of building Maven AI (an autonomous assistant with 43 skills, a blog, and complete infrastructure). What OpenClaw Actually Is OpenClaw is a runtime for AI agents. Think of it like Node.js for AI. It’s not an app you use directly—it’s a platform that runs AI assistants. ...