OpenClaw Launch Timeline: Clawdbot to OpenClaw Dates
OpenClaw Launch Timeline: From Clawdbot to Today
OpenClaw has carried three different names in under four months, and its viral launch pulled at least four separate managed-hosting competitors into existence around it. Here's the dated sequence of the OpenClaw launch, and what each stage actually means if you're deciding how to run it today.
Key Takeaways
- OpenClaw launched as "Clawdbot" in November 2025, then went through two rapid name changes in January 2026 — Moltbot, then OpenClaw — as it matured and navigated trademark pressure.
- Multiple managed hosting services launched during OpenClaw's first year, each with a different pricing model and a different level of hand-holding.
- OpenClawHQ was built specifically to solve the friction that emerged after OpenClaw's viral launch — a flat $49/month price with zero technical setup.
- Launch timing matters less than the pricing clarity and stability that came after; managed services that emerged later in the cycle tend to have more transparent pricing.
- For businesses evaluating OpenClaw today, the real decision isn't which version to run — it's which managed service removes the most friction after launch.
Three names, three months — one piece of software.
When Did OpenClaw Launch?
OpenClaw first launched in November 2025 under the name Clawdbot, an open-source AI agent built by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger. It changed names twice within its first three months — becoming Moltbot on January 27, 2026, then OpenClaw three days later on January 30, 2026.
That's an unusually compressed launch cycle. Most open-source projects pick a name once and keep it for years. OpenClaw picked one, outgrew it, and picked two more — all while its GitHub star count kept climbing.
| Name | Launch Date | Monthly Searches Today |
|---|---|---|
| Clawdbot | November 2025 | 60,500 |
| Moltbot | January 27, 2026 | 27,100 |
| OpenClaw | January 30, 2026 | 165,000+ |
By the numbers: OpenClaw has crossed 247,000 GitHub stars and 47,700 forks since that November launch — one of the fastest-growing open-source AI projects on record.
The search volume split matters for anyone researching the tool today. A meaningful share of traffic still arrives looking for "clawdbot," a smaller slice for "moltbot," and the majority now search "openclaw." All three point to the same underlying software.
What Is the Timeline of OpenClaw's Name Changes?
Clawdbot launched in November 2025, was renamed Moltbot on January 27, 2026, and became OpenClaw on January 30, 2026 — a full name-change cycle that played out in under 90 days. The short version: trademark pressure forced the first switch, and the second name didn't stick either.
We covered the full Clawdbot-to-Moltbot rename story in detail elsewhere, including why Moltbot only lasted three days. The version that matters for a launch-timing question is simpler: this is one product's history, not three separate products competing with each other.
Why Did OpenClaw Launch Multiple Times?
OpenClaw didn't relaunch because the product failed or pivoted. It relaunched because its name ran into a trademark dispute with Anthropic shortly after "Clawdbot" started gaining traction — a name that read as an obvious pun on "Claude."
Moltbot was the fix. It didn't hold. Three days after that switch, the team landed on "OpenClaw" and has kept it since January 30, 2026.
Worth knowing: Every rename preserved the underlying codebase, the GitHub repository's contributor history, and the growing skill ecosystem. Nothing about the software itself was rebuilt — only the label changed.
Which Managed OpenClaw Service Launched First?
Hostinger's one-click VPS install was available almost immediately after OpenClaw's launch gained traction, since it reused existing VPS infrastructure rather than building anything new. Fully managed alternatives — KiloClaw, xCloud/MyClaw, Blink Claw, and OpenClawHQ — emerged over the following weeks and months as the setup friction became obvious.
The order matters less than what each option actually charges once you're using OpenClaw daily.
| Service | Hosting Fee | Token/Inference Fee | Typical Monthly Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger VPS | $3.99–$9.99/mo | You pay your own API bills | VPS cost + full API bills + your setup time |
| KiloClaw | $9/mo | Per-inference via their gateway | Varies — can exceed $30+ |
| xCloud / MyClaw | $16/mo | BYOK (your own API keys) | $16 + your API bills |
| Blink Claw | $45/mo | Included, but capped | $45 for limited usage |
| OpenClawHQ | $49/mo flat | Included, unlimited | $49 always |
Three of the five options split billing into a hosting fee and a separate, variable inference charge. For a business that actually uses OpenClaw to answer customer messages all day, that second number is the one that gets unpredictable fast.
How OpenClawHQ Emerged From the Launch Era
The launch created five different pricing stories — only one of them is a single number.
OpenClawHQ wasn't a rushed clone of an existing idea. It was built once it became clear that most people who wanted OpenClaw running couldn't actually get it running — and that the services trying to help still left customers exposed to token bills they couldn't predict.
The fix was structural, not cosmetic. OpenClawHQ partnered directly with an LLM provider for high-volume, fixed-cost inference, then absorbed that cost into a single $49/month price. No server to rent, no Node.js version to match, no separate API key to manage, and no per-message math at the end of the month. You sign up, pick your messaging channel, and your private instance is live within minutes.
That's the practical answer to the launch chaos: not a faster relaunch, but a pricing model that stopped moving.
Is OpenClaw Mature Enough After Its 2025 Launch?
Yes — by most measures OpenClaw has matured quickly since its November 2025 launch. It has grown to 247,000+ GitHub stars, supports more than 20 messaging platforms, and ships over 100 pre-built skills, putting it well past the fragile-early-project stage in under a year.
A year of renames didn't slow the skill ecosystem down.
Star count and fork count are blunt metrics, but the trend line is consistent: growth didn't stall during either rename. If anything, "OpenClaw" search volume (165,000+/month) now dwarfs what "Clawdbot" ever reached, which suggests the January chaos generated more curiosity than it cost.
The open question for most buyers isn't whether the software is mature — it's whether they want to manage that maturity themselves. Read our full OpenClaw review if you want the complete features-and-pricing breakdown of what today's version actually does.
Reality check: A one-year-old open-source project with 247K stars and 100+ working skills is not a beta. The renames were a branding event, not a stability event.
Get Started with OpenClawHQ
No install, no daemon to babysit — just a running instance.
If the launch history above told you anything, it's that setup friction was the real story, not the software. OpenClawHQ removes that friction entirely — sign up, choose your channel, and your instance is live in minutes with unlimited usage for $49/month flat.
If you'd rather do it yourself first, our no-code OpenClaw setup guide walks through the manual path — and our guide to getting started with OpenClaw covers what to do once you're running it. Agencies exploring the reseller side of this launch wave should also see our breakdown of the OpenClaw business opportunity.
FAQ
When did OpenClaw officially launch? OpenClaw launched in November 2025 under the name Clawdbot. It was renamed Moltbot on January 27, 2026, then renamed again to OpenClaw just three days later, on January 30, 2026 — the name it has carried since.
What is the difference between OpenClaw, Clawdbot, and Moltbot? They're the same software at three points in time. Clawdbot was the November 2025 launch name, Moltbot was a three-day interim name after a trademark dispute, and OpenClaw is the current name, used since January 30, 2026.
Is OpenClaw free to use? The OpenClaw software is free and open source. Running it well requires a dedicated server, technical setup, and ongoing AI API costs — which is why managed options like OpenClawHQ exist, bundling all of that into one $49/month flat fee.
How much does a managed OpenClaw service cost after launch? It ranges widely. Hosting-only VPS options start around $4/month but leave you paying your own API bills; fully managed services range from $9/month plus variable token fees up to OpenClawHQ's $49/month flat rate with everything included.