You want your agent running 24/7. Three options exist. Each costs different money, takes different effort, and fails in different ways.
My first OpenClaw agent ran on a 2019 ThinkPad sitting under my desk. It worked. Until I closed the lid to take it to a meeting. Agent offline. Until Windows Update restarted the machine at 3 AM. Agent offline. Until the WiFi dropped for 12 seconds and the gateway crashed without auto-reconnect. Agent offline.
"Always-on" means something specific. It means the agent runs when you're asleep, when your computer is off, when your internet drops, and when you forget it exists for a week. Getting OpenClaw to that state requires dedicated hardware that stays powered on and connected 24/7.
Three options exist: a Mini PC under your desk, a Mac Mini in the corner, or a VPS in someone else's data center. Here's the honest comparison for OpenClaw hardware after running all three.
The Mini PC route ($150-300 upfront)
A Mini PC (Beelink, GMKtec, MinisForum) running Ubuntu gives you a dedicated always-on machine for OpenClaw at the lowest upfront cost in this comparison.
What you get: A quiet, low-power box that runs 24/7 for about $3-5/month in electricity. 8-16GB RAM handles OpenClaw's gateway, Docker, and multiple agents without breaking a sweat. Local network access means your agent can interact with other devices and services on your home or office network.
What you also get: All the server administration. Ubuntu setup. Docker installation. Firewall configuration. Gateway security (remember: 500,000+ OpenClaw instances found exposed on the public internet). SSH setup for remote access. Update management. Power outage recovery. And the fun of debugging why the WiFi adapter dropped at 2 AM.
The spec to buy: 8GB RAM minimum (16GB if running Ollama alongside), Intel N100 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 256GB SSD. The Beelink S12 Pro or equivalent hits this at $150-200. Don't go below 8GB RAM. OpenClaw plus Docker plus a few skills will consume 3-4GB at idle.
For the VPS setup alternative with cloud hosting, our VPS guide covers the remote option if local hardware doesn't fit.
The Mac Mini route ($600-800 upfront)
The Mac Mini is the premium local option. Apple Silicon (M-series) gives you the best local model performance for the money because of unified memory architecture.
What you get: A machine that runs Ollama local models significantly better than any x86 Mini PC at the same RAM. The M4 Mac Mini with 16GB unified memory runs Qwen3 8B at genuinely usable speeds. 24GB runs 32B models. No Mini PC at the same price point comes close for local inference.
What you also get: macOS server administration (less community support than Ubuntu for server tasks). No native Docker on ARM (Docker Desktop works but adds overhead). Higher electricity cost than a Mini PC ($5-8/month). And the same WiFi, power outage, and update risks as any local machine.
When the Mac Mini wins: If you want to run local models (Ollama) alongside your cloud API agent. The Apple Silicon advantage is real and significant for inference. If you're only using cloud APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek), the Mac Mini is overkill. A $150 Mini PC does the same job for cloud-only setups. For the specific RAM and GPU requirements per model size, our local model hardware guide covers the detailed thresholds.
The local hardware rule: Mac Mini if you need local model inference. Mini PC if you don't. Neither if you don't want to manage hardware.
The VPS route ($5-24/month ongoing)
A VPS (Hetzner, Contabo, DigitalOcean, OVHcloud) gives you a remote server in a data center with guaranteed uptime, redundant power, and enterprise networking.
What you get: True 24/7 uptime (99.9%+ SLA). No power outages in your home office affecting the agent. No WiFi drops. Remote access from anywhere. Automatic backups. Professional networking infrastructure. Your agent runs when your house loses power, when your internet goes down, and when you're on vacation without a laptop.
What you also get: Monthly costs instead of a one-time purchase. $5-12/month for a basic 2-4GB VPS. $12-24/month for 8GB+ with Docker support. The same server administration as local hardware (Ubuntu, Docker, firewall, security) but without physical access. And the community-reported issues with specific providers: DigitalOcean's 1-Click deployment has a broken self-update mechanism and fragile Docker interaction.
When the VPS wins: Business-critical agents that need guaranteed uptime. Agents accessed by team members in different locations. Agents that should run regardless of your personal infrastructure (internet, power, hardware).
For the security hardening guide for VPS deployments, our security guide covers the seven steps to protect your remote instance.
The thing all three have in common (and the problem it creates)
Here's what nobody tells you about OpenClaw hardware.
All three options require the same administration work. Ubuntu setup. Docker installation. OpenClaw configuration. Gateway security. Skill vetting (1,400+ malicious skills on ClawHub). Credential protection (secrets sitting in agent memory, exploited during ClawHavoc). Update management (OpenClaw releases multiple times per week). Security patching (CVE-2026-25253, CVSS 8.8).
The hardware choice is real but secondary. Whether your agent runs on a $150 Beelink or a $24/month DigitalOcean droplet, you're managing the same software stack. The same security surface. The same maintenance burden.
The OpenClaw maintainer Shadow warned: "if you can't understand how to run a command line, this is far too dangerous of a project for you to use safely." That applies to all three hardware options equally.
If managing hardware, Docker, security, and updates isn't how you want to spend your time regardless of which box runs the software, BetterClaw eliminates the hardware decision entirely. No hardware to buy. No server to manage. No Docker to configure. Free tier with 1 agent and BYOK. $19/month per agent for Pro. Smart context management, verified skills, secrets auto-purge. 60-second deploy. The agent runs on our infrastructure. You run the agent.
The honest recommendation
For tinkerers who enjoy hardware: Mini PC with Ubuntu. Cheapest long-term cost. Full control. Good learning experience. Just understand the security responsibility.
For developers who want local models: Mac Mini with Apple Silicon. The Ollama performance advantage is real. Worth the premium only if you're actually running local inference.
For everyone who wants guaranteed uptime: VPS. Monthly cost but professional infrastructure. Your agent doesn't go offline when your home WiFi does.
For everyone who doesn't want to manage hardware at all: A managed platform. No hardware decision. No server administration. The agent just runs. For the full comparison of managed versus self-hosted approaches, our comparison covers the ten scenarios where each makes sense.
The hardware matters less than people think. The software configuration, security posture, and ongoing maintenance matter more. Pick the hardware that matches your budget and uptime requirements. Then spend your actual time on the SOUL.md, the skills, and the workflows. That's where the value is.
If you've been shopping for hardware and realized you'd rather configure your agent than configure a server, give BetterClaw a try. Free tier with 1 agent and BYOK. $19/month per agent for Pro. 60-second deploy. No Mini PC required. No Mac Mini required. No VPS required. Just the agent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardware do I need to run OpenClaw 24/7?
For cloud API usage only (no local models): any machine with 2GB+ RAM running Linux, macOS, or Windows WSL2. A $150 Mini PC or a $5/month VPS works fine. For local model inference via Ollama: 16GB+ RAM minimum. A Mac Mini with Apple Silicon provides the best local inference performance. All options require Docker for sandboxed execution.
Is a Mini PC or VPS better for OpenClaw?
A Mini PC is cheaper long-term ($200 upfront + $4/month electricity versus $6-24/month for a VPS), but lacks the guaranteed uptime of a data center. A VPS has 99.9%+ uptime SLAs, redundant power, and enterprise networking. Choose Mini PC for budget and local network access. Choose VPS for guaranteed availability and remote access.
Can I run OpenClaw on a Mac Mini?
Yes. The Mac Mini with Apple Silicon (M4, 16GB+) is excellent for OpenClaw, especially if you want to run local models via Ollama alongside cloud API agents. The unified memory architecture makes Apple Silicon significantly faster for local inference than x86 Mini PCs at the same RAM. If you only use cloud APIs, a Mac Mini is overkill. A $150 Mini PC delivers the same cloud API performance.
How much does it cost to run OpenClaw hardware?
Mini PC: $150-300 upfront + $3-5/month electricity ($200-350 year 1). Mac Mini: $600-800 upfront + $5-8/month electricity ($660-900 year 1). VPS: $5-24/month ongoing ($60-288 year 1). BetterClaw managed: $19/month for Pro ($228 year 1), no hardware to buy or maintain. All options require separate AI model API costs (BYOK).
Do I need my own hardware to use OpenClaw?
No. BetterClaw provides hosting as part of the platform. Free tier includes 1 agent with BYOK and hosting. $19/month per agent for Pro. You don't buy, configure, or maintain any hardware. The managed platform handles the infrastructure. You bring your API keys and configure your agent.
