Setup Guide · 2026 · Self-Hosted AI

Run OpenClaw
on Hostinger VPS
in 5 Minutes

The easiest way to self-host your personal AI assistant — available 24/7, on WhatsApp or Telegram, with your data on your own server. One-click Docker template, no technical experience required.

💬WhatsApp

✈️Telegram

💼Slack

🎮Discord

📱iMessage

🟢Signal

€3

Starting VPS cost per month

5 min

From zero to running with Hostinger template

100%

Your data, your server, your control

What is OpenClaw

Your personal AI that does things — not just chats

OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot/Moltbot) is an open-source, self-hosted AI assistant platform. Unlike ChatGPT or Claude.ai, it runs on your own server — meaning your conversations never go to a third-party cloud. You talk to it through the apps you already use: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord.

It supports any AI model — Claude (Anthropic), GPT-4, or local models via Ollama — and can execute real tasks: browse the web, manage files, run scripts, schedule reminders, pull data from APIs.

🔒

100% Private

Your conversations stay on your VPS. No third-party data collection.

🤖

Model-Agnostic

Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, or local models via Ollama. Switch anytime.

📁

Real Task Execution

Browse web, manage files, run commands, schedule tasks autonomously.

🔌

Skills / Extensions

Email, calendar, GitHub, research agents and 24+ community skills.

⚡

Always-On

VPS runs 24/7. Your assistant works while you sleep.

🌍

EU-Friendly

EU data centre options. GDPR compliant by design — your server, your rules.

VPS Provider Comparison

Why Hostinger wins for OpenClaw

⭐ Our #1 Pick

Feature	Hostinger	DigitalOcean	Contabo
OpenClaw 1-click template	✓ Docker Manager Official	✓ 1-Click App	✓ Manual template
Starting price	~€3–5/mo	~€5/mo	~€5/mo
No separate API key needed	✓ Nexos.ai credits via hPanel	✗ BYOK only	✗ BYOK only
Control panel UI	hPanel — simplest in class	Good, more complex	Basic
EU data centres	✓ Lithuania, Netherlands	✓ Amsterdam, Frankfurt	✓ Germany, Netherlands
Setup time (OpenClaw)	~5 minutes	~15 minutes	~20–30 minutes
Docker Manager UI	✓ Built-in visual Docker UI	✗ CLI only	✗ CLI only

💡 The key advantage: Hostinger lets you purchase Nexos.ai AI credits directly through hPanel — no separate Anthropic or OpenAI account needed to get started. Plus, the Docker Manager gives you a visual UI to manage your OpenClaw container without touching the command line.

Hostinger VPS Plans for OpenClaw

Pick the right plan size

OpenClaw needs minimum 2 GB RAM. For personal use on 1–2 channels, the entry plan is enough. For multiple channels or team use, go KVM 2 or above.

KVM 1

1–2 channels, personal use

~€4/mo

1 vCPU, 4 GB RAM
50 GB NVMe SSD
Enough for WhatsApp + Telegram
EU data centre available

View Plan →

⭐ Recommended

KVM 2

Multi-channel, best performance

~€8/mo

2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM
100 GB NVMe SSD
All channels + skills comfortably
Headroom for Ollama local models

Get This Plan →

KVM 4+

Team or heavy automation

~€16/mo

4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM
200 GB NVMe SSD
Multiple users / agents
Run local LLMs with Ollama

View Plan →

Step-by-Step Setup

From zero to running in 5 minutes

Get your Hostinger VPS with the OpenClaw template

Go to the Hostinger OpenClaw VPS page. Select your plan (KVM 2 recommended), choose your data centre (pick EU for GDPR compliance — Lithuania or Netherlands), and add Nexos.ai credits if you don't have an Anthropic or OpenAI API key yet.

Get Hostinger VPS → ↗

💡 Hostinger often runs promotions with 70–80% off the first billing period. Use code or check their current deal on the OpenClaw VPS page.

Deploy via Docker Manager — no SSH needed

After purchase, open hPanel → VPS → Docker Manager. Your OpenClaw container is already pre-configured. Click Deploy. Hostinger automatically provisions OpenClaw with all dependencies. You'll be redirected to the Docker Manager where you can see your running container.

✅ This is the main advantage over DigitalOcean or Contabo — the Docker Manager gives you a visual interface. No command line required for this step.

SSH in and run the onboarding wizard

Open your terminal and connect to your VPS. The onboarding wizard guides you through the rest — no manual configuration needed.

bash — your-server-ip

$ ssh root@your-server-ip
# OpenClaw welcome message appears automatically
# Follow the onboarding wizard:

→ Select AI Provider: Anthropic (Claude)
→ Enter API key: sk-ant-...
   (or skip if using Nexos.ai credits from hPanel)
→ Copy your Gateway Token — save this!
→ Choose channels to connect

🔑 Gateway Token: this is your security key. Save it in a password manager immediately. You'll need it to connect messaging channels.

Connect WhatsApp or Telegram

After the wizard, OpenClaw gives you a pairing code or QR. For WhatsApp: scan via Linked Devices in your phone's WhatsApp settings. For Telegram: it gives you a bot token from @BotFather.

openclaw channel pairing

# Pair WhatsApp:
$ openclaw channel connect --type whatsapp
  → Scan QR with WhatsApp → Linked Devices

# Or Telegram:
$ openclaw channel connect --type telegram \
  --token your-botfather-token

✅ Once paired, send your bot a message on WhatsApp or Telegram. It should respond. You're live.

(Optional) Enable persistent sessions with ClawDock

For easier day-to-day management — updates, restarts, logs — install ClawDock, the official shell helper that wraps Docker commands into simple aliases.

install clawdock

$ mkdir -p ~/.clawdock && curl -sL \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw/main/scripts/shell-helpers/clawdock-helpers.sh \
  -o ~/.clawdock/clawdock.sh
$ echo 'source ~/.clawdock/clawdock.sh' >> ~/.bashrc
$ source ~/.bashrc

# Now you can use simple commands:
$ clawdock restart   # restart OpenClaw
$ clawdock update    # pull latest version
$ clawdock logs      # view live logs

What can you do with it

Real use cases — not just a chatbot

📋

Daily Task Automation

Set reminders, schedule messages, manage your calendar via WhatsApp commands.

🔍

Research Agent

Ask it to browse the web, compile reports, or extract data from pages — while you do other work.

💻

Dev Workflow

Connect GitHub, run code reviews, execute scripts, and manage CI/CD via Slack or Telegram.

📧

Email & Calendar

Draft emails, book meetings, and manage your inbox through your messaging app of choice.

🏪

E-commerce Ops

Connect to Shopify or WooCommerce APIs. Get order updates, stock alerts, and revenue summaries in WhatsApp.

👥

Team Assistant

Create a shared bot in a Slack or Discord channel. Multiple users, one OpenClaw instance.

📊

Reporting

Schedule daily analytics summaries. Pull data from APIs and push to your chat every morning.

🧠

Personal Knowledge Base

Index your documents. Ask questions about your own files, notes, and PDFs via chat.

FAQ

Common questions

Do I need an Anthropic or OpenAI API key? ▾

Not necessarily. Hostinger offers Nexos.ai credits directly through hPanel — you can top up AI credits without creating a separate Anthropic or OpenAI account. If you prefer BYOK (bring your own key), both Claude and GPT-4 keys work natively with OpenClaw.

What are the actual monthly costs? ▾

VPS: €3–8/mo depending on plan. API cost: Claude API at normal usage for a personal assistant runs roughly €5–15/mo depending on message volume. Total realistic cost for a personal setup: €10–20/mo. With the Nexos.ai credit option from Hostinger, you can start cheaper and pay as you go.

Is it safe? Who can message my bot? ▾

OpenClaw uses private DM pairing by default — only your paired phone number can interact with it. The Hostinger Docker setup runs OpenClaw as a non-root user with Docker container isolation. You should also set a strong Gateway Token and enable allowlists for contacts. Do not expose the gateway port directly to the internet without a reverse proxy.

What's the minimum VPS spec I need? ▾

OpenClaw requires at minimum 2 GB RAM and 1 vCPU. In practice, 4 GB RAM runs more comfortably, especially if you enable any skills or integrations. If you want to run local AI models via Ollama alongside OpenClaw, you'll need at least 8 GB RAM. KVM virtualisation is required — shared hosting does not work.

Can I run it alongside other services on the same VPS? ▾

Yes. OpenClaw runs in a Docker container, so it's isolated. You can run other Docker containers (WordPress, n8n, other tools) on the same VPS. On a KVM 2 (8 GB RAM), you have enough headroom for OpenClaw plus a couple of other services.

Is it GDPR compliant? ▾

By design, yes — your data stays on your VPS. If you choose a Hostinger EU data centre (Lithuania or Netherlands), your data is processed entirely within the EU. This makes OpenClaw significantly more GDPR-friendly than any cloud-based AI assistant where your conversations go to US servers.

How do I keep OpenClaw updated? ▾

With ClawDock installed: run clawdock update. Without it: docker compose pull && docker compose up -d from the OpenClaw repo root. OpenClaw releases frequently — as of early 2026 it was on v2026.2.26.

Your AI assistant.
Your server. Your rules.

Start with Hostinger's one-click OpenClaw template and be running in 5 minutes.

Get Hostinger VPS + OpenClaw ↗ Not sure what you need? Take the quiz →

Run OpenClaw
on Hostinger VPS
in 5 Minutes

Your personal AI that does things — not just chats

Why Hostinger wins for OpenClaw

Pick the right plan size

From zero to running in 5 minutes

Real use cases — not just a chatbot

Common questions

Your AI assistant.
Your server. Your rules.

Smarter tool decisions. Faster growth.

Tools

Compare & Rankings

About

Run OpenClawon Hostinger VPSin 5 Minutes

Your personal AI that does things — not just chats

Why Hostinger wins for OpenClaw

Pick the right plan size

From zero to running in 5 minutes

Real use cases — not just a chatbot

Common questions

Your AI assistant.Your server. Your rules.

Smarter tool decisions. Faster growth.

Tools

Compare & Rankings

About

Run OpenClaw
on Hostinger VPS
in 5 Minutes

Your AI assistant.
Your server. Your rules.