Comprehensive Comparison of AI Models Supported by OpenClaw

Introduction

OpenClaw supports integration with multiple AI model providers, including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, Ollama local models, DeepSeek, Mistral, and more. With so many options available, many users struggle to decide. This article provides a comprehensive comparison across multiple dimensions to help you find the model combination that best fits your needs.

Overall Benchmark Table

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the major models as of March 2026:

*Free when self-hosted locally; API access through providers requires payment.

Detailed Cost Comparison

API Pricing Table (Per Million Tokens)

*Assumes an average of 500 input tokens and 500 output tokens per conversation.

Monthly Cost Estimates

Assuming 100 conversations per day, 3,000 per month:

Deep Dive by Dimension

Chinese Language Evaluation

Model performance varies significantly in Chinese scenarios:

Chinese ranking: DeepSeek V3 ≈ Qwen 2.5 ≈ Claude Sonnet 4 > GPT-4o > Gemini 2.5 Pro

Coding Evaluation

Coding ranking: Claude Sonnet 4 ≈ o3 > GPT-4o ≈ Gemini 2.5 Pro > DeepSeek V3

Reasoning Evaluation

Reasoning ranking: o3 ≈ Gemini 2.5 Pro ≈ DeepSeek R1 > Claude Sonnet 4 > GPT-4o

Privacy and Security Comparison

Privacy ranking: Local models > Claude/GPT (API) > Gemini (Vertex) > DeepSeek

Recommended Configurations by Scenario

Personal Daily Use (Budget: $0-10/month)

{
  models: {
    primary: {
      provider: "google",
      apiKey: "${GOOGLE_AI_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "gemini-2.5-flash",   // Use within free quota
    },
    fallback: {
      provider: "ollama",
      baseUrl: "http://localhost:11434",
      defaultModel: "qwen2.5:7b",         // Fall back to local when quota runs out
    }
  }
}

Professional Developer (Budget: $20-50/month)

{
  models: {
    coding: {
      provider: "anthropic",
      apiKey: "${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "claude-sonnet-4",     // Claude for coding tasks
    },
    daily: {
      provider: "openai",
      apiKey: "${OPENAI_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "gpt-4o-mini",         // Cheaper model for daily chat
    }
  }
}

Chinese Content Creation (Budget: $10-30/month)

{
  models: {
    writing: {
      provider: "deepseek",
      apiKey: "${DEEPSEEK_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "deepseek-chat",       // Unbeatable value for Chinese
    },
    review: {
      provider: "anthropic",
      apiKey: "${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "claude-haiku-3.5",    // For proofreading and polishing
    }
  }
}

Enterprise Team (Budget: $100+/month)

{
  models: {
    primary: {
      provider: "anthropic",
      apiKey: "${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "claude-sonnet-4",
    },
    fast: {
      provider: "openai",
      apiKey: "${OPENAI_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "gpt-4o-mini",
    },
    reasoning: {
      provider: "openai",
      apiKey: "${OPENAI_API_KEY}",
      defaultModel: "o3",
    }
  }
}

Fully Offline / Privacy-First

{
  models: {
    local: {
      provider: "ollama",
      baseUrl: "http://localhost:11434",
      defaultModel: "qwen2.5:32b-instruct-q4_K_M",
    }
  }
}

Hybrid Model Strategy

The smartest approach is to automatically select models based on the task type:

{
  models: {
    "tier-1": {
      provider: "anthropic",
      defaultModel: "claude-sonnet-4",
      // For: complex analysis, long-form writing, code review
    },
    "tier-2": {
      provider: "google",
      defaultModel: "gemini-2.5-flash",
      // For: daily conversation, simple Q&A, translation
    },
    "tier-3": {
      provider: "ollama",
      defaultModel: "qwen2.5:7b",
      // For: offline scenarios, private data, no network
    }
  },
  routing: {
    default: "tier-2",
    complex: "tier-1",
    offline: "tier-3",
  }
}

FAQ

Which model should I start with?

If you are a new user, we recommend starting with Gemini 2.5 Flash. It is free, fast, and delivers solid quality. Once you are familiar with the system, upgrade to better models as needed.

Can I configure multiple models simultaneously?

Yes. OpenClaw supports configuring any number of models and assigning different models to different channels.

Can I switch between models?

You can switch models by modifying the configuration file and running openclaw restart.

Summary

There is no single "best model" -- only the one that best fits your scenario. For top quality, choose Claude Sonnet 4. For the best value, go with DeepSeek V3 or Gemini Flash. For privacy, use local Ollama models. For reasoning power, select o3 or Gemini 2.5 Pro. In most cases, using a mix of multiple models is the wisest strategy.