Best open-source models for OpenClaw

Open source

Open-weight models you can inspect, fine-tune, and self-host. A natural fit for OpenClaw, which is a self-hostable operator runtime, so you can keep the whole stack in-house with no per-token bill. We rank a deep bench here because most of OpenClaw's real volume goes to open weights.

We also have more in-depth OpenClaw rankings:Best free models for OpenClawBest models for OpenClaw

The ranking

Updated June 2026

#ModelContextInput

1
1
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AIThe strongest open-weight agentic model right now (47.6% on CursorBench).
Context262K
Input$0.68/M
2
2
DeepSeek V4DeepSeekFrontier-class reasoning with open weights, cheap to host yourself.
Context1.049M
Input$0.435/M
3
3
GLM 5.1Z.AIZhipu's open-weight flagship, strong at long agentic sessions.
Context203K
Input$0.98/M
4
4
Qwen3 Coder 480B A35BQwenOpen-weight coding specialist sized for big repositories.
Context1.049M
Input$0.22/M
5
5M
MiMo-V2.5-ProXiaomiXiaomi's open-weight MoE, a capable all-rounder for long agent sessions.
Context1.049M
Input$0.435/M
6
6
MiniMax M2.7MiniMaxCompact open MoE that punches above its price on coding benchmarks.
Context205K
Input$0.25/M
7
7
Nemotron 3 SuperNvidiaNvidia's open-weight model, very cheap to self-host for high-volume runs.
Context1M
Input$0.09/M
8
8
Nemotron 3 UltraNvidiaNvidia's larger open-weight model, a step up from Super for harder reasoning.
Context1M
Input$0.5/M
9
9
DeepSeek V4 FlashDeepSeekThe cheapest DeepSeek tier, same open weights for high-volume, low-stakes steps.
Context1.049M
Input$0.098/M
10
10
gpt-oss-120bOpenAIOpenAI's open-weight generalist, dependable for everyday work and the cheapest to host.
Context131K
Input$0.039/M
11
11
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructQwenFast open-weight MoE for quick reasoning and routine sub-agent steps.
Context262K
Input$0.09/M
12
12M
MiMo-V2.5XiaomiThe cheaper MiMo tier, same open weights for routine high-volume work.
Context1.049M
Input$0.14/M
13
13
Step 3.5 FlashStepFunStepFun's fast open MoE, cheap for routine actions and sub-agents.
Context262K
Input$0.09/M

More rankings for OpenClaw

Best free models for OpenClaw

Want to run OpenClaw without paying per token? OpenRouter serves plenty of capable models at $0 (rate limits apply). These are the best free models for OpenClaw, grouped by what you run it for: general operator work, coding, and fast high-volume steps.

Best models for OpenClaw

OpenClaw lives in your messaging apps and acts on your behalf, so it rewards models with reliable skill use, long sessions, and sane costs. These are the models that pair best with it right now, grouped by what you actually want to spend and weighed against the always-on token bill.

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Agent
OpenClaw
Models
13
Filter
Open source
Updated
June 2026