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$0to start

OpenClaw on Railway: free to try, then you pay for what it uses.

Railway puts OpenClaw online from your browser. There is no server to set up and no 24-month plan. Sign up through our link and Railway adds $20 in credits. After that it is $5 a month, with $5 of usage included.

See the full price or compare the options

The short answer

OpenClaw's own docs call Railway the easiest path with no terminal on the server. You click one button, fill in a few settings, and Railway runs it for you.

You pay by use, not by plan. That is good for trying it out, because you are not charged for two years on day one.

An agent that stays on all day uses memory all day, so the usage adds up. The math is below. If you know you will keep it for a year or more, a fixed plan can cost less.

Our pick for trying OpenClaw before you pay

Railway

Price
$5 / mo plus usage
You pay today
$0 to try
Free credits
$20 through our link
After that
$5 / mo, $5 of usage included
Setup
One-click template in your browser. You add a storage volume and a few settings.
AI usage
Extra. You bring your own key.
Try Railway

Partner link. We may earn a commission. Your price is the same.

Want a fixed price instead? Hostinger runs OpenClaw for $4.99/mo, paid as $119.76 up front. See every option

Read from the host's own site on Nov 11, 2026

The steps, from OpenClaw's own guide

Read from the OpenClaw docs on November 11, 2026. We have not run this install ourselves, so follow the docs if a screen looks different.

  • 1. Deploy the template

    The docs page has a "Deploy on Railway" button. It starts OpenClaw from a ready-made template.

  • 2. Add a volume

    Attach a storage volume at /data. The docs mark this as required. It is what keeps your settings and chats when the app restarts.

  • 3. Set four settings

    The gateway port (8080), a gateway token, and the two folders for state and workspace under /data. The docs say to treat the token as an admin secret.

  • 4. Turn on public networking

    Enable the HTTP proxy on port 8080. Railway gives your app a web address.

  • 5. Open the control page and connect a chat app

    Go to your Railway address followed by /openclaw and sign in with the token. The docs call Telegram the fastest channel to add, because it only needs a bot token.

What it costs to leave on all month

Railway bills by the second for what your app uses. These are the rates on its pricing page, with our arithmetic for a 30-day month.

Rates read from railway.com/pricing on Nov 11, 2026. Monthly figures are our arithmetic.
What you useRailway's rateHeld for a whole month
Memory$0.00000386 per GB each secondAbout $10 for each GB
Processor$0.00000772 per vCPU each secondAbout $20 for a full vCPUAn idle agent uses a small part of one
Storage volume$0.00000006 per GB each secondAbout $0.16 for each GB
Hobby plan$5 a monthIncludes $5 of the usage above

So an agent holding half a GB of memory all month uses about $5, which the Hobby plan covers. One holding 1 GB uses about $10 before the processor. We have not measured how much memory OpenClaw holds on Railway, so watch the usage page in your first week.

When Railway fits, and when it does not

It is the cheapest way to start. It is not always the cheapest way to stay.

  • Good: you want to try OpenClaw this week

    You pay nothing today. If you stop, you stop paying. There is no refund to ask for.

  • Good: you also host your own apps

    Railway deploys apps from GitHub too, so your agent and your projects can live in one place.

  • Less good: you will keep it on for a year or more

    A fixed plan can cost less. Hostinger's managed OpenClaw is $119.76 for 24 months. Railway at $5 a month is $120 for the same time, and more if your agent uses more than the included $5.

  • Less good: you want someone else to do the setup

    Railway still has you add a volume and settings. A managed plan does that for you. Compare the two managed plans.

Railway next to the other options

The same numbers for every option, so you can line them up. The last one pays us nothing, and it is here anyway.

Prices read from each host's own site on Nov 11, 2026
OptionPer monthYou pay todaySetupLink
Hostinger managed agentOpenClaw or Hermes $4.99 $119.76 for 24 monthsThen renews at $9.99 or $11.99/mo Done for you See this plan
Cloudways managed agentOpenClaw or Hermes $9.99 $1.99 a month for the first 2 monthsBlack Friday offer. Then $9.99/mo, no lock-in Done for you See this plan
Hostinger serverOpenClaw, Hermes, n8n, Claude Code $6.49 or $8.79 $155.76 for 4 GB or $210.96 for 8 GB, both for 24 monthsThen renews at $11.99 or $14.99/mo 1-click install. You keep it updated. See servers
RailwayOpenClaw, n8n, your own apps $5 plus usage $0 to try. Sign up through our link and Railway adds $20 in credits.Then $5/mo, with $5 of usage included Deploys from your browser Try Railway
Do it yourselfAny Linux server From $0 Depends on the server. Oracle has a free tier. All yours. Cloudways puts it at 1 to 2 hours if everything goes right. Read the free guidesWe earn nothing here.

Questions people ask

Is OpenClaw free on Railway?

It is free to start. Railway has a 30-day trial with $5 of credits and no card. Sign up through our link and Railway adds $20 in credits. After that the Hobby plan is $5 a month with $5 of usage included.

How much does OpenClaw cost per month on Railway?

$5 a month for the Hobby plan, plus any usage over the $5 it includes. Memory held all month is about $10 for each GB at Railway's rates, so a small agent can fit inside the plan and a larger one will not.

Do I need a terminal?

Not on the server. OpenClaw's docs describe Railway as the easiest path with no terminal on the server. You set it up in your browser.

Will my agent keep its settings when it restarts?

Yes, if you attach the storage volume at /data as the docs require. That is where settings, sessions and your workspace are kept.

Which chat app is quickest to connect?

Telegram. The OpenClaw docs call it the fastest because it only needs a bot token. Discord and other channels work too.

Is Railway or Hostinger cheaper for OpenClaw?

To start, Railway: $0 against $119.76. Over two years they are close if your agent stays small: about $120 on Railway against $119.76 on Hostinger. If it uses more memory, Hostinger's fixed price wins.

How fresh are these prices?

We read every price off the host's own pricing page on November 11, 2026. Hostinger and Cloudways are running Black Friday sales right now, so their prices may change when the sales end. Always check the total at checkout.

How does RunAgents247 make money?

Some hosts pay us a commission when you sign up through our links. It does not change your price. Some options on this site pay us nothing. They are here because sometimes they are the right answer. How we check prices.

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