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Free Tool · Updated June 15, 2026

OpenClaw
True Cost Calculator

The software is free. Here is where the money actually goes. Pick your bot, your AI model, and your daily usage — see your real monthly cost in real time. Updated June 15, 2026 with Fable 5, active Anthropic credit caps, and confirmed DeepSeek post-discount pricing.

⚠ NOW ACTIVE — Anthropic Agent SDK credit pool live as of June 15, 2026. The previous compute arbitrage (~12:1 vs API pricing) is now closed. Agent usage via claude -p and OpenClaw subscription routing draws from a separate monthly credit pool metered at full API rates. Requires one-time opt-in after June 15. Direct API key deployments are unaffected. Claude Code terminal (non -p flag) unaffected.
Pro $20/mo → $20 agent credits Max 5× $100/mo → $100 credits Max 20× $200/mo → $200 credits Team $30/seat → $100/seat credits
✦ NEW — Claude Fable 5 now in OpenClaw (v2026.6.6). Anthropic's frontier model at $10/$50 per MTok input/output. Best for long-running complex agentic tasks where longer-horizon quality justifies the 2× price over Opus 4.8. Note: 30-day data retention required (no ZDR option). Falls back to Opus 4.8 on up to 5% of high-risk queries (HTTP 200, not billed). Free on all paid plans through June 22 only.
Your Setup
Open Claw
Self-hosted · Full featured
NanoClaw
Self-hosted · Security-focused
Zero Claw
Self-hosted · Lightweight
Moltis
Self-hosted · No marketplace
MaxClaw
Managed · $19/mo flat
Kimi Claw
Managed · Free to start
Simple
Reminders, status checks, heartbeats
Moderate
Research, emails, summaries
Complex
Coding, deep analysis, long docs
20
1 (light) 50 (regular) 150 (heavy) 300
Estimated monthly cost
$26 – $30
Open Claw + Claude Pro · 20 simple tasks/day
AI / Model cost $20/mo (plan cap)
Server / Hosting $6 – $10/mo
Total / Month $26 – $30
Agent credit usage —
—
⚡ Anthropic June 15 Impact — Your Setup
Before June 15 —
After June 15 —
💡 For your setup
→ Select your bot and model above to see personalized tips.

Want the full picture? The June 2026 Field Guide covers all 18 bots, the complete cost breakdown, security risks, and the compatibility matrix — everything from this calculator, plus the context to act on it.

Get the Field Guide — $27

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From the Field Guide

The 3 rules that cut your bill by 60–80%

1
Use tiered model routing

Route routine tasks (heartbeats, simple summaries, reminders) to Gemini Flash or Claude Haiku (~$0.25/million tokens). Use Claude Sonnet only for complex reasoning. Use Opus only for critical decisions. This single change cuts your monthly API bill by 60–80%.

2
Shorten your prompts

Every word in every prompt costs money. A 500-word system prompt firing 100 times a day adds up fast. Audit your prompts quarterly and cut anything not earning its keep.

3
Set hard API spending limits

Every major LLM provider allows per-key monthly spending caps. Set them before your first deployment. A misconfigured heartbeat or infinite loop can burn through hundreds of dollars overnight without a cap.

Quick Answers

Common cost questions

  • What actually changed on June 15, 2026 for Anthropic users?
    The Anthropic Agent SDK credit pool is now active as of June 15. Agent use — including OpenClaw, claude -p, and third-party apps — draws from a separate credit pool metered at full API rates: Pro = $20/mo, Max 5× = $100, Max 20× = $200, Team = $100/seat. Credits don't roll over. One-time opt-in required after June 15. Direct API key deployments and Claude Code terminal (non--p flag) are unaffected. The previous ~12:1 compute arbitrage is now closed.
  • What is Claude Fable 5 and should I use it for OpenClaw?
    Claude Fable 5 is Anthropic's new frontier model at $10/$50 per MTok, integrated into OpenClaw v2026.6.6 as anthropic/claude-fable-5. Best for long-running complex agentic tasks where longer-horizon quality justifies 2× the price of Opus 4.8. Key caveats: 30-day data retention required (no ZDR), up to 5% of high-risk queries fall back to Opus 4.8 (HTTP 200, not billed). Free on all paid plans through June 22 only.
  • Did the DeepSeek V4 Flash discount expire?
    Yes — confirmed expired May 31, 2026. Post-discount pricing is $0.14/$0.28 per MTok. Still one of the lowest-cost API options available, and useful for high-volume tasks where frontier capability isn't needed.
  • Should I switch from Claude subscription to direct API keys after June 15?
    It depends on volume. Below ~100 moderate tasks/day, Claude Pro's $20 cap likely covers you. Above that, direct Haiku 4.5 API keys ($1/$5 per MTok) are cheaper and uncapped. The calculator above shows your exact breakeven. Direct API key deployments were never affected by the June 15 change.
  • When should I use Opus 4.8 vs Fable 5?
    Opus 4.8 at $5/$25 per MTok is the right ceiling model for most agency and freelancer workloads. Only route to Fable 5 ($10/$50) when the specific task genuinely requires longer-horizon multi-step reasoning. The 2× cost premium is significant at scale, and the 30-day data retention requirement may be a blocker in privacy-sensitive environments.