The $400 Reality Check — Honest Cost of Getting Started

This isn't a use case — it's a reality check. An anonymous user documented their total cost of experimenting with OpenClaw.

The Real Cost Breakdown

• API Tokens (Anthropic): $250+ just getting it configured and working
• Server Hosting: $20-40/month (Hetzner VPS)
• Failed Attempts: Multiple configurations that didn't work
• Time Investment: ~20 hours of setup and debugging
• Ongoing Cost: $10-25/day with Claude Opus for active use

What Other Users Report

• Shelly Palmer: Spent $250+ on API tokens during setup alone
• Reddit consensus: $300-750/month for a truly proactive personal assistant
• Budget option: $2-5/day using Claude Haiku instead of Opus
• AImaker Substack: $5/month VPS + $2-5/day casual use is the sweet spot

The Setup Pain Nobody Talks About

• OAuth configuration is the biggest hurdle
• Many services require specific API versions or scopes
• Error messages are often cryptic
• "Every failed attempt costs money" — tokens are burned even on failures
• Tech influencers don't show the hours of debugging

Who Should Invest

• People who enjoy tinkering with tech
• Those who will actually use it daily (ROI requires regular use)
• Developers comfortable with API keys and OAuth flows

Who Should Wait

• People expecting plug-and-play simplicity
• Those on tight budgets
• Anyone uncomfortable with terminal/command line