Gemini Spark / OpenClaw
With Spark, Google hosts the agent and plugs it straight into your Google account. OpenClaw puts the agent on your own server, lets you choose any model and connects to a long list of chat apps, and it can still reach Google services through skills. The trade is convenience against control.
Google's round-the-clock agent for people who live in Gmail.
The free, self-hosted agent that works with any model.
| Difference | Gemini Spark | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Gemini Spark costs $19.99/month via Google AI Pro in the US, or $99.99/month and up on Google AI Ultra. | OpenClaw is free software, plus model usage and, unless it runs at home, a server. |
| Setup | Gemini Spark is switched on in the Gemini app, where you choose which Google apps it may use. | OpenClaw has you install the gateway, pick a model, connect channels and lock down the configuration. |
| Model | Gemini Spark runs on Gemini 3.5. | OpenClaw works with Claude, GPT, Gemini or a local model. |
| Chat channels | Gemini Spark has no chat-app presence and is used through the Gemini app and Google apps. | OpenClaw supports 29 channels, including Telegram and WhatsApp. |
| Availability | Gemini Spark is blocked in the UK, Switzerland, Nigeria and the EEA. | OpenClaw runs anywhere you can run Node.js. |
Pick Gemini Spark if you want Google to run the agent for your Google apps and your country is on the supported list.
Pick OpenClaw if you prefer to host it yourself, want to choose the model, or live in a country Spark does not serve.
Capability grid
| Gemini Spark | OpenClaw | |
|---|---|---|
| Keeps working when you close the app | Yes | Yes |
| Messages you first | Partly | Partly |
| Has its own cloud computer | Yes | No |
| Lives in chat apps | No | Yes |
| Voice | Partly | Partly |
| Can buy things | Partly | Partly |
| Standing rules you can edit | Partly | Yes |
| Choose any model | No | Yes |
| Runs on your own machine | No | Yes |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Team and business plans | Partly | Partly |
In the US on Google AI Pro, Spark is the easier and cheaper managed path for Google users. In Europe, the UK or Nigeria, OpenClaw is the realistic option of the two, provided you take its security settings seriously.