Eva vs OpenClaw for Discord group chats
OpenClaw is a free, self-hosted assistant that does real tasks across 20+ chat apps. Eva is a hosted AI member for one Discord friend group, built to remember that group's chat. If you want an agent for yourself, pick OpenClaw. If you want your server to have someone who remembers what everyone said, pick Eva.
I built Eva after running OpenClaw in my friends' server, because it kept forgetting who said what. The table explains why: OpenClaw's defaults are made for one person talking to their assistant, not for a group.
Side by side
| Eva | OpenClaw | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI member for one private Discord server | A personal assistant that runs on your own machine and does tasks (repo) |
| Where it works | Discord only | Discord, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, iMessage, Teams and 20+ more |
| Long-term memory in server channels | Yes. The whole channel is kept as a memory tree: today word for word, older weeks shorter, and she can zoom back to the original messages | Not by default. Its docs: "Long-term memory (MEMORY.md) only auto-loads in DM sessions; guild channels do not load it." (docs) |
| Recent channel history it reads | Every message from members who joined, in her channels | The last 20 messages by default, configurable with historyLimit (docs) |
| "Who said that?" | Looks up the real message and quotes it before answering | Answers from what is in its context and memory files (docs) |
| When it replies in a server | When you talk to her: mention, reply or her name | When @mentioned, by default; requireMention can be turned off (docs) |
| DMs | Each DM is its own chat and never shows up in the group | Supported; DMs are where long-term memory loads |
| Who it reads | Only members who press Join (18+). Leave or Forget me any time | Whoever you allow in its config |
| Tasks beyond chat | Reminders, web search, drawing pictures | Much more: files, browser, shell, skills, automations |
| Hosting | Hosted for you on a server in Germany | You run it yourself. "No paid tier, hosted service, or token" (repo) |
| Setup | Set up by hand for pilot groups: we email you after you pay | Install, config file, your own model keys |
| Price | $15 a month per server, 1,500 replies | Free and MIT-licensed; you pay your model provider |
Pick OpenClaw if
- You want an assistant for yourself that does things: files, browser, code, automations.
- You use several chat apps, not just Discord.
- You want it free, open source and on your own machine, with your own model.
- You are happy to configure it, including turning on longer channel history yourself.
Pick Eva if
- Your friend group lives in one Discord server and you want someone there who remembers it.
- You want answers like "what did Jonas say about the cabin trip?" backed by the real message.
- Nobody in the group wants to run a server, set up keys or edit config files.
- You want each friend to choose for themselves whether she reads them.
Questions
Can OpenClaw remember a Discord server?
It can read recent messages in a server channel (20 by default) and search its memory files, but its docs say long-term memory only auto-loads in DMs. You can change some of this in its config.
Is Eva built on OpenClaw?
No. Eva runs on Pi Durable, which saves every step to a database, so a restart in the middle of a reply picks up where it stopped.
Does Eva read people who didn't join?
No. Messages from members who haven't pressed Join are not read, stored or answered. See the privacy policy.
How much does each cost?
OpenClaw is free; you pay for the AI model it calls. Eva is $15 a month for the whole server, model included.
Not affiliated with OpenClaw. OpenClaw facts are from its public docs and repository on 18 October 2026; defaults may change between versions. Spotted something wrong? hello@evachat.app · Also: Eva vs Hermes Agent