An OpenClaw alternative you use from ChatGPT or Claude

Hey Atu is an OpenClaw alternative for people who want their own computer to do the work, but want to keep the ChatGPT or Claude app they already use: add Hey Atu to the app as a connector, allow it on the computer, and ask from your phone. OpenClaw is an open-source assistant that you host yourself, with its own gateway, models and skills; it is the better choice if you want full control, local models or Windows.

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Hey Atu: Tools on your computer for the AI apps you already use
OpenClaw: An open-source personal assistant that you run yourself

Side by side

	Hey Atu	OpenClaw
Where you ask	ChatGPT and Claude (web, desktop, phone), Codex, Claude Code; Doubao and Qwen on the desktop	Its own apps, including an iPhone app that pairs with your gateway, and chat apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram
Model	The AI app’s own model, under your ChatGPT or Claude plan. No API key	Models that you configure, including local models
What runs on your computer	Hey Atu and eight tools: read, ls, find, grep, bash, edit, write, codemode	The OpenClaw gateway, with memory, skills and automations
Reach from outside	The computer connects out to `heyatu.com`. No inbound port	You set up remote access to your gateway
Access	Each AI app must be allowed on the computer, with a code. `heyatu mcp off` stops all	Pairing and allow lists that you configure
Add-ons	No add-on store. It works with the Skills of your AI app	ClawHub, a store of community skills
Computers	Mac and Linux	macOS, Windows and Linux
Source and price	Hosted service, not open source. 100 free actions, a 7-day trial, then a monthly plan (details)	Open source and free; you pay for the models you use

OpenClaw facts from openclaw.ai, its App Store listing and documentation, checked on 24 October 2026.

Is OpenClaw safe?

OpenClaw can run commands, read and write files and call services, so a mistake in its setup has real effects. Two public reports describe the main risks:

In March 2026, China’s national computer emergency response team (CNCERT) and the Cyber Security Association of China published a safe-use guide for OpenClaw. It says that default settings and careless use can lead to remote takeover, data leaks and malicious code. It advises a separate device or virtual machine, no ports open to the internet, a low-privilege account and care with third-party skills.
In February 2026, researchers reported 341 malicious skills on ClawHub, out of 2,857 that they checked. The skills told users to run commands that installed malware. Unit 42 describes this as an AI supply-chain risk.

OpenClaw publishes its fixes and advisories on its security page. These risks are not special to OpenClaw: any agent that can run commands on your computer has them, Hey Atu included.

Is Hey Atu safer?

It removes some risks and keeps others. Choose with both lists in mind.

Risks it removes or reduces

No open port. Your computer connects out; there is no gateway on the internet to find.
No skill store. There is nothing to install from strangers. Atu uses eight built-in tools.
Each app is approved. An AI app gets nothing until you click Allow on the computer and check the code.
One switch. heyatu mcp off stops every AI app at once. The computer keeps a list of calls: tool, time, result.

Risks it keeps

No sandbox. Commands run with your user account’s permissions.
Prompt injection. Text in a file or a web page can tell the AI to run a command. Keep “ask before use” on in your AI app.
Your AI app account. A person who controls your ChatGPT or Claude account can use the connected computer. Turn on 2-step verification there.
Not end-to-end encrypted. The AI app’s cloud reads each tool call. Our relay forwards it and does not store it.

Details: Security.

Choose OpenClaw if you want

to host everything yourself, with open-source code;
local models, or models that you pick per task;
Windows;
to chat through WhatsApp, Telegram or another chat app;
an assistant that runs all the time, with memory, skills and automations;
no subscription to us.

Choose Hey Atu if you want

ChatGPT or Claude, which you already pay for, to work on your own computer;
to ask mostly from your phone, in the apps you already use;
no gateway, port or model keys to manage;
each AI app to ask you first.

Questions

Does OpenClaw have a phone app?

Yes. OpenClaw has an iPhone app that pairs with your own OpenClaw gateway, and it also works through chat apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram. Hey Atu works through the ChatGPT and Claude phone apps; its own iPhone app is coming soon.

Can I use Hey Atu without an API key?

Yes. Hey Atu adds tools, not a model. ChatGPT or Claude does the thinking with its own model, under your plan.

Can I use both?

Yes. Hey Atu does not change OpenClaw, and the two do not share settings.

Is Hey Atu open source?

No. Hey Atu is a hosted service. Its tools come from Pi, an open-source coding agent.

Ask from anywhere. Your computer does the work.

Set up in a few minutes. 100 free actions, no card.