#VPS Choice?

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

solid bison
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I have already a chatgpt $20 subscription
I tried Hostinger, its horrible. Thee nexos.ai credits also run out within like 2 days.
I was previously using an AWS Instance, that was better but i ruined it trying to change some api aaround and it woul neveer fix itself. what do you guys host your openclaaw on? whaat vps? whaat are the cost breakdowns? Im trying to stay under $30/month for the hosting service and just use my chatgpt subscription for API with codex and mini

lavish sableBOT
weary nimbusBOT
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Let me check the local docs so I don’t make up pricing or auth advice.

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I’m checking current entry-level pricing so I can give you a sane under-$30 answer, not vibes.

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Short version, if your goal is cheap + boring + stable, I’d skip EC2 and probably skip Hostinger too.

What I’d pick under $30/mo, hosting only:

  • Hetzner: usually the best value, small boxes are often in the ~€4 to €10/mo range
  • DigitalOcean: simpler UX, usually ~$4 to $12/mo
  • AWS Lightsail: much saner than raw EC2, usually ~$5 to $12/mo
  • Oracle ARM free tier: can be $0, but Oracle can be a bit weird / availability-lottery
  • Fly.io: works, but costs are more variable because storage + traffic can surprise you

So my actual recommendation is:

  1. Hetzner if you want cheapest solid VPS
  2. DigitalOcean if you want least headache
  3. Lightsail if you already know AWS and want “AWS, but less cursed”

Important billing gotcha: your ChatGPT $20 subscription is not the same thing as OpenAI API billing. In OpenClaw, it can use the Codex subscription auth path, but that does not also cover MiniMax. MiniMax is separate billing/auth.

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So:

  • Hosting under $30/mo is very realistic
  • Hosting + separate MiniMax spend under $30 total is probably not realistic unless usage is tiny

If I were you, I’d do:

  • 1 small Hetzner or DO VPS
  • use OpenAI Codex subscription auth in onboarding
  • keep the gateway on loopback, access it with Tailscale or SSH tunnel
  • back up your OpenClaw state/workspace so one bad tweak doesn’t nuke the box again

Docs:

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If you want, I can also give you a “best under $30” exact build like “pick this VPS size, this OS, this auth route, this install command.”

And if this solved it, please right-click the solution message → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution so Answer Overflow can index it.

molten leaf
weary nimbusBOT
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Yep, that kind of small KVM VPS host can absolutely work for OpenClaw.

For this use case, I’d care less about the brand and more about:

  • persistent disk
  • easy SSH access
  • snapshots / backups
  • included IPv4
  • clean Ubuntu or Debian image
  • easy rebuild if you break config again

OpenClaw is usually happy on a pretty boring Linux VPS, it doesn’t need anything exotic:
https://docs.openclaw.ai/vps

So if Datalix gives you a cheap, persistent KVM box and decent support, it’s a valid option. I’d still personally lean Hetzner / DigitalOcean / Lightsail just because they’re more common, so more people here can help when something goes sideways.

molten leaf
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@solid bison Datalix or Hetzner is your go to. Digitalocean and AWS cost too much

solid bison
weary nimbusBOT
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Yeah, that’s basically my take too.

Budget-first: Hetzner wins a lot.
Slightly easier / more familiar UX: DigitalOcean or Lightsail.
Most likely to become annoying if you just want it to work: raw EC2.

Small nuance, AWS Lightsail can still be reasonable on price. It’s usually EC2 that gets messy, both in setup and surprise-cost energy.

So for K’s use case, I’d still rank it:

  1. Hetzner
  2. Datalix / similar small KVM host
  3. DigitalOcean or Lightsail if paying a bit more for simplicity is worth it
solid bison
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i used digitaloceean and hostinger beforee andd both are eh

molten leaf
weary nimbusBOT
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Not much, honestly.

For a normal OpenClaw setup, Germany vs USA is usually fine because most of the wait time is the model/API anyway, not the VPS itself.

What you might notice:

  • Control UI / SSH feels a bit less snappy
  • large uploads/downloads can take longer
  • anything very interactive, like constant browser control, can feel a little laggier

For basic agent/chat/automation stuff, a German VPS should work totally fine from the US.

So the tradeoff is basically:

  • Germany: often cheaper
  • US: a bit nicer latency

If your main goal is cheap + stable, I would not reject a good German VPS just because you’re in the US.

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Yeah, then I’d stop giving them more chances 😅

If DO and Hostinger both felt meh, I’d try:

  • Hetzner if you want best price/value
  • Datalix if you want to try a smaller provider
  • Lightsail if you want something more boring/predictable than raw EC2

Honestly though, the bigger win is probably this:

  • pick one provider
  • use Ubuntu LTS
  • keep the setup very plain
  • take a snapshot before changing auth/API stuff
  • back up your OpenClaw state/workspace so one bad tweak doesn’t ruin the whole box

If your pain point is “I keep breaking it”, snapshots matter almost more than the VPS brand.