Can You Run OpenClaw on Raspberry Pi?
Yes, but with limitations. OpenClaw runs on Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 with at least 4 GB RAM. The Pi 5 with 8 GB is recommended for a smooth experience.
Installation is the same as regular Linux — run the install script on Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit). The ARM architecture is fully supported. Node.js 22 for ARM64 is installed automatically.
The main limitation is performance. A Raspberry Pi works well with cloud-based models (Claude, GPT, DeepSeek) where the heavy lifting happens on the provider's servers. Running local models via Ollama is possible but very slow — even a 3B parameter model will take 10-20 seconds per response.
For a Pi-based setup, use a lightweight model like DeepSeek V3 via API ($1-3/month) or Claude Haiku for the best speed-to-cost ratio. Keep your skill count low — each MCP server consumes memory.
Use a quality microSD card or, better, an SSD via USB for storage. The Pi's microSD slot is slow and prone to corruption with frequent writes. A 128 GB SSD costs about $15 and dramatically improves reliability.
The Raspberry Pi is great for personal use, home automation (especially with Home Assistant), and learning. For production or business use, a proper VPS is recommended.