Best Local Models for OpenClaw with Ollama (2026)
Ollama became an official OpenClaw provider in March 2026. That means you can run OpenClaw entirely on your own hardware with no API key and no per-token cost. This guide compares the best local models, lists the hardware you need, and walks through setup.
Need help picking the right model?
Book a live OpenClaw setup or training session for $100 per hour, or email openclaw@saurav.io.
Why Local Models Matter for OpenClaw
Cloud APIs cost money. Local models through Ollama are free. The most important requirement is context length — at least 64K tokens for reliable tool use.
Model Comparison Table
| Model | Size | Context | Tool Reliability | Speed | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen3.5 27B | 27B | 128K | Excellent | Fast | Best all-around pick |
| Llama 3.3 70B | 70B | 128K | Excellent | Moderate | Maximum quality |
| Mistral Large | 123B | 128K | Excellent | Slow | Complex reasoning |
| DeepSeek V3 | 671B MoE | 128K | Excellent | Slow | Top-tier quality |
| Qwen2.5 Coder 32B | 32B | 128K | Good | Fast | Code-heavy workflows |
| Llama 3.1 8B | 8B | 128K | Fair | Very Fast | Simple tasks, low-RAM |
| Phi-4 14B | 14B | 64K | Good | Fast | Budget midrange |
| Command R+ 104B | 104B | 128K | Good | Slow | RAG tasks |
Qwen3.5 27B is our top recommendation.
Setting Up Any Model
# 1. Pull the model ollama pull qwen3.5:27b # 2. Set it as your default chat model openclaw config set agents.defaults.models.chat ollama/qwen3.5:27b # 3. Verify openclaw models list # 4. Test openclaw chat "List the files in my home directory"
Minimum Specs by Model Size
| Model Size | Min RAM (CPU) | Min VRAM (GPU) | Example Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-8B | 16 GB | 8 GB | M1/M2 MacBook, RTX 3070 |
| 14B | 24 GB | 12 GB | M2 Pro Mac, RTX 4070 |
| 27-32B | 32 GB | 24 GB | M3 Pro/Max Mac, RTX 4090 |
| 70B | 64 GB | 48 GB | M3 Ultra Mac, RTX A6000 |
| 100B+ | 128 GB | 80 GB+ | Mac Studio Ultra, A100/H100 |
For a dedicated OpenClaw host, the Apple Mac mini M4 (16GB) handles models up to 14B comfortably.
Avoid Models Under 7B
None passed OpenClaw’s tool-calling validation consistently. Use a free-tier cloud provider instead.
For more, see our full OpenClaw troubleshooting guide.
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