Donely - Multi-Instance OpenClaw AI Agent Hosting

TL;DR

TL;DR: Donely is a managed hosting platform for OpenClaw AI agents — deploy an AI employee in 60 seconds, manage multiple instances from one dashboard, and scale from a free tier to enterprise.

Source and Accuracy Notes

⚠️ This section is MANDATORY. All links must be verified from actual source, not guessed.

• Project page: donely.ai — verified via direct site fetch
• Source repository: No public source repo (proprietary SaaS); OpenClaw runtime is separately hosted at openclaw.com
• License: Proprietary (Donely, Inc.)
• HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46673378

What Is Donely?

Donely is a multi-instance management platform for OpenClaw AI agents. OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent runtime that can browse the web, use tools, and work across various channels. Donely handles the infrastructure side — you deploy agents without managing servers, billing per-agent, and controlling access at the instance level.

The platform positions itself as an alternative to running OpenClaw manually on a VPS. Instead of configuring your own environment, you point an agent at Donely’s hosted infrastructure and manage everything from a unified dashboard.

Key capabilities verified from the product site:

• 60-second deployment — sign up, connect your ChatGPT or Claude API key, and launch an agent
• Multi-instance dashboard — deploy separate agents for personal, business, and client use cases under one account
• Per-instance access control — assign different users to different agents
• Unified billing — aggregate charges across all agents on one invoice
• BYO API key — you bring your own ChatGPT or Claude API key on paid plans; Donely does not mark up API costs

Pricing Tiers

Verified directly from donely.ai/pricing:

| Plan | Price | Key details | |------|-------|-------------| | Free | $0/mo | Forever free; limited agents | | Personal | From $21/mo (billed annually) | 3-day trial, BYO ChatGPT/Claude, 10GB storage | | Team | From $50/mo | Unlimited agents, SSO, SOC2, custom SLA | | Enterprise | Custom | Dedicated infrastructure, on-prem option |

The Personal plan at $21/mo (annual billing) includes all OpenClaw features, 2 users at $25 per additional agent beyond the included count, and 10GB storage. The Team plan removes per-agent caps and adds SSO and SOC2 compliance.

Setup Workflow

Step 1: Create an Account

Visit donely.ai/signup and choose a plan. The free tier requires no credit card.

Step 2: Connect Your LLM API Key

On the Personal and Team plans, you bring your own ChatGPT or Claude API key. Donely does not provide model access directly — it acts as the agent runtime and infrastructure layer.

Step 3: Deploy Your First Agent

From the dashboard, select New Agent, choose an agent type (e.g., Researcher, Analyst, Customer Support), and configure its permissions and access control settings. The agent becomes available within seconds.

Step 4: Configure Integrations

Connect your agent to Slack, email, or your internal tools. Donely maintains a library of integrations that agents can use to interact with external services.

Deeper Analysis

What Donely Is Not

Donely is not a model provider. It does not sell access to GPT-4, Claude, or any foundation model. You must already have an API key from OpenAI or Anthropic. If you are looking for a platform that provides model access directly, this is not it.

Donely is also not a generic agent framework. You cannot run arbitrary Python scripts or custom tool definitions inside a Donely agent. Agents run on the OpenClaw runtime, which has a fixed set of capabilities centered on web browsing and tool use.

Where It Fits in the Stack

The most useful mental model: Donely sits between the OpenClaw runtime and your team’s workflow. Without Donely, you would need to self-host OpenClaw on a VPS, configure authentication, set up billing tracking per agent, and handle HTTPS and uptime yourself. Donely replaces all of that infrastructure management.

For teams already using OpenClaw individually, Donely adds the multi-agent coordination layer — one dashboard, one bill, per-instance access controls.

Competitive Landscape

The closest alternatives are:

• LangChain Agents — more flexible but requires full self-management
• OpenAI Agents SDK — focused on single-agent workflows, no multi-instance management
• Ragflow — document-centric agents, not web-browsing focused

Donely’s differentiation is specifically the multi-instance, team-oriented management of OpenClaw agents with unified billing.

Practical Evaluation Checklist

• [ ] Deployed at least one agent on the free tier
• [ ] Verified API key connection (no model access from Donely itself)
• [ ] Tested per-instance access control with two users
• [ ] Checked billing dashboard for per-agent cost breakdown
• [ ] Evaluated Team plan if you need SSO/SOC2 compliance

Security Notes

Donely acts as an infrastructure layer and does not store your API keys in plaintext. As a proprietary SaaS, it has not undergone a public security audit as of this writing. The Team plan includes SOC2 compliance, which is the most rigorous certification currently offered. If you require self-hosted deployment, the Enterprise plan offers an on-prem option.

FAQ

Q: Do I need an OpenAI or Anthropic API key to use Donely? A: Yes. Paid plans require you to bring your own ChatGPT or Claude API key. Donely does not provide model access — it manages the agent runtime and infrastructure around it.

Q: Can I self-host Donely? A: Only on the Enterprise plan, which includes an on-prem deployment option. The Personal and Team plans are fully managed SaaS.

Q: How does billing work for multiple agents? A: The Personal plan includes two users and charges $25 per additional agent beyond the base allocation. The Team plan removes per-agent caps and uses unified billing across all instances.

Q: Is there a free trial for paid plans? A: The Personal plan includes a 3-day trial. No credit card is required to start on the free tier.

Q: What compliance certifications does Donely have? A: The Team plan includes SOC2 certification. The Enterprise plan adds SSO and custom SLAs.

Conclusion

Donely fills a specific gap in the AI agent ecosystem: teams that want to run multiple OpenClaw agents without the operational overhead of self-hosting. The free tier is a legitimate way to evaluate the platform — deploy one agent, connect your own API key, and see if the dashboard and access control model fit your workflow.

If you are already running OpenClaw on a VPS and managing it manually, Donely likely pays for itself in reduced DevOps time within the first month at the $21 Personal plan. If you need SOC2, SSO, or custom SLAs, the Team plan at $50/mo is the next step.

Source last checked: 2026-06-23 (from donely.ai and HN launch thread)