LangChain, CrewAI, and AutoGPT are code libraries for building agent pipelines. You write Python or TypeScript to chain LLM calls, tools, and memory together. They're flexible, but you build everything from scratch.
OpenClaw gives you that infrastructure out of the box. A WebSocket gateway, channel connectors, memory with vector search, and a skill system. You configure files rather than write pipeline code. A single SKILL.md replaces dozens of lines of LangChain orchestration.
The multi-agent model differs too. CrewAI agents collaborate on backend tasks. OpenClaw's agents are user-facing personas sharing one server. Think: a coding assistant on Discord and a writing assistant on Telegram, both running from the same Gateway.