OpenClaw vs Hermes Agent: which free AI agent should you run?
Updated · prices checked on vendor pages
Quick verdict: Want the most popular, everyday "do my admin" agent? OpenClaw. Want an agent that learns, writes its own skills and runs on a cheap server or serverless box? Hermes Agent. Both are free and MIT licensed, so you can try both for the cost of some model tokens.
These are the two big open-source personal agents right now. Same basic idea: an AI that lives in your chat apps and actually does things. Different personalities.
At a glance
| OpenClaw | Hermes Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | OpenClaw Foundation (non-profit) | Nous Research |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Price | Free, no paid tier at all | Free; optional Nous Portal paid tiers (prices not confirmed) |
| Chat apps | WhatsApp, Telegram, any chat app | Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, CLI |
| Desktop | macOS, Windows, Linux installers | Hermes Desktop (macOS, Windows) + terminal install |
| Big idea | Everyday tasks: inbox, email, calendar, flights | Self-improving: makes and refines its own skills |
| Where it runs | Your machines | Local, Docker, SSH, Singularity, Modal, Daytona, Vercel Sandbox |
| Models | Your choice | Any: Nous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI, your own endpoint... |
| GitHub stars (Oct 2026) | ~392K | ~254K |
| Latest release | v2026.10.x | v0.22.0 (Oct 13, 2026) |
| Numptr score | 9/10 | 8/10 |
Where OpenClaw wins
Popularity. Around 392K stars. Bigger community, more skills floating about, more people to ask when it breaks.
Nothing to sell you. The Foundation literally says there's no enterprise edition and no paid version. No upsell, ever.
Everyday focus. The pitch is plain: inbox, emails, calendar, flight check-ins from WhatsApp or Telegram. Normal-person admin.
Linux desktop too. Installers for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Where Hermes wins
It learns. Nous calls it the agent with a built-in learning loop. It creates skills after complex tasks, improves them as it uses them, searches its own past conversations and builds a model of who you are over time.
Runs anywhere. Seven terminal backends including Modal and Daytona, which can hibernate when idle so it costs nearly nothing between sessions. Nous says it'll run on a $5 VPS.
More chat apps out of the box. Discord, Slack and Signal as well as Telegram and WhatsApp, all from one gateway.
Easy first run. v0.22.0 opens new desktop installs on a guided setup chat using a free trial model, so you can talk to it before you've got an API key. There's also one-click local models via llama.cpp and a 600-plugin catalogue.
Scheduled jobs that remember between runs, and subagents you can steer mid-flight.
Costs, honestly
Both are free software. Your bill is:
- Model usage (or $0 with local models)
- Hosting if you want it always on
Hermes also offers Nous Portal paid tiers with model and tool credits and optional cloud hosting. We couldn't confirm tier prices, so check before you sign up.
Who should pick which
Pick OpenClaw if:
- You want the safe, popular choice
- Your main job is personal admin: email, calendar, travel
- You're on Linux desktop
- You never want an upsell
Pick Hermes Agent if:
- You want it to get better the more you use it
- You want it on a cheap server or serverless and chatting from Telegram
- You use Discord, Slack or Signal
- You want to start without an API key
Pick neither if you don't want to host anything at all. Grok Bot comes with its own cloud computer, included on Premium plans from $30/mo.
More: what is OpenClaw, OpenClaw alternatives, personal AI agents ranked.
FAQ
Is Hermes Agent better than OpenClaw?
Neither is strictly better. OpenClaw is more popular and focused on everyday tasks. Hermes Agent's strength is its learning loop: it writes and improves its own skills over time.
Are OpenClaw and Hermes Agent free?
Yes, both are free and open source under the MIT licence. You pay for the AI model you use and any hosting. Hermes also has optional paid Nous Portal tiers.
Can I run Hermes Agent or OpenClaw with local models?
Hermes Agent ships one-click local models via llama.cpp as of v0.22.0. OpenClaw lets you bring your own models, including local ones.
Which has more GitHub stars?
As of October 14, 2026, OpenClaw has about 392K stars and Hermes Agent about 254K.
Tools in this guide
Sources
Checked checked 2026-10-14
- OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai/ ; https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
- Hermes Agent: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/ ; https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent ; https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases
- Grok Bot on plans: https://cursor.com/pricing
- Unconfirmed: Nous Portal tier prices; OpenClaw local-model setup specifics.