The Hermes Agent Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Hermes Agent in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Hermes Agent
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source AI agent with persistent memory and a messaging gateway
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI agents, read from Hermes Agent’s own pages.
Made by Nous Research, Inc. · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Hermes Agent’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Hermes Agent’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 40 of the 51 other AI agents we grade
Hermes Agent is an open-source autonomous agent from Nous Research that runs on your own computer, on a server or in the company's hosted cloud. It keeps memory between sessions, writes its own reusable skills, runs scheduled jobs, and is reached from a terminal, a desktop app or messaging platforms such as Telegram, Discord, Slack and WhatsApp. The software is MIT licensed and free; model access comes from any provider you connect or from Nous Portal, an optional credit subscription.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Hermes Agent, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for a free agent you message from your chat apps
Getting going means connecting a provider and setting up each chat platform yourself, and there's no iOS version.
- 2
Paid plans start at $20 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $20 per month for the optional Nous Portal Plus tier; the agent is free.
- 3
There is a free plan
Hermes Agent is free and open source under the MIT license. You connect your own model provider, or a free Nous Portal account that is limited to free models.
- 4
It runs on 4 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
- 5
Messaging gateway
One gateway connects the agent to Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Matrix, email, Microsoft Teams and other platforms, more than 20 in all, sharing a single memory.
- 6
Memory and self-written skills
The agent keeps memory across sessions, creates reusable skills from work it has done and revises them in use. Skills follow the open agentskills.io format.
- 7
Scheduled automations
Built-in cron accepts natural-language schedules for reports, backups and briefings and delivers the results to any connected platform.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 40 of 51
That is against the other AI agents we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Hermes Agent you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Hermes Agent at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $20 per month for the optional Nous Portal Plus tier; the agent is free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
- Made by
- Nous Research, Inc.
- Category
- AI Agents
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for a free agent you message from your chat apps
Hermes Agent is an open-source agent from Nous Research that keeps memory between sessions, writes its own skills and answers on more than 20 chat platforms, including Telegram, Discord, Slack and WhatsApp. The agent is free, but paid models cost extra, from your own provider or Nous Portal at $20 a month, and always-on hosting is billed by the day. Getting going means connecting a provider and setting up each chat platform yourself, and there's no iOS version.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | The agent itself is MIT licensed and costs nothing, with no paid edition. The models are the bill: your own provider's rates, or Nous Portal, where $20 a month buys $22 of credits. That's about the going rate here, and always-on hosting is extra, from $0.56 a day. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The whole agent is free and open source with nothing held back, and a free Nous Portal account runs it on free models with no monthly credits needed. Bring your own key and there's no cap from Nous at all. |
| Features | C | The parts: memory that survives sessions, skills it writes from work it has done, cron described in plain words, subagents, commands sandboxed in Docker or Modal, and 20-plus chat platforms sharing one memory. It's a developer's framework, with model access sold separately and no hosted product. |
| Ease of use | C | Desktop apps for Mac and Windows, a terminal install on Linux, and either way you connect a model provider first and set up each messaging platform yourself before you can chat there. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Mac, Windows and Linux, with optional always-on hosting, and it answers on more than 20 platforms including Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp and Teams. No iOS version, and Android only through a prerelease Termux package. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Hermes Agent is for
- Fits if you're a developer who wants an agent on your own machine, server or VPS
- Works for jobs that run unattended, like a scheduled report or a morning briefing sent to your chat app
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want an app on your phone: no iOS version is listed, and Android is a prerelease Termux package
- Not for you if setting up providers and chat platforms sounds like work, because it is
- Pricey if you want paid models all day, as they're billed on top, from $20 a month on Nous Portal
- Watch out: Hermes Cloud bills from $0.56 a day while running, needs $2 of credit to deploy, and charges for inference separately
- Watch out: on Linux there's no desktop app, so the install is through the terminal
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who want an agent on their own machine, server or VPS
- Reaching one agent from Telegram, Discord, Slack or WhatsApp
- Unattended scheduled jobs such as reports and briefings
Worth knowing
- The agent is free, but paid models cost extra: your own provider's rates, or Nous Portal tiers from $20 a month.
- Desktop apps are offered for macOS and Windows; on Linux the install is through the terminal.
- The platform support page lists no iOS version, and Android runs only through a prerelease Termux package.
- Hermes Cloud needs $2 of Nous credit or an active subscription to deploy, and bills inference separately from the instance.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$20
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Hermes Agent has a free plan. Paid plans start at $20 per month for the optional Nous Portal Plus tier; the agent is free.
The agent itself is MIT licensed and costs nothing, with no paid edition.
Hermes Agent
$0
The complete MIT-licensed agent, run on your own machine or server with a model provider of your choice.
Nous Portal Free
$0
Free models only, standard rate limits and no monthly credits.
Nous Portal Plus
$20
per month
$22 of monthly credits (a 10% bonus) with a $10 rollover cap, 200+ models, hosted tool usage and high rate limits.
Nous Portal Super
$100
per month
$110 of monthly credits with a $50 rollover cap, plus the same models, hosted tools and rate limits as Plus.
Nous Portal Ultra
$200
per month
$220 of monthly credits with a $100 rollover cap, plus the same models, hosted tools and rate limits as Plus.
Hermes Cloud
From $0.56
per day while running, billed from Nous credit
Optional always-on hosting: Medium is $0.56 a day and Large $1.09 while running, $0.03 a day stopped. Inference and tool usage are billed separately.
The free plan
Hermes Agent is free and open source under the MIT license. You connect your own model provider, or a free Nous Portal account that is limited to free models.
Read from hermes-agent.nousresearch.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows and Linux
Open-source AI agent with persistent memory and a messaging gateway. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, chat assistant, workflow automation, AI agents.
It's a developer's framework, with model access sold separately and no hosted product.
- Messaging gateway
- One gateway connects the agent to Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Matrix, email, Microsoft Teams and other platforms, more than 20 in all, sharing a single memory.
- Memory and self-written skills
- The agent keeps memory across sessions, creates reusable skills from work it has done and revises them in use. Skills follow the open agentskills.io format.
- Scheduled automations
- Built-in cron accepts natural-language schedules for reports, backups and briefings and delivers the results to any connected platform.
- Subagents
- Isolated subagents with their own conversations and terminals handle parallel workstreams without filling the main agent's context.
- Terminal backends and sandboxing
- Commands run locally or in Docker, over SSH, or on Daytona, Singularity, Modal or Vercel Sandbox, with command approval and container isolation.
- Nous Portal and Hermes Cloud
- A Portal subscription supplies credits for 200+ models and hosted web search, image generation, text-to-speech and browser tools. Hermes Cloud hosts an always-on agent, billed daily.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
What it works with
- Telegram
- Discord
- Slack
- Signal
- Microsoft Teams
- Matrix
- Home Assistant
Hermes Agent is made by Nous Research, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
40/51
Other AI agents it is graded above
Hermes Agent's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 40 of the 51 other AI agents we grade, and level with 6.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 46 of 51) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $21.25 for the category: 15 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 12 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 52 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. Hermes Agent’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 33 of 51
- AFree plan and trialAbove 46 of 51
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 51
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 51
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 51
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 49 AI agents. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Hermes Agent is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Hermes Agent you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 40 of the 51 other AI agents we grade. It costs $240 a year. Hermes Agent is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
What this rests on. Hermes Agent’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
OpenClaw, NanoClaw, Agent Zero, goose and Poke
The 5 tools Hermes Agent is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.2GPA
OpenClaw
Free
Open-source personal AI agent you run yourself and message in chat.
- Only OpenClaw lists iOS and Android apps.
- 2.6GPA
NanoClaw
Free
Open-source personal AI agent that runs in containers you host.
- Only Hermes Agent lists a web app.
- NanoClaw also covers templates.
- 2.8GPA
Agent Zero
Free
Open-source agent framework that works in its own Linux computer.
- Hermes Agent also covers chat assistant and workflow automation.
- 2.8GPA
goose
Free
Open-source AI agent with a desktop app, CLI and API.
- Only Hermes Agent lists a web app.
- Hermes Agent is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Hermes Agent also covers chat assistant.
- 2.6GPA
Poke
Free plan · from $19/mo
AI assistant you text in Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Only Hermes Agent lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Hermes Agent is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Hermes Agent free?
Hermes Agent has a free plan. Hermes Agent is free and open source under the MIT license.
How much does Hermes Agent cost?
Hermes Agent lists 6 plans. Hermes Agent: $0.
What platforms does Hermes Agent work on?
Hermes Agent is available on Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Hermes Agent have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Hermes Agent is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Hermes Agent have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Hermes Agent is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Is Hermes Agent open source?
Yes. Hermes Agent is open source, according to its own site.
What does Hermes Agent integrate with?
Hermes Agent's listing names Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Microsoft Teams, Matrix and Home Assistant.
Who makes Hermes Agent?
Hermes Agent is made by Nous Research, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Hermes Agent?
The closest alternatives to Hermes Agent in our directory are OpenClaw, NanoClaw, Agent Zero, goose and Poke.
How does Hermes Agent compare with other AI agents?
Hermes Agent's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 40 of the 51 other AI agents we grade, and level with 6.
Is Hermes Agent good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Hermes Agent B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $21.25 for the category: 15 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Hermes Agent?
To replace Hermes Agent you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Hermes Agent’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Nous Research's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-03-23.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Nous Research, Inc. Prices change, so check hermes-agent.nousresearch.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Hermes Agent, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/hermes-agent
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Hermes Agent: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/hermes-agent
Know someone choosing between AI agents?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/hermes-agent/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI agents after Hermes Agent, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Agents Insider's GuideEvery one of the 52 AI agents we grade, compared
- Genspark Insider's GuideAI workspace with an agent for research, slides, sheets and docs3.2 GPA
- Manus Insider's GuideGeneral AI agent for research, slides, websites and browser tasks3.2 GPA
- OpenClaw Insider's GuideOpen-source personal AI agent you run yourself and message in chat3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Hermes Agent’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Hermes Agent is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Nous Research, Inc. Prices and plans change: check hermes-agent.nousresearch.com before you buy.