You have decided to install an AI agent, the kind that answers your messages and remembers what you tell it. Good! But two names keep coming up, Hermes Agent and OpenClaw.
On paper, they do the same thing: they are free, their code is public, and they run on your own machine. (I kept both tabs open for quite a while myself, unable to decide.)
Hermes Agent comes from a company that offers an all-in-one subscription, and it asks for your approval before a dangerous command. OpenClaw depends on a foundation that sells nothing, and it has its own iPhone and Android apps.
So let's see what they have in common, what sets them apart, and which one to pick depending on how you work.
What do Hermes Agent and OpenClaw have in common?
Almost everything you expect from a personal AI agent. Hermes Agent comes from Nous Research, a company. OpenClaw is run by the OpenClaw Foundation, a non-profit organisation funded by donations.
They share the same base:
- They are free, and their code is public (that is what "open source" means);
- They run on your side. This is self-hosting, where the agent and your data sit on your computer or your server;
- You write to them from your messaging apps, including Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Signal and iMessage;
- They remember from one conversation to the next, in text files you can open;
- They learn from their work. After a difficult task, each one keeps the method in a skill, a procedure sheet;
- You choose the AI model, either one from an online provider or one installed on your machine.
Never heard these names? We have already explained what Hermes Agent is, and how its skills work.
What are the differences between Hermes Agent and OpenClaw?
Seven differences matter when you work alone:
| Criterion | Hermes Agent | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Who is behind it | Nous Research, a company | OpenClaw Foundation, a non-profit |
| Paid offer | Nous Portal, optional, from $0 to $200 a month | None |
| Desktop app | Mac with an Apple chip (macOS 12 or later) and Windows 11 | Mac on macOS 26.2 or later, Windows 10 and 11 |
| Phone app | None in its documentation | iPhone and Android |
| Memory | Two short, capped files | Files, one note a day and a background sort |
| Dangerous commands | It asks for your approval by default | It asks nothing by default |
| Switching tools | Import from OpenClaw | Import from Hermes Agent |
These answers come from the documentation of both projects, read in October 2026.
Which one is easier to install?
They are evenly matched. Each has an app to download, with no command to type. In fact, your system version is what decides:
- Hermes Agent. The Hermes Desktop app requires a Mac with an Apple chip on macOS 12 or later, or Windows 11;
- OpenClaw. Its Mac app requires macOS 26.2 or later. On Windows, Windows Hub accepts Windows 10 and 11, with no administrator rights.
A Mac with an Apple chip that has not received macOS 26.2 will therefore only open Hermes Desktop. A PC on Windows 10 will lean towards OpenClaw.
Do you prefer the terminal (that window where you type instructions instead of clicking)? Both install there with one command. The OpenClaw getting started guide promises about five minutes to the first conversation.
OpenClaw has an edge if you already use Claude Code or Codex. On first launch, it finds your existing login and uses it. You have no key to copy!
How much do Hermes Agent and OpenClaw cost?
Both programs are free. What you pay for is the AI model, billed by usage by its provider.
OpenClaw stops there. Its GitHub page (where its code is published) says so in plain words: no paid tier, no online service to rent. You bring your own access to the model.
Nous Research, for its part, has something to sell. It is Nous Portal, a subscription that ran from $0 to $200 a month in October 2026; the $20 plan came with $22 of credits.
With a paid plan, a single account covers:
- the AI models, more than 200 of them;
- web search;
- image generation.
You save time, since one account replaces several sign-ups. You do not save money, because you spend your credits with each request.
Nous Portal is optional. Hermes Agent also accepts your own access, a ChatGPT subscription, or a model installed on your machine. That last option costs nothing, and the same goes for OpenClaw.
Which one remembers best what you tell it?
Each writes its memory in plain text files (you can open them to read what it has kept about you). But they do not give themselves the same room.
Hermes Agent's memory is like a one-page notebook. Its memory documentation sets two caps: 2,200 characters for its notes, 1,375 for your profile. That comes to a few hundred words.
When the notebook is full, the agent has to summarise or delete before adding. It keeps what matters most, and the detail goes.
OpenClaw's is more like a logbook. It writes one note a day, alongside its long-term memory. A background sort, called dreaming, then moves into that memory whatever it judges important.
Of course, a longer memory costs more. What the agent rereads at the start of a conversation is counted in tokens (pieces of words), and so in money. Hermes Agent's cap limits that reading to about 1,300 tokens.
For follow-up that lasts months (a client, a building project), OpenClaw's logbook will serve you better.
Which one is safer?
Neither is meant to be shared with strangers. They were designed for a single trusted person, meaning you.
Imagine that your agent, while tidying up your downloads, decides to delete the whole folder. Hermes Agent stops and asks for your approval. OpenClaw runs the command, because those approvals are off by default.
OpenClaw does have two protections worth knowing:
- the sandbox, an isolated space where the agent runs its commands. It is off by default, and it is up to you to turn it on;
- the pairing code. A stranger who writes to your agent only receives a code, and nothing happens until you have approved it.
OpenClaw says all of this itself in the comparison it publishes with Hermes Agent. It also provides a command, openclaw security audit, which flags the settings to tighten.
Nous Research puts it bluntly in its security policy: against a model that goes off the rails, the only barrier is the operating system. With either one, do not give access to your sensitive files until you know the agent.
Can you talk to them from a phone?
Yes, through your messaging apps, with either one. You write to the agent on Telegram or WhatsApp as you would to a contact.
OpenClaw goes further. It has an official iPhone app on the App Store, and an Android app on Google Play. They connect to the agent running on your side, and you can speak to it out loud.
Hermes Agent lists no app of that kind in its documentation. On Android, it installs through Termux (a terminal app, for the brave).
What about email? Hermes Agent can hold a conversation by email. OpenClaw uses it as a trigger: a message arrives, a task starts.
Can you switch from one to the other?
Yes, in both directions. So you can try one without worry, since the choice is not final.
To leave OpenClaw, Hermes Agent provides a command. Start with the preview:
hermes claw migrate --dry-runThis line lists what would be imported, without changing anything. You will find the agent's persona, its memory, its skills and the model setting. Your API keys (the access codes for the models) only follow if you ask for them.
The reverse path exists. OpenClaw documents an import from Hermes Agent, with a preview, and you can go back. The Hermes Agent migration guide describes the other direction.
Hermes Agent or OpenClaw: which one should you choose?
Start from whatever would make you give up after a week.
| Your situation | Our advice |
|---|---|
| Your Mac with an Apple chip has not received macOS 26.2 | Hermes Agent |
| You want a single bill, models and tools included | Hermes Agent, with Nous Portal |
| You want to be warned before each dangerous command | Hermes Agent |
| You want an app on your phone | OpenClaw |
| You already use Claude Code or Codex | OpenClaw, which picks up your login |
| You want follow-up that lasts months | OpenClaw |
| You prefer a tool nobody is trying to sell you | OpenClaw |
Still undecided? I would start with Hermes Agent. It asks for your approval before a risky command, and Nous Portal saves you from juggling several accounts at the start.
It is also the tool we teach in our Hermes Agent course, so I am not entirely neutral. 😉
Either way, give it a real task straight away. You will soon know whether you are keeping it.
Frequently asked questions about Hermes Agent and OpenClaw
What is the difference between Hermes Agent and OpenClaw?
They are two free AI agents with public code, installed on your side. Hermes Agent comes from a company, Nous Research, which offers an optional subscription. OpenClaw depends on a non-profit foundation, with no paid offer.
OpenClaw also has iPhone and Android apps, and a memory that grows over time. Hermes Agent, for its part, asks for your approval before a dangerous command.
Are Hermes Agent and OpenClaw free?
Yes. Both are published under the MIT licence and cost nothing. You pay for the AI model the agent uses, by usage.
Nous Research also sells the optional Nous Portal subscription, from $0 to $200 a month in October 2026. OpenClaw has no paid offer.
Which is safer, Hermes Agent or OpenClaw?
Each is designed for a single trusted person. Hermes Agent asks for your approval before a dangerous command, by default. With OpenClaw, those approvals are off by default, and so is the sandbox (an isolated space).
OpenClaw answers strangers with a pairing code, which you have to approve. It also provides an audit command, openclaw security audit.
Can you migrate from OpenClaw to Hermes Agent?
Yes. The hermes claw migrate command imports the persona, the memory, the skills and the model setting, after showing you a preview.
API keys are only imported on request. The reverse path also exists, documented by OpenClaw.
Does OpenClaw have a mobile app?
Yes. OpenClaw has an iPhone app on the App Store and an Android app on Google Play. They connect to the agent installed on your side.
The Hermes Agent documentation lists no app of that kind. You talk to it from a phone through Telegram, WhatsApp or another messaging app.