What is Hermes Agent?
Hermes Agent is an open-source, self-hosted AI agent made by Nous Research and released under the MIT license. It runs locally on macOS, Windows or Linux (via a desktop app or terminal install), or can be deployed to the cloud for an always-on hosted agent. You connect it to a model provider of your choice, or to Nous Portal for model and tool credits.
The agent keeps conversations, memories and skills between sessions, and can create its own skills as it learns your projects. You can talk to it from the desktop app, the terminal, or messaging platforms such as Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal and email. It can run scheduled tasks like reports, backups and briefings, delegate work to isolated subagents, browse the web, use vision and image generation, and execute code in sandboxed backends (local, Docker, SSH, Singularity, Modal).
Key features
- Persistent memory across sessions
- Self-created skills
- Messaging gateway for Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal and email
- Natural-language scheduling of unattended tasks
- Isolated subagents with their own terminals
- Sandboxed execution with five backends (local, Docker, SSH, Singularity, Modal)
Who is it for
- Developers and technical users who want a self-hosted agent
- Individuals wanting a persistent personal AI assistant
- Teams automating reports and workflows
Pros and cons
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Data and memories stay on your own machine or chosen host
- Model providers and optional hosted services are billed separately
- Local agent does not run scheduled tasks while stopped
Hermes Agent pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 USD / month | Free models only, standard rate limits, 0 USD monthly credits |
| Plus | 20 USD / month | 200+ models, hosted tool usage, high rate limits, 22 USD monthly credits (10% bonus), 10 USD rollover cap |
| Super | 100 USD / month | 200+ models, hosted tool usage, high rate limits, 110 USD monthly credits (10% bonus), 50 USD rollover cap |
| Ultra | 200 USD / month | 200+ models, hosted tool usage, high rate limits, 220 USD monthly credits (10% bonus), 100 USD rollover cap |
Prices copied from the vendor website, checked October 12, 2026. Currency as shown by the vendor; taxes may apply.
Hermes Agent pricing details →
Is Hermes Agent free?
Yes, there is a free plan. Free plan: free models only, standard rate limits, 0 USD monthly credits. The software itself is free under MIT.
Hermes Agent alternatives
| Tool | Price from | Free plan | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 Dust | 24 EUR/mo | trial | AI agents |
 Gumloop | 37 USD/mo | trial | AI agents |
 Opera Neon | 19.90 USD/mo | no | AI agents |
 Manus | 20 USD/mo | ? | AI agents |
 Agenta | 29 USD/mo | yes | AI agents |
 CrewAI | not listed | yes | AI agents |
All alternatives to Hermes Agent →
FAQ
What is Hermes Agent used for?
Open-source, self-hosted AI agent with persistent memory and messaging integrations (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, email), for people who want a personal agent they run themselves.
Is Hermes Agent free?
Yes, there is a free plan. Free plan: free models only, standard rate limits, 0 USD monthly credits. The software itself is free under MIT.
How much does Hermes Agent cost?
The cheapest paid plan is 20 USD/mo (vendor pricing, October 12, 2026).
What are the best Hermes Agent alternatives?
Closest alternatives: Dust, Gumloop, Opera Neon, Manus, Agenta.
Data checked October 12, 2026 on the vendor website (hermes-agent.nousresearch.com).