More AI vs Hermes Agent
Hermes Agent is an open-source, self-hosted autonomous agent that lives on your own server and is driven from the terminal and messengers. More AI is a free desktop app with chat, documents and a coding agent — both keep your data on your own infrastructure and let you bring your own keys.
Hermes Agent is an open-source (MIT) autonomous agent that runs on your own server. You drive it from the command line and through messengers like Telegram, Discord and Slack; it keeps a persistent memory, builds its own skills over time and runs tasks on a schedule — all on infrastructure you control.
More AI shares the local-first, bring-your-own-key spirit but is a graphical desktop app you work in directly, with Chat, Cowork and Code modes plus scheduled routines. They solve overlapping problems in very different shapes: an always-on server agent versus a desktop assistant. This page lays out the differences honestly so you can choose.
| More AI | Hermes Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A desktop assistant: chat, documents and a coding agent | A self-hosted autonomous agent that runs on your server |
| Interface | Native desktop app (GUI) for macOS, Windows and Linux | Terminal (CLI) and messengers (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp) |
| Models | Any provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Mistral, Groq, OpenRouter, local models | Model-agnostic: OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Nous Portal, local models |
| What you pay | Free app; you pay your provider per use, at cost | Free, open source; you pay your provider (optional Nous Portal plan) |
| Open source | Closed-source app, free to use | Yes (MIT) |
| Where data lives | On your machine, in local storage | On your own server / infrastructure |
| How it works | You drive it; risky actions ask for your approval | Autonomous — runs on its own, with self-improving memory and skills |
| Platforms | macOS · Windows · Linux (native desktop) | Linux · macOS · WSL2 (Windows experimental) |
What is Hermes Agent?
Hermes Agent is an open-source (MIT) autonomous AI agent you self-host. It lives on your own server with its own terminal, filesystem and persistent memory, learns and builds new skills from its runs, schedules automations and can delegate to sub-agents. You interact with it from the command line and through a single gateway that connects messengers like Telegram, Discord, Slack and WhatsApp.
It’s model-agnostic and bring-your-own-key — OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Nous Portal or a local model via vLLM or Ollama — and all data stays on your infrastructure. It’s aimed at developers and power users who want an always-on agent they fully control, and who are comfortable running a server (Linux, macOS or WSL2).
What is More AI?
More AI is a free desktop app that runs on your own computer. It has three modes: Chat for conversations, Cowork for reading and editing files and generating Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents in any folder, and Code — a planning coding agent for your repositories where every command and diff needs your approval. It also runs scheduled routines on your machine.
Like Hermes Agent, you bring your own keys across many providers (including local models) and your data stays with you. The difference is the shape: a graphical app you open and work in, with risky actions gated by your approval — rather than an autonomous agent running on a server you administer.
When Hermes Agent is the better choice
Honestly, Hermes Agent is the right pick in several cases.
- You want a fully autonomous, always-on agent living on your own server.
- You’d rather drive it from Telegram, Discord or the terminal than sit in a desktop app.
- You want open-source (MIT) software you can audit, extend and fully self-host.
- You value persistent, self-improving memory and skills across long-running automations.
- You’re comfortable administering a server (Linux, macOS or WSL2).
When More AI fits better
More AI is the better fit when you want a desktop app rather than a server.
- You want a graphical app you open and work in — no server to run or maintain.
- You want first-class Windows, macOS and Linux desktop builds.
- You want chat, document generation and a repository coding agent in one window.
- You prefer an assistant that asks before it acts, with every change under your approval.
- You’re not a developer, or you simply don’t want to manage infrastructure.
FAQ
Do both keep my data local and let me bring my own keys?
Yes. Both are bring-your-own-key and model-agnostic (including local models), and both keep your data on your own machine or server rather than in a vendor’s cloud.
Is More AI open source like Hermes Agent?
Hermes Agent is open source (MIT) and self-hosted. More AI’s app is free to use but not open source. Both let you use many providers with your own keys and keep your data with you.
Do I need to run a server or use the terminal?
For Hermes Agent, yes — it’s a self-hosted agent you run on a server and drive from the CLI or messengers. More AI is a desktop app you just open and use, with a graphical interface.
Do I need an account?
No — More AI works fully without one. An optional free account only powers cross-device sync. (Hermes Agent has no central account either; you connect your own provider or endpoint.)