# Hermes Agent (Nous Research)

Feedback Bench, personal agents, built 2026-10-19, window 2026-08-31 to 2026-10-18. Web page: https://feedbackbench.com/#/agent/hermes-agent

| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Rank | 2 of 9 (rank range 2–2) |
| Feedback Score | 59.6 (95% interval 58.3–61.1) |
| Popularity | 0.804 (share of voice 12.65%) |
| Customer love | 0.538 (95% interval 0.526–0.551) |
| Place | Popularity 4th of 9 × Customer love 2nd of 9 |
| Top quadrant | yes |
| Users | 16642 |
| Posts counted | 36804 |
| Posts that judge the agent | 12942 |
| Criteria ranking high / low | 25 / 6 of 53 |

## The brief

Written by large language models from this page's numbers and the posts it quotes, then checked: every number in the text is in the build. Interpretation, not measurement.

Hermes Agent gives users an agent they own and can shape. In return, they do the work of setting it up. People choose it for control: they pick the model, run it on their own machines and fit it to how they work. Control makes up 19% of what its users rate, 2.8 times the rate for other agents. Setup, the desktop app and unfinished tasks pull it down. It ranks 6th of 7 on quick setup. Overall it ranks 2nd of 9. In posts that judge both, users clearly favour it over OpenClaw. They split evenly between it and Grok Bot, and they favour Muse more often.

### Why people choose it

- **It runs on your own machines, always on** ([Working on its own](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.md)). 1.8×: 24% of what users rate, 1.8× the rate for other agents. Ranks 3rd of 8 on “Working on its own”. Users describe Hermes installed across their computers, running on local models and managing those machines. Posts describe it working with other agents, linking to remote copies of itself and keeping memory across sessions.
  Evidence:
  - 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “hermes agent connected to local models is now installed on all my machines to manage everything on them. main models i'm using are: - glm 5.3 flash - qwen 3.8 flash next - deepseek v4.1 flash 1017 level reached by local models is just amazing! skins repo here: [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/43874767/status/2111823363400446385)
  - 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@thsottiaux @rl_env my dot coordinated with my remote hermes agent and built a connector for it. now they’re working together on my projects. this is insane.” [source](https://twitter.com/1889646500093050881/status/2111694104858075462)
- **You choose the model and shape the harness** ([Control over it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.md)). 2.8×: 19% of what users rate, 2.8× the rate for other agents. Ranks 1st of 7 on “Control over it”. Users say Hermes is free of any one platform. They swap models from different providers, add plugins and skills, and hand jobs to other harnesses. Several say this freedom is why they stay rather than move to app-based agents.
  Evidence:
  - 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “to be honest, i still choose hermes agent because it is much freer and not dependent on one platform [link] [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/428050733/status/2111617169280942449)
  - 2026-10-18, @NousResearch (X): “@brorlandi boooa! hermes is among the most flexible and complete harnesses i have ever worked with. well-developed ideas fit very well into it! i want to follow your projects with it! let's go! @nousresearch” [source](https://twitter.com/1571720890861211653/status/2111865540578795882)
- **Running costs stay low** ([Price and value](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.md)). 2nd: of 7 on “Price and value”. 13% of what users rate. Users run Hermes on local models, cheap APIs or subscriptions they already pay for. Some note that web search costs nothing. Complaints about token use and usage limits still outnumber praise.
  Evidence:
  - 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i don't know who needs to hear this, but hermes agent does web search for free. no api key, no paid api calls. i checked our own config and cost ledger: search has been $0 the whole time. a whole line item, gone.” [source](https://twitter.com/292170570/status/2111727558270017777)
  - 2026-10-14, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i got the subscription from nous but also linked my claude pro account. i cant use sonnet until im blue in face with claude and when i need more muscle i can swap to my nous tokens my total cost including server upkeep is like 45 a month” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x5e0p2/muse_vs_opus_vs_astra/pglsc8f/)

### Why people leave

- **The desktop app is slow and buggy** ([Chatting with it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.md)). 7th: of 8 on “Chatting with it”. 15% of what users rate. Posts describe a desktop app that is slow to connect each time it opens, uses a lot of resources, and stops voice input when minimised. Users also report a broken uninstall button, a companion app that fails to start, and an interface they call clunky.
  Evidence:
  - 2026-10-16, @NousResearch (X): “makes me really upset that hermes stays connecting for like 40-70 seconds every time it opens. like no other pc app does that @nousresearch @teknium [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1597362408527433728/status/2111157657423974421)
  - 2026-10-16, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “note that hermes desktop is resource intensive. try for now the plain hermes tui (text user interface)” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x71hen/my_hermes_desktop_is_freezing_on_my_m3_macbook_is/ph1efw8/)
- **Setup takes hours or days** ([Quick, easy setup](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.setup.md)). 1.9×: 7% of what users rate, 1.9× the rate for other agents. Ranks 6th of 7 on “Quick, easy setup”. Users say getting Hermes to do real work takes far longer than they expected, even for people with IT experience. Posts describe reinstalls, leftover settings and gateway errors. Some users gave up and moved to Grok Bot or Muse.
  Evidence:
  - 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i tried hermes agent, too complicated to setup. just subscribed to grok bot. getting things done is more important than trynna save couple bucks a month. 🤘” [source](https://twitter.com/3132573418/status/2111269150853398822)
  - 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “preach! 😄 so ive been on this for just about a month. ive had to wipe the 2 server installs, 3 laptop installs and start them from scratch. i have strong background in it quite some experience with ai and still struggling to sort out some of the issues.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x8m7r2/what_did_you_learn_in_the_last_month/phec23e/)
- **Tasks stall or drift off course** ([Getting tasks done](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.md)). 7th: of 9 on “Getting tasks done”. 21% of what users rate. Users describe Hermes handing steps back to them, struggling to drive a browser or desktop, and ignoring flags or orders. Some say it codes poorly on its own and works better when it passes the job to a coding agent.
  Evidence:
  - 2026-10-14, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “hermes on its own is weirdly bad at programming at least in my experience. what you can do tho is just have it use codex or claude code itself.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x5db7g/hermes_for_programming/pglep0r/)
  - 2026-10-14, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “not all it always tell me to open the server terminal and some stuff manually its not that bad cuz i start learning new stuff through this but still annoying if i cant access my computer in the moment” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x5rvsh/terminal_command_and_passwords/pgoxpcv/)

### Head to head

- **Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw**: Hermes Agent ahead in 160 of 193 posts that pick a side, 138 even. Of 331 posts that judge both, Hermes comes out ahead in 160 and OpenClaw in 33. Users who prefer Hermes cite stability and move their agents to it. Those who prefer OpenClaw cite customisation and better management of agent fleets.
  - 2026-10-16, @NousResearch (X): “i have both @nousresearch and @openclaw on my home server. they both are configured to use the same model (different apis). been running them both for about two month now. #hermes is working flawlessly while #openclaw has crashed on my about 5 times now. do better @openclaw” [source](https://twitter.com/2035822553563054080/status/2111125373497053689)
  - 2026-10-04, @NousResearch (X): “@cardillosamuel @nousresearch used openclaw from january until 2 months ago, switched to hermes, and now thinking of switching back... oc is just so much more customizable, and has much better cross-agent communication and it's much better at managing agent fleets.” [source](https://twitter.com/22079832/status/2106732590480691434)
- **Hermes Agent vs Grok Bot**: Hermes Agent ahead in 35 of 69 posts that pick a side, 37 even. Of 106 posts, Hermes leads in 35 and Grok Bot in 34. Users say Grok Bot is faster and easier to set up. They say Hermes costs less and fixes itself. In Hermes Agent's own subreddit, Grok Bot leads 5 to 2.
  - 2026-10-07, @NousResearch (X): “one thing where grok bot wins hands down is the speed, it replies almost instantly. i assume it's because my hermes works via maple, so the reasoning and roundtrips take much longer. i hope this will improve, too. @trymapleai @nousresearch @bot” [source](https://twitter.com/2077320432852611072/status/2107770363874795800)
  - 2026-09-22, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “hermes agent. i run both. hermes agent is my primary agent. just recently dabbled with grokbot. although grokbot is great, it's incredibly expensive.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1wnayp2/grokbot_alternative/pbgl7g8/)
- **Hermes Agent vs Muse**: Hermes Agent ahead in 10 of 32 posts that pick a side, 13 even. Of 46 posts, Muse leads in 23 and Hermes in 10. Users say Muse was easier to set up and faster on similar tasks. Those who prefer Hermes call it more powerful and like that it is not Meta.
  - 2026-09-28, Meta Muse is an INCREDIBLE AI agent (YouTube): “i was having trouble installing a second brain with hermes desktop agent. so, decided to try muse. so much easier to set up!! definitely something no one is talking about. :)” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wod_A8xIy4E&lc=UgwvNIcePD9SOdyQe4h4AaABAg)
  - 2026-10-07, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i am new to hermes. i have been surprised by how many tokens each message requires, how long the thinking traces are, and how many tool calls are made. when i give muse similar tasks, it's much faster. how do i fix this?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1wzm32t/how_to_make_hermes_more_like_grokbotmusedots/)

### What would move its score

Rule: For each area where an agent's customer love is below the category norm: the Feedback Score and rank it would have if that one area were at the norm (0.5) and everything else stayed the same, computed with the same formula as the ranking. An area's pull follows its weight, so an area many users of the category rate moves the score more than one they rarely mention.

| Area at the category norm | Feedback Score | Change | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting tasks done | 60.8 | +1.2 | 2nd of 9 |
| Talking to the agent | 60.4 | +0.8 | 2nd of 9 |

No single area moves the Feedback Score far. Bringing Getting tasks done up to the category norm would lift it from 59.5 to 60.7. Doing the same for Chatting with it would lift it to 60.3. Hermes stays 2nd either way.

### Six weeks

Share of voice fell from 23% in the week of 31 August to 8% by 28 September, and rank slipped from 1st to 2nd. Users peaked at 4,157 in the week the Microsoft Store app arrived, 8 October. Rank fell to 3rd the next week.

## Top requests

What users ask to add or change, most asked first. 3691 user-weeks ask for something. Requests do not change the Feedback Score. Rule: A separate pass by a large language model reads every counted post and extracts what the user asks the agent or its vendor to add or change, with the criteria it maps to and a short normalised wording; it does not touch the labels or the Feedback Score. A large language model groups the wordings within each criterion (the first criterion the request maps to) into themes, and a second pass merges themes that ask for the same change under different criteria; a merged theme sits under the criterion most of its requests map to, and code counts it once. A theme counts distinct user-weeks that ask for it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Themes asked in fewer than 2 user-weeks, and requests that share no theme, are not shown. Examples: up to 3 posts per theme from different users, without slurs: whole posts of 60 to 450 characters with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, posts of at most 280 characters first, then the newest.

| Rank | Request | Criterion | User-weeks | Posts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Official mobile app for iOS and Android | [Apps offered for phone, tablet and desktop](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.platform.md) | 256 | 271 |
| 2 | Native iPhone app | [Apps offered for phone, tablet and desktop](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.platform.md) | 95 | 98 |
| 3 | Use existing AI subscriptions in the agent | [Linking accounts and staying logged in](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.account_link.md) | 73 | 80 |
| 4 | Native Android app | [Apps offered for phone, tablet and desktop](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.platform.md) | 54 | 55 |
| 5 | Updates that do not break existing setups | [Got better or worse over time, and update cadence](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/vendor.updates.md) | 45 | 46 |
| 6 | Complete step-by-step setup tutorials | [Effort needed to set up and train the agent](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.setup.md) | 41 | 41 |
| 7 | Thin client without local agent | [Apps offered for phone, tablet and desktop](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.platform.md) | 39 | 41 |
| 8 | Remote control of computer from phone | [Apps offered for phone, tablet and desktop](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.platform.md) | 39 | 40 |
| 9 | Higher overall usage allowance per plan | [Usage allowance size, exhaustion and reset wait](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.usage_cap.md) | 39 | 39 |
| 10 | Simpler, faster setup process | [Effort needed to set up and train the agent](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.setup.md) | 38 | 41 |
| 11 | Better overall UI/UX design | [App screens, layout, rendering, localisation and stability](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.app_client.md) | 32 | 34 |
| 12 | Local and alternative model providers | [Which services have a connector or integration](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.coverage.md) | 31 | 32 |

### 1. Official mobile app for iOS and Android

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-18, @NousResearch (X): “@rightsideofai @nousresearch @teknium i don’t need another device. i need this in my mobile.” [source](https://twitter.com/350776470/status/2111772403705716953)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-18, @NousResearch (X): “when is the hermes mobile app coming already?? @nousresearch” [source](https://twitter.com/1961540295859781632/status/2111764703156515116)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-17, @NousResearch (X): “@dkundel @nousresearch dots suck, but i’m gonna need the hermes mobile app to do this 🙏” [source](https://twitter.com/1337419042085277696/status/2111294818731397211)

### 2. Native iPhone app

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-16, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch @yeahfortommy i only want you for your ios app!!” [source](https://twitter.com/615462385/status/2110928034442403961)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-14, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@imbabybrooklyn how about hermes agent ios??? sounds like a harder problem” [source](https://twitter.com/3031068356/status/2110385496870318233)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-13, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@fl_rn_st so looking forward to the iphone duo release and seeing what you cook for cadu... or hermes agent ios ;)” [source](https://twitter.com/1042516977913344000/status/2110140651111067918)

### 3. Use existing AI subscriptions in the agent

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-16, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@lyalindotcom great to hear is there any possibility that we can use our pro or ultra subscription in let’s say hermes agent or any other harness by authenticating and it’s subtracted from our usage pool just like with x(grok)” [source](https://twitter.com/1514884726129102851/status/2110895707880075570)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-15, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@geminiapp let us use our subscription directly in our hermes agent. having hermes use antigravity is annoying and unnecessary.” [source](https://twitter.com/1770087852304412673/status/2110570708640379257)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-11, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “can you use claude sub with hermes now? does anthropic allow it?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x24zw1/chat_gpt_pro_or_claude_100/pf8cg9n/)

### 4. Native Android app

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-17, @NousResearch (X): “@rightsideofai @paulgugai @teknium @nousresearch yes, that super cool.. i am wondering if you could dump a android build in to it..” [source](https://twitter.com/1242023280984252416/status/2111301714045518293)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-16, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@teknium can we use it to reverse engineer hermes agent desktop and port it to android as an apk?” [source](https://twitter.com/2042314798394687489/status/2110987267816792069)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-15, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “hermes agent and telegram are matching well. there is a feeling that it doesn't quite reach the itchy spots, though. i want the official android app to be released soon!” [source](https://twitter.com/1911382637131788288/status/2110734433670312241)

### 5. Updates that do not break existing setups

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-13, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@teknium @technium i always use antigravity to update hermes to the latest version in order to protect custom gemini live voice pipeline. is there any way that we can update hermes directly from hermes desktop without compromising custom implementations” [source](https://twitter.com/22166071/status/2110130848276291746)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-10, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch the update fked up my hermes , now it wont run saying hermes couldnt start . "retry" and "repair install" also doesnt work . wtf hermes ?” [source](https://twitter.com/1115941170490871808/status/2108775902893244840)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-09, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “they've been saying it for a while now, but there is still no stable update path.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x13lvp/hermes_has_officially_reached_openclaw_levels_of/peshfzi/)

### 6. Complete step-by-step setup tutorials

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-11, Hermes Agent #6 — Otomatik Yedekleme: Google Drive Entegrasyonu (YouTube): “hello, i watched all the videos. it would be nice if you could create an example that concretizes the processes that caused you to set up a different bot on telegram.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4MWA5ck-Ys&lc=UgzGsbCUnrh7IemGJWN4AaABAg)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-10, TUTORIAL PASANG AI AGENT MURAH MERIAH (HERMES AGENT + 9ROUTER) (YouTube): “it's really cool but it's confusing, it has to be step by step.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVGQULc853Y&lc=UgzrKjHPSGsMhU57l7p4AaABAg)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-08, aku kepikiran buat “Series Hermes Agent”, nah kira kira bagusnya bahas apa aja yaa? komen di bawah (YouTube): “auto subscribe if a tutorial is really made from basic to advanced” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoxXtwfZ3Zs&lc=Ugyqge1fgsRVU4229Rt4AaABAg)

### 7. Thin client without local agent

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-14, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “all we want are remote-only hermes bootstrap installer and mobile app” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x5u50y/hermes_agent_v0220_the_threshold_release/pgpi0xo/)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-13, @NousResearch (X): “@signeryves @nousresearch @bot same issue here. need a lightweight thing to connect to the server directly. i think this is more priority than the mobile app. i can get the full experience with just an internet connection, regardless of the device.” [source](https://twitter.com/2425169310/status/2110026829990121636)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-12, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “the nous needs to provide the desktop application separate from the standard hermes-agent. urgent!” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x4384v/minimal_hermes_desktop_remote_gateway_only/pfgswm2/)

### 8. Remote control of computer from phone

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@teknium @hermesagenttips now that i'm using hermes desktop as my primary interface, because the tui and slack both have intolerable text truncation issues, i'm missing bring able to see what i'm doing from the android device, while i'm out and about.” [source](https://twitter.com/45374621/status/2111829367823200381)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-16, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch @nvidia @windows @linusgsebastian will there come a mobile app that connects to your windows to continue with different sessions similar to how antigravity does it?” [source](https://twitter.com/2015163209338994689/status/2111162912337260691)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-14, @NousResearch (X): “hermes by @nousresearch is amazing. the one thing missing for the big stage: a mobile app. talk to your agents 24/7 from your phone, while they run on your desktop or in the cloud, customized however you want” [source](https://twitter.com/2102503653684674560/status/2110408352010584098)

### 9. Higher overall usage allowance per plan

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-10, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@melvindvivas used hermes desktop for a week on ubuntu and decided it was absolute garbage. don’t understand the hype. grokbot just worked out the gate, only problem is usage and being able to pick a specific model. but i’m sure they will fix both.” [source](https://twitter.com/329429514/status/2108932927094411326)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-08, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “stop wasting hermes agent tokens and save. get more usage. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/11470662/status/2108251229243724091)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-05, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@designwkarthick it's not at all unlimited. using it in the app directly eats through usage quickly (5.5 medium) and using it in hermes agent...even sonnet 5.5 medium burns through the 5h limit in minutes if i am not careful. 6.1 sol is more efficient, but not really better.” [source](https://twitter.com/521176576/status/2107078720573837392)

### 10. Simpler, faster setup process

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-14, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “why can’t they use an easier ways? "i hate going thru all these setup,, praying it will not error.... i'm sorry, "” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x5eary/can_i_officially_use_my_claude_sub_with_hermes/pgmtfw1/)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-08, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “been trying really hard to get hermes agent to work, but i'm too dumb to set it up properly. we need a t3 bot.” [source](https://twitter.com/568738762/status/2108311377047879846)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-07, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “got my hermes agent connected after a long hassle. make the process easier for people who don't use codex or claude code @hyperframes_ [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1703582271922479104/status/2107913392002605148)

### 11. Better overall UI/UX design

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-16, @NousResearch (X): “@jdudley @nousresearch indeed, i'm still using codex because the ui is so good, and i'm looking forward to hermes agent following up.” [source](https://twitter.com/1601773243161284608/status/2110989524423880870)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-12, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch needs a good ui like grok bot and it is perfect.” [source](https://twitter.com/3298439088/status/2109788599780614362)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-11, @NousResearch (X): “@steeeevn @nousresearch tailscale ssh into herdr. 😁 of course a better ui/ux would be nice but you can leave your apartment” [source](https://twitter.com/2097004441878614016/status/2109334833256145301)

### 12. Local and alternative model providers

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-11, Hermes Agent Fundamentals In 20 Minutes (No Code) (YouTube): “i already use lm studio for a lot of my local model management. simpler for me to keep things all in one place. eg if i download in lm studio i can power other agents, tools, and tasks. if it is in hermes then it only works in hermes” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArdXLt8ZXC0&lc=Ugx2fT-D1M-F_ItdMpp4AaABAg.AbqHrIVmiwbAbqOus4F6Y9)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-09, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “hello! i've put credits into openrouter and was trying to assess their free models, via openrouter, but these do not show at all. hermes has been updated and verified to be the latest version, and i've done model refresh. am i missing something? many thanks!” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x1f3mp/accessing_openrouter_free_models/)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-09, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@emanueledpt like in hermes desktop, we need the ability to return to any message we want as a checkpoint, and more provider integrations.” [source](https://twitter.com/2089027663583211520/status/2108616525171273757)

## Ranks highest on

Outages, errors and agent going unresponsive (1st of 7), Where the agent runs: its own computer and always-on running (1st of 6), Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it (1st of 5)

## Ranks lowest on

Apps offered for phone, tablet and desktop (5th of 5), Effort needed to set up and train the agent (5th of 6), Response and task completion speed (6th of 7)

Position on a criterion: its place among the agents with at least 30 rated user-weeks there, ordered by customer love. It ranks high when both its position and its 95% interval put it in the top half, low when both put it in the bottom half; neither otherwise, or when fewer than 4 agents qualify.

## All 53 criteria

Criterion love: 0.5 is the category norm. n: rated user-weeks.

### Paying for the agent: 2nd of 7 (customer love 0.619, n 1119)

Users describe low running costs from local models, cheap APIs and existing subscriptions. Hermes ranks 1st of 6 on fair price. Token waste comes up 2.93 times as often as for other agents. Complaints about it, and about usage limits, outnumber praise.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Agent spends usage on overhead and costly choices](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.token_efficiency.md) | 2nd of 5 | 0.558 | 0.521–0.594 | 378 | 145 | 233 |
| [Subscription price versus value received](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.price_level.md) | 1st of 6 | 0.624 | 0.594–0.653 | 348 | 256 | 92 |
| [Usage allowance size, exhaustion and reset wait](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.usage_cap.md) | 3rd of 6 | 0.543 | 0.507–0.577 | 262 | 75 | 187 |
| [Free tier, trial or required plan to start](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.entry_plan.md) | 3rd of 6 | 0.533 | 0.504–0.560 | 144 | 100 | 44 |
| [Plan contents, bundles and usage meters unclear](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.plan_clarity.md) | 1st of 3 | 0.587 | 0.526–0.663 | 40 | 11 | 29 |
| [Buying, upgrading, cancelling and refunding go wrong](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.purchase_flow.md) | 3rd of 5 | 0.498 | 0.475–0.528 | 37 | 3 | 34 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “mostly free though! local models do the bulk of our work not all though.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x91xdh/hermes_server/phhpbaz/)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, @NousResearch (X): “@freelifedk @nousresearch they all share xai grok 4.7 model brains. so i just have basically unlimited tokens. it resets every week. not once a month.” [source](https://twitter.com/1465585240072757248/status/2111880797565133015)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i don't know who needs to hear this, but hermes agent does web search for free. no api key, no paid api calls. i checked our own config and cost ledger: search has been $0 the whole time. a whole line item, gone.” [source](https://twitter.com/292170570/status/2111727558270017777)
- Complaint, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@67xlgroyper prolly not quite as smart as claude lol but its legtiminstly 100 cheaper for 85 percent of the performance so i use it to power my hermes agent cause that things a fucking token hog” [source](https://twitter.com/2064476208235196416/status/2111846000495309135)
- Complaint, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i can't help but miss the "h". i was charged more than i expected when choosing the hermes agent model.” [source](https://twitter.com/60807366/status/2111894362712133645)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@independenteco opus 5.5 isn't dirt cheap in the subscription. if you use it outside the app, like in something like hermes agent, then it will eat the entire 5h limit on 1-2 prompts with medium reasoning.” [source](https://twitter.com/521176576/status/2111407289009635609)

### Getting access and set up: 4th of 7 (customer love 0.510, n 922)

Setup draws the most complaints. Hermes ranks 6th of 7 on quick, easy setup. Users also say the phone and computer apps fall short, and an official mobile app is the top request.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Effort needed to set up and train the agent](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.setup.md) | 5th of 6 | 0.422 | 0.392–0.456 | 621 | 250 | 371 |
| [Apps offered for phone, tablet and desktop](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.platform.md) | 5th of 5 | 0.403 | 0.372–0.439 | 279 | 48 | 231 |
| [Account creation, sign-in and identity checks fail](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.sign_in.md) | 3rd of 5 | 0.525 | 0.495–0.560 | 32 | 8 | 24 |
| [Country availability, waitlists and staged rollout](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.availability.md) | Too few posts | 0.507 | 0.490–0.529 | 14 | 3 | 11 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@stefanstillhart yes, that is crap. but let me ask a question. what work environment do you have? my hermes agent sets everything up for me. i can also do it manually if necessary. but then preferably without docker. a docker compose can be quite complex.” [source](https://twitter.com/35470806/status/2111388984215732662)
- Praise, 2026-10-16, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “yep, it doesn't need much to perform good and once you use it for a while you can understand what your specific setup needs and just ask hermes to set it up.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x7b6kw/hot_take_dont_bother_with_proper_settings_if_you/ph6j2rb/)
- Praise, 2026-10-16, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i installed hermes agent on a vps... one command and a wizard. i connected it to an openai compatible endpoint and asked it who i am, without giving it context. it found me anyway hehe the bare installation, step by step: [link] [link] @helmcode @barckcode @borjaperfra” [source](https://twitter.com/850799668686663681/status/2111125012392583236)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i used telegram so that everyone has their profile directly. just that. but i confess that there is a lack of a suitable mobile app.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x89pzq/ways_to_share_hermes_profile_with_family/phd1e1q/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “it seems that settings made with `hermes model` or directly touching config.yaml may unintentionally leave past settings, so it doesn't seem to work well. i will give up on understanding it for now and leave the settings to the hermes agent, haha.” [source](https://twitter.com/121687256/status/2111265193724707291)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i tried hermes agent, too complicated to setup. just subscribed to grok bot. getting things done is more important than trynna save couple bucks a month. 🤘” [source](https://twitter.com/3132573418/status/2111269150853398822)

### Connecting accounts, sites and devices: 1st of 7 (customer love 0.598, n 765)

Users say Hermes reaches the services they use and their own phones and computers. It ranks 1st on both. Linked accounts that drop off are the weak spot, at 5th of 6.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Which services have a connector or integration](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.coverage.md) | 1st of 7 | 0.567 | 0.538–0.597 | 367 | 275 | 92 |
| [Linking accounts and staying logged in](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.account_link.md) | 5th of 6 | 0.488 | 0.452–0.530 | 203 | 33 | 170 |
| [Access to the user's own phone or computer](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.local_device.md) | 1st of 5 | 0.598 | 0.570–0.626 | 169 | 132 | 37 |
| [Websites block the agent with captchas or IP bans](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.site_blocking.md) | 2nd of 7 | 0.518 | 0.492–0.546 | 43 | 12 | 31 |
| [Moving files between agent, apps and user](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.file_transfer.md) | Too few posts | 0.508 | 0.494–0.525 | 19 | 8 | 11 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “my hermes agent doesn't give a single flying fuck if they're blocking agents [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1384843616145666049/status/2111697584704327880)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i was able to connect via hermes agent and opencode acp~ it appeared in the provider list, and i also confirmed the responses of deepseek v4.1 flash free and glm 5.3 flash. i have won.” [source](https://twitter.com/1417085717465899012/status/2111297988190695804)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “my tv felt sluggish, so i had my hermes agent step in over wi-fi. i instructed it to audit the tv, debloat the pre-installed sony apps, optimize system resources, and deploy a new third-party dashboard (instead of the standard sony dashboard). performance is big time up 🔼” [source](https://twitter.com/1771100726380449792/status/2111418161983615428)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch i'm on v0.22.0, but i don't see the gmail connector (searching "google" also shows no matching apps) 🤔 [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/11956412/status/2110467692289520126)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, Hermes Agent Update v0.22 is MASSIVE! (Threshold Release) (YouTube): “local models provider , subagents , were already available a bunch of updates ago.... gmail conenctor is not avialable .... please fact check...” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAaAgcjNgEs&lc=UgziBpkkilteScQYQfB4AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch seems like connectors on nous portal has the issue right now? it shows oauth app with client id does not exist. and invalid redirect url.” [source](https://twitter.com/144893957/status/2109845222398247056)

### Talking to the agent: 7th of 8 (customer love 0.427, n 1286)

Complaints focus on the app. Hermes ranks last on an app that works without bugs, and users complain about slow replies. Chatting through messaging apps is a strength, at 1st of 5.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [App screens, layout, rendering, localisation and stability](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.app_client.md) | 6th of 6 | 0.412 | 0.378–0.446 | 415 | 80 | 335 |
| [Response and task completion speed](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.speed.md) | 6th of 7 | 0.421 | 0.389–0.450 | 301 | 116 | 185 |
| [Reaching the agent through messaging apps](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.channel.md) | 1st of 5 | 0.550 | 0.507–0.591 | 259 | 193 | 66 |
| [Threads, chats and parallel tasks organisation](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.conversation.md) | 4th of 5 | 0.470 | 0.439–0.505 | 210 | 69 | 141 |
| [Avatar, personality and tone of replies](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.persona.md) | 3rd of 6 | 0.471 | 0.438–0.502 | 107 | 75 | 32 |
| [Speaking with the agent by voice or call](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.voice.md) | 2nd of 6 | 0.569 | 0.541–0.597 | 87 | 55 | 32 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “am i the only one who likes the interface of hermes agent? it's very refreshing. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2019284742601076738/status/2111663518185627900)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i use discord with my family and they all have their own agent with connected bot. works well.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x89pzq/ways_to_share_hermes_profile_with_family/phat085/)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “cli is not redundant, power users love it... but you can tell hermes to turn on the webui and persist it, that way you have full control via a browser anywhere if you want it... it's also imho better than the app.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x8cuxy/solo_founder_automating_a_small_business_with/phbyasy/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i had a part that i was always struggling with in hermes agent, so i decided to try using deepseek harness. for now, i replaced various ui elements and i'm satisfied.” [source](https://twitter.com/803287464735449089/status/2111644781709541685)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i'd say if you have had any experience with the hermes official desktop app you'd appreciate any and all alternatives.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x6xcxl/introducing_hermes_deck_an_agent_orchestrator/ph8js90/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “minimizing hermes desktop stops voice recognition - a record of the cause and solution for "recording is happening but no speech" | meifia @mayfair0077 [link] #hermesdesktop #bugreport #hermesagent the fix for noir voice recognition being disabled when minimized.” [source](https://twitter.com/1046417794269470720/status/2111266033977999373)

### Getting tasks done: 7th of 9 (customer love 0.447, n 1760)

Users rate task work less often here than for other agents. Paperwork and content creation are strengths, both ranked 1st. Research and driving a browser or desktop rank 5th of 7, and posts describe tasks that stall.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Writing code and building apps or websites](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.build.md) | 3rd of 6 | 0.499 | 0.443–0.556 | 353 | 319 | 34 |
| [Following instructions, rules and corrections](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.instructions.md) | 3rd of 6 | 0.520 | 0.483–0.552 | 303 | 129 | 174 |
| [Web research, monitoring and summarising information](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.research.md) | 5th of 7 | 0.489 | 0.416–0.558 | 277 | 262 | 15 |
| [Wrong facts, hallucinations and careless mistakes](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.accuracy.md) | 3rd of 7 | 0.513 | 0.480–0.544 | 253 | 85 | 168 |
| [Stops short, or hands the task back](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.stops_short.md) | 4th of 6 | 0.491 | 0.461–0.521 | 194 | 104 | 90 |
| [Creating writing, images, video and social posts](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.content.md) | 1st of 6 | 0.565 | 0.534–0.596 | 157 | 146 | 11 |
| [Forms, applications, claims and life admin paperwork](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.admin.md) | 1st of 7 | 0.581 | 0.542–0.610 | 153 | 152 | 1 |
| [Operating a browser or desktop by clicking](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.computer_use.md) | 4th of 7 | 0.483 | 0.451–0.513 | 140 | 79 | 61 |
| [Says it did something it did not do](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.false_reports.md) | 1st of 5 | 0.504 | 0.452–0.608 | 49 | 1 | 48 |
| [Contacting other people and businesses for you](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.outreach.md) | 2nd of 6 | 0.519 | 0.498–0.536 | 44 | 41 | 3 |
| [Email triage, cleanup and drafting replies](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.email.md) | 3rd of 7 | 0.506 | 0.472–0.533 | 33 | 31 | 2 |
| [Buying products, orders and purchase judgment](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.shopping.md) | Too few posts | 0.515 | 0.495–0.533 | 27 | 24 | 3 |
| [Budgets, transactions, bills and investments](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.finance.md) | Too few posts | 0.520 | 0.513–0.528 | 26 | 26 | 0 |
| [Booking appointments, reservations, travel and tickets](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.reservations.md) | Too few posts | 0.515 | 0.508–0.524 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| [Calendar entries, conflicts and schedule changes](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.calendar.md) | Too few posts | 0.509 | 0.504–0.515 | 11 | 11 | 0 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i put linux ubuntu on an old laptop then installed hermes . i use deepseek api for a simple assistant $5 a month, for some serious projects $20. once hermes is up and running it will do much of the work for you.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x8nadv/beginners_advice/phem8c2/)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “hermes agent helping me decide which saved videos to skip? useful. @witcheer shared by2kb: local transcription and an abstract before the full notes. i like filtering the backlog before committing to more reading [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1370743150940196867/status/2111751041326997921)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i sent this tweet to my hermes agent and it not only identified that it's wrong coupon code.... but it ordered the domain for me too [link] [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1384843616145666049/status/2111803598183223364)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “well... i theoretically gave it a goal. but it still showed regular chat behavior.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x7g2df/hermes_refuses_to_go_beyond_chatbot_behavior/ph58g1i/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch @teknium gentleman, i regret to inform you that cua on omarchy linux sucks ass , screen goes completely black and i have to terminal out” [source](https://twitter.com/2024971808450174976/status/2110904605395861932)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch hermes ignores the worktree flag in one-shot mode. in chat mode it makes the worktree inside your repo, adds .worktrees/ to your .gitignore, and deletes the whole worktree when the session ends. (5/7)” [source](https://twitter.com/1663634511005986819/status/2110803103868145918)

### Running on its own: 3rd of 8 (customer love 0.542, n 2024)

Users talk about this 1.8 times as often as for other agents. Its own computer ranks 1st and memory across sessions ranks 2nd. Agent teams draw far more praise than complaints, but their rating sits at the category norm.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Where the agent runs: its own computer and always-on running](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.cloud_env.md) | 1st of 6 | 0.636 | 0.607–0.665 | 895 | 700 | 195 |
| [Multiple agents, teams and delegation between them](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.multi_agent.md) | 2nd of 5 | 0.486 | 0.448–0.528 | 574 | 454 | 120 |
| [Remembering the user and context across sessions](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.memory.md) | 2nd of 5 | 0.555 | 0.517–0.592 | 492 | 342 | 150 |
| [Scheduled recurring tasks and daily briefings run](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.routines.md) | 2nd of 6 | 0.541 | 0.502–0.580 | 221 | 195 | 26 |
| [Unprompted suggestions, insights and check-ins](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.proactive.md) | 4th of 6 | 0.469 | 0.435–0.503 | 82 | 60 | 22 |
| [Reminders and notifications reach the user correctly](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.reminders.md) | Too few posts | 0.503 | 0.482–0.519 | 24 | 20 | 4 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@thsottiaux @rl_env my dot coordinated with my remote hermes agent and built a connector for it. now they’re working together on my projects. this is insane.” [source](https://twitter.com/1889646500093050881/status/2111694104858075462)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “clocked out of my gig, done with the contract, and five minutes later my hermes agent messaged and asked if we could build together next week. i replied yes. then it replied: [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/867185589581258752/status/2111273428900811133)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i have installed hermes desktop, but the problem is everytime i start it, it asks me for my name and kinda starts from the beginning. is there a fix to this?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x86qac/hermes_agent_not_remembering_name/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@hanghuang_ hermes agent, it's only on virtual, when i close, it's also close” [source](https://twitter.com/1450991495125692421/status/2111533308807188510)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “try [link]. kanban is not really working very well on hermes for autonomusworkflow and if it does at some point it will fail eventually.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x7g9lb/setting_up_kanban_and_autonomous_workflow/ph4aci6/)

### Staying in control: 1st of 7 (customer love 0.679, n 1601)

Users talk about choosing their model 4.4 times as often as for other agents. Hermes ranks 1st on both model choice and fitting it to how you work.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Configuring behaviour, skills and portability](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.customize.md) | 1st of 5 | 0.632 | 0.597–0.666 | 802 | 645 | 157 |
| [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md) | 1st of 5 | 0.696 | 0.663–0.724 | 657 | 482 | 175 |
| [Seeing what the agent is doing and has done](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.visibility.md) | 2nd of 5 | 0.532 | 0.500–0.563 | 155 | 87 | 68 |
| [Asks before acting: too little or too much](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.approval.md) | 2nd of 6 | 0.531 | 0.502–0.561 | 128 | 77 | 51 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, @NousResearch (X): “@brorlandi boooa! hermes is among the most flexible and complete harnesses i have ever worked with. well-developed ideas fit very well into it! i want to follow your projects with it! let's go! @nousresearch” [source](https://twitter.com/1571720890861211653/status/2111865540578795882)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “to be honest, i still choose hermes agent because it is much freer and not dependent on one platform [link] [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/428050733/status/2111617169280942449)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i'm getting used to hermes agent, but i have no motivation to move on to grok bot or dots at all. this is probably what spacexai and openai want to do by enclosing it in an app. if i seek the highest degree of freedom, it will probably be hermes agent or openclaw.” [source](https://twitter.com/2321892516/status/2111837470618947594)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “oh man this explains some weird uncommitted diffs i keep finding in my skills folder, gonna go check my background review settings now” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x6xg8e/background_review_wrote_into_my_gitversioned/ph26d6p/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i wonder how everyone is using the approval mode of hermes agent. smart is quite secure and difficult to use. with yolo, it becomes without approval, so it's scary.” [source](https://twitter.com/2109680331217616898/status/2111041110957232337)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i am working on the config.yml of hermes agent, but i cannot switch to local when the model is set to local and api. there is also an issue, and it has not been addressed yet. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/82571855/status/2110596931374436466)

### Trusting it with data and safety: 1st of 6 (customer love 0.613, n 303)

Users rate this area less often than for other agents, but Hermes ranks 1st of 6. Users rate its use of their data well. Resistance to attacks and leaks sits at the category norm.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Permission scope requested and isolation between agents](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.access_scope.md) | 1st of 6 | 0.545 | 0.515–0.579 | 117 | 53 | 64 |
| [Vulnerabilities, prompt injection and cross-user leaks](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.security.md) | 2nd of 4 | 0.500 | 0.472–0.529 | 85 | 28 | 57 |
| [How the vendor collects, keeps and uses data](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.data_use.md) | 1st of 5 | 0.634 | 0.596–0.671 | 82 | 57 | 25 |
| [Refuses legitimate requests because of guardrails](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.refusals.md) | 2nd of 5 | 0.520 | 0.492–0.556 | 38 | 10 | 28 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “hear, hear. the last thing i want to do is give fb and zuck anymore of my information. they have plenty. that’s why i ❤️hermes.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x943dw/i_am_missing_something_if_i_dont_use_hermes_or/phj24pm/)
- Praise, 2026-10-14, @NousResearch (X): “@tomazot @umanitek @nousresearch @origin_trail verified rules block, community reports just flag. tried it out this morning on hermes, solid so far 😺” [source](https://twitter.com/1657234407978332161/status/2110288926326071626)
- Praise, 2026-10-07, @NousResearch (X): “@perceptualpeak sucks. this is why i just stick with hermes agent for everything because of the added security from tirith, this kinda shit just can't happen. @nousresearch” [source](https://twitter.com/71990583/status/2107832035880653258)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “not really. too many loop holes by design. need to do some heavy gating” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x87r3f/is_hermes_actually_reliable_as_an_orchestrator/phcjll0/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “- i grabbed an old lenovo m920q - i installed proxmox - i installed debian on an lxc and installed hermes there - this is what i wrote in the initial posting, now giving more detail - the security issues are not solved by just installing hermes in an debian environment” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x5nte6/help_needed_how_is_hermes_meant_to_be_deployed/pgrhg9v/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-11, @NousResearch (X): “y'all should really put a paperclip next to all these popups asking to exfiltrate data in the desktop app @nousresearch i can't even do nothing without being asked if it's okay for you to get a copy of my feet pictures” [source](https://twitter.com/2034282436897718272/status/2109198112493547909)

### Dealing with the vendor: 1st of 8 (customer love 0.654, n 736)

Hermes ranks 1st on staying up and responsive and on helpful support. Updates get mixed reviews: complaints that updates break things outnumber praise.

| Criterion | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Got better or worse over time, and update cadence](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/vendor.updates.md) | 2nd of 5 | 0.534 | 0.498–0.571 | 436 | 176 | 260 |
| [Outages, errors and agent going unresponsive](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/vendor.uptime.md) | 1st of 7 | 0.688 | 0.642–0.735 | 276 | 82 | 194 |
| [Support responses and account bans or lockouts](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/vendor.support.md) | 1st of 5 | 0.597 | 0.541–0.654 | 63 | 21 | 42 |

Most recent posts:

- Praise, 2026-10-18, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “thats my pholosophy with openclaw, but with hermes i allways update every x.2 version and newer: never had problems and when hermes could fix it by himself.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x8e34d/which_hermes_version_is_the_sweet_spot/phg4o8c/)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “i personally have been finding v22 to be great so far. they've now introduced a stable branch, so it's easier to update only when you need to instead of every batch of commits” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x8e34d/which_hermes_version_is_the_sweet_spot/phcq7z4/)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i still can't believe how much more stable hermes agent is compared to what openclaw was. is anybody still using openclaw? i'm 90% muse and 10% hermes and muse is probably gaining a bigger share the more i use it.” [source](https://twitter.com/5538162/status/2111300924664623460)
- Complaint, 2026-10-18, @NousResearch (X): “really wish @nousresearch would fix the idle compaction bug in hermes agent. then i could get rid of the song and dance i have to go through every time i want to update.” [source](https://twitter.com/2088017175760031746/status/2111800487569772959)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch just trying to update to this and my hermes’ agent suddenly has lots of issues trying to do this. wasting a lot of time.” [source](https://twitter.com/96766224/status/2111275993675817028)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, @NousResearch (X): “@witcheer @nousresearch will do. i just updated before i saw your post using a mix of hermes and claude. once the desktop and other components need restarting, hermes has a hard time restarting itself after it killed its own run/gateway.” [source](https://twitter.com/3345674519/status/2111322610915029293)