# Subscription price versus value received (`billing.price_level`)

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

Area: [Paying for the agent](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.md)

**Definition.** Whether the monthly or annual price of the plan that includes the agent feels fair for what it does, including comparisons with cheaper or free alternatives.

**Boundary.** Not this: see [Free tier, trial or required plan to start](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.entry_plan.md) when the issue is that no free or cheaper way to use it exists at all; see [Usage allowance size, exhaustion and reset wait](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.usage_cap.md) when the issue is how much usage the price buys.

Rated user-weeks, all agents: 1791. Complaint share: 46%.

## 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 and Muse give users the most for their money. Hermes Agent users say it runs for a few dollars a month or for nothing, and Muse users say its free plan does what other agents charge for. Price is the 11th most rated of 53 criteria, and 46.1% of those ratings are complaints. Grok Bot, ChatGPT Dots and OpenClaw rank low. Grok Bot users rate price 1.98 times as often as other users, and they write 54% of the category's price complaints.

### What separates the best from the rest

Users of Hermes Agent, Muse and Hark say they spend less than before. They mention free web search, a free plan that replaces a paid one, and subscriptions they cut. Users of Grok Bot, ChatGPT Dots and OpenClaw say they pay a lot for too little. Their posts describe an expensive subscription when free tools exist, a top plan the agent does not justify, and API costs that keep the agent from being used fully.

- **Ranks high**: [Muse](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/muse.md), [Hermes Agent](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hermes-agent.md), [Hark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hark.md)
  - Muse, 2026-10-15, App Store (App Store): “i literally can’t believe it is free when i pay chatgpt $20 a month for the same thing.” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/muse-from-meta/id6760173601)
  - Hermes Agent, 2026-10-13, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@elijahmuraoka_ @spacex @bot i really like hermes atm. what used a full week of grok bot cost $4 using gpt-6 luna via hermes agent.” [source](https://twitter.com/1045753081999155201/status/2109872094897148078)
- **Ranks low**: [Grok Bot](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/grok-bot.md), [OpenClaw](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/openclaw.md), [ChatGPT Dots](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/dots.md)
  - Grok Bot, 2026-10-14, Play Store (Play Store): “why pay an expensive subscription when you can literally use any other ai completely free... bye bye grok 👋” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.x.grok.bot)
  - ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-04, r/aiwars (Reddit): “i just can not think of a reason to use the dots feature. everything i might consider using it for can be accomplished with scheduled python scripts, api keys and a raspberry pi hooked up to a power bank. certainly not worth £90 per month.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/aiwars/comments/1wxso0y/chatgpt_dots_and_the_tamagotchi_effect/pdwn3xo/)

## How it breaks

Rule: A separate pass sorts complaints into failure modes. For each criterion with at least 30 complaining user-weeks, a large language model reads 150 complaint posts drawn at random and names 4 to 8 failure modes; a second large language model then puts every complaint post on that criterion in one mode, or in Other when it fits none. Modes are fixed once named, and new posts are sorted into them each week. A mode counts distinct user-weeks with a complaint in it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Modes do not change the labels or the Feedback Score. Examples: up to 3 posts per mode from different users, chosen and checked as receipts are.

The largest mode is an entry price users find too high, with no free or cheap tier. It holds 22% of complaining user-weeks, and Grok Bot users write 55% of it. Grok Bot users write most of several other modes, above all paid allowances that run out within days (85%) and top-ups that are poor value (73%). The token cost of running an agent is the one mode split across Grok Bot, OpenClaw and Hermes Agent.

835 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price too high, no free tier | 187 | 192 | Grok Bot 103, Muse 26, ChatGPT Dots 22, Hermes Agent 16, OpenClaw 11, Gemini Spark 4, Hark 4, Poke 1 | Covers complaints that even the cheapest plan with the agent costs too much for ordinary users, or that there is no free or low-cost tier and the agent is locked behind premium or business plans. It excludes complaints that a plan the user already pays for gives too little usage. |
| Premium model tokens too costly to run agents | 132 | 135 | Grok Bot 47, OpenClaw 45, Hermes Agent 36, Muse 4 | Covers complaints that running an agent framework on pay-per-token premium models, or keeping it on 24/7 with growing context, piles up API, server, or hardware bills the user cannot sustain. It excludes the bundled allowance of a flat subscription. |
| Cheaper alternatives deliver the same for less | 129 | 133 | Grok Bot 64, OpenClaw 25, ChatGPT Dots 21, Hermes Agent 13, Muse 6 | Covers complaints that compare the price directly with competing subscriptions, free products, or open-source and self-built setups that do similar work for less money, often while the user says they are switching. It excludes complaints that are only about absolute price with no comparison. |
| Output quality doesn't justify the price | 107 | 111 | Grok Bot 56, ChatGPT Dots 25, Muse 14, Hermes Agent 5, Gemini Spark 3, OpenClaw 3, Poke 1 | Covers complaints that the agent's mistakes, weak model, bugs, or limited abilities make the fee unjustified whatever the usage limits are. It excludes complaints where the agent works well but runs out or costs too much. |
| Paid allowance runs out within days | 79 | 86 | Grok Bot 67, Muse 7, Hermes Agent 2, OpenClaw 2, ChatGPT Dots 1 | Covers complaints that the usage bundled with a paid plan is used up after a day or a few days of normal or setup use, so the subscription feels like it buys too little. It excludes the cost of separately bought on-demand credits and the per-token cost of self-run agents. |
| Price hikes, promo ends, and shrinking bundles | 76 | 80 | Grok Bot 45, ChatGPT Dots 11, Muse 7, Hermes Agent 6, OpenClaw 6, Gemini Spark 1 | Covers complaints about prices going up over time: promos ending at a much higher price, tier restructures that multiply cost, bundled benefits quietly cut after prepaying, or overlapping subscriptions that make users pay twice for the same rights. It excludes complaints about a stable, unchanged price. |
| On-demand credits and top-ups are poor value | 67 | 68 | Grok Bot 49, Hermes Agent 10, OpenClaw 4, Muse 3, Hark 1 | Covers complaints that buying extra usage or credits beyond the plan is overpriced, drains far faster than expected, or still leaves the user blocked, compared with upgrading. It excludes complaints about the base plan's own allowance or price. |
| Same fee buys less in some regions | 18 | 18 | Grok Bot 11, ChatGPT Dots 5, Muse 2 | Covers complaints that users in some countries pay the same or a similar subscription fee but get fewer features, no access to the agent, or a price that is out of line with local incomes. It excludes general complaints about price that have no regional angle. |
| Other | 57 | 59 | Grok Bot 17, ChatGPT Dots 14, Muse 11, Hermes Agent 7, Hark 5, OpenClaw 3 | Complaints that fit none of the modes above. |

#### Entry price too high, no free tier

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-11, Grok Bot vs OpenClaw vs Hermes: Which AI Agent Wins? (YouTube): “i like grok but it is very expensive to rent for 3 months, but during that time i will fine-tune my version with hermes or a personal one that i am making in python.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYQ5rPiev5E&lc=Ugx1I-Z1522hdj9Cupx4AaABAg)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-11, I Made Grok Bot, Dots & Muse Do the Same 3 Jobs (RAW RESULTS) (YouTube): “great comparison. i was pleasantly surprised. i agree that grokbot is very expensive 😢” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbm5LevEJyI&lc=UgyrJcCxdqLL-ICNKOl4AaABAg)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-10, ChatGPT Dots Is WAY More Powerful Than You Think (YouTube): “just wish it weren’t so expensive. i would just like to use it to jot down brainstorming notes, i’m not a developer i don’t need 100 dollar plan with codex and astra workspace” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXhOxfPECnM&lc=UgzlM4UIfW7BBx9YxfV4AaABAg)

#### Premium model tokens too costly to run agents

- OpenClaw, 2026-10-08, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@adarshchetan i wish the api were cheaper so we could really use things like openclaw to their full potential.” [source](https://twitter.com/703528675271176192/status/2108093817437962551)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-06, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch @insurrealist it’s still so expensive…even using non-frontier models i go through like $40 a day…” [source](https://twitter.com/1998973985376317442/status/2107449314641580281)
- OpenClaw, 2026-10-05, @openclaw (X): “@liambraus @openclaw exactly, at volume the session cost adds up fast” [source](https://twitter.com/1308053727539068935/status/2107164068943675551)

#### Cheaper alternatives deliver the same for less

- Muse, 2026-10-14, Play Store (Play Store): “i'm still trying to find out what it does that's beneficial compared to other stuff right now that is also free” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-14, Play Store (Play Store): “why pay an expensive subscription when you can literally use any other ai completely free... bye bye grok 👋” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.x.grok.bot)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-13, Muse Wonder vs Hark Pro vs Grok Bot vs Dots: Same Trip, Ranked (YouTube): “so far i’m loving hark. i’m not doing anything complicated. just living but it’s easy and proactive. i used it quite a bit and still haven’t hit my limit. grok is almost useless because it’s so expensive” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8wUXyHewBM&lc=UgwcoDVzqGPw_nBL6_d4AaABAg)

#### Output quality doesn't justify the price

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-10, What's new in Grok Bot - Oct 7, 2026 (YouTube): “for grok bot to do any actual work, it’s more expensive than hiring a human.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdsNKSWOSyo&lc=Ugw-7hCgCy0W2zamEGF4AaABAg)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, What's new in Grok Bot - Oct 7, 2026 (YouTube): “kinda useless? muse has its own ubunut deskptop and ram with chromium but this ? grok bot is worse than dots. xai really needs to focus on the llm part because the costs are too high for what it is an downright insulting” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdsNKSWOSyo&lc=UgxfTFb13_ZU_BkGhbF4AaABAg)
- Muse, 2026-10-06, X search: Muse from Meta, Meta Muse (X): “who the fuck say meta muse is cheap, test their 50$ subscription, it's horrible. can't compare to claude.” [source](https://twitter.com/2938104403/status/2107457315528183963)

#### Paid allowance runs out within days

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “my first week on grok bot cost me around 120 dollars. i have nothing left and need to wait 2 days until it resets. it consumed a lot of money.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1wzsp9y/grok_bot_limits/pegduav/)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-02, @bot (X): “@poteto tell us how can we use @bot cheaper please. 🙏🏻 after 2 days of use i have to pay over $300 for my use. this is unfortunately unsustainable on my side. ☹️” [source](https://twitter.com/2078111566084329472/status/2106065216132059223)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-27, @bot (X): “@poteto @petergyang @bot moving away from grokbot. $20 sub isn’t enough and i’m not paying $60.” [source](https://twitter.com/228437736/status/2104266234288132594)

#### Price hikes, promo ends, and shrinking bundles

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-07, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “real cost: hermes agent rotation 25 sep — model retired (v4-flash). overnight: 4.4x jump ($0.015 → $0.066/m in). no warning. not watching = the most expensive feature.” [source](https://twitter.com/1044578660/status/2107629767248015829)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-06, @bot (X): “paying for a @bot subscription and paying for @x api usage on top of it doesn't seem to be the right pricing strategy.” [source](https://twitter.com/1056730554438180864/status/2107294600360567082)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-02, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot why did i lose my bot?? 38 a month is too much. 20 was ok, for a blue check and a bot with super lite limitations. i was happy, and getting things accomplished. you’ve gutted me.. i cannot afford this!” [source](https://twitter.com/1517279985345732613/status/2105886650014498929)

#### On-demand credits and top-ups are poor value

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-18, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “lol the on demand buys you much less than say your $30 supergrok - each token costs much more and is not “subsidized” for lack of a better term last week i found my team burns $5/hr not doing much of anything” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x8pd5s/usage_complaint/pheyoh3/)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-10, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch @tiny_fish as my gerasim (hermes agent) puts it: we’ve been using the free search+fetch as a backup system since september. what’s new in the plugin is a paid, credit-based feature. there’s no reason for us to pay for that—we already have a local browser.” [source](https://twitter.com/2023352631767257089/status/2108969842657378468)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “@bot why do i have to pay additional for grok bot to search x?” [source](https://twitter.com/2019868627877445633/status/2107955760328241404)

#### Same fee buys less in some regions

- Grok Bot, 2026-09-27, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “whether it's x money or the new grok bot template rewards, i feel it's unfair that there are too many differences in functions and plans between the us while paying the same subscription fee. i understand that both require x money and that the introduction in japan is complicated due to politics, but wouldn't it be nice to have some unique plans for japan?” [source](https://twitter.com/1448226309109284869/status/2104160437944430842)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-27, Play Store (Play Store): “turkish language support should be added and the prices are very expensive, the free version is also very poor.” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.x.grok.bot)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-03, Play Store (Play Store): “it doesn't work even to try without a subscription. you want 650 czk per month for a robot that doesn't speak czech, and i can't even start it without money? you get a star for effort, but that's about it!” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.x.grok.bot)

#### Other

- Hermes Agent, 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)

## Top requests

What users ask to add or change, most asked first. 353 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 | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lower subscription price overall | 101 | 105 | Grok Bot 54, Hermes Agent 12, Muse 12, OpenClaw 10, ChatGPT Dots 8, Hark 4, Gemini Spark 1 |
| 2 | Cheaper entry-level plan | 28 | 28 | Grok Bot 12, ChatGPT Dots 6, Muse 4, Hermes Agent 3, Gemini Spark 1, Hark 1, OpenClaw 1 |
| 3 | Lower token and API pricing | 24 | 24 | OpenClaw 11, Hermes Agent 9, Grok Bot 3, ChatGPT Dots 1 |
| 4 | Lower price for pro and top tiers | 22 | 22 | Grok Bot 7, OpenClaw 6, ChatGPT Dots 5, Hark 2, Hermes Agent 1, Muse 1 |
| 5 | No price increases or grandfathered pricing | 18 | 18 | Grok Bot 9, Muse 5, OpenClaw 2, Hermes Agent 1, Poke 1 |
| 6 | Discounts and promotional deals | 15 | 16 | Hermes Agent 6, Grok Bot 4, Hark 2, ChatGPT Dots 1, Muse 1, Poke 1 |
| 7 | Higher tier with more usage | 12 | 13 | Grok Bot 9, ChatGPT Dots 1, Hermes Agent 1, Muse 1 |
| 8 | Cheaper hosting and compute to run | 12 | 12 | Hermes Agent 6, OpenClaw 5, Grok Bot 1 |
| 9 | More usage included for the price | 10 | 10 | Grok Bot 7, OpenClaw 2, Muse 1 |
| 10 | Price matched to cheaper competitors | 9 | 10 | Grok Bot 4, Hermes Agent 2, Hark 1, Muse 1, OpenClaw 1 |
| 11 | Lower credit cost per task | 6 | 6 | Grok Bot 2, Hermes Agent 2, OpenClaw 2 |
| 12 | Cheaper on-demand and overage usage | 5 | 5 | Grok Bot 5 |

### 1. Lower subscription price overall

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-18, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot make only 1 improvement -> make it cheaper.” [source](https://twitter.com/1043019939441831937/status/2111733367268106466)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-17, Put your dot on call (YouTube): “when is the price going to come down? $100/month is ridiculous.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBOZIRK1ujw&lc=UgwzTp6bPAOsuozPRe54AaABAg)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-13, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “hey @elonmusk do you have plan to lower the prize of grok @bot i really want to use it but its too expensive. i know grokbot is the best agentic ai but the price is making it less accessible” [source](https://twitter.com/2090394957165244416/status/2109932857150034294)

### 2. Cheaper entry-level plan

- Muse, 2026-10-14, Meta Just Unleashed Its Most Powerful AI Yet  (Meta Muse Wonder) (YouTube): “opus 5.5 is a killer model, but i won't rule out meta for the future. 🤩 always respected the zuck. 😍 however, should have done a $17 plan not $50 !!” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_kGoHC3-Ys&lc=UgzUFRcGHhgonB5nJmB4AaABAg)
- Muse, 2026-10-14, @muse (X): “dude @muse wonder burned 100m tokens on regular automotion day. @alexandr_wang better add model router between spark and wonder because this is not affordable! you are forcing for 100$/m every month to people.” [source](https://twitter.com/2105744174674808832/status/2110175064192639398)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-10, ChatGPT Dots Is WAY More Powerful Than You Think (YouTube): “just wish it weren’t so expensive. i would just like to use it to jot down brainstorming notes, i’m not a developer i don’t need 100 dollar plan with codex and astra workspace” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXhOxfPECnM&lc=UgzlM4UIfW7BBx9YxfV4AaABAg)

### 3. Lower token and API pricing

- OpenClaw, 2026-10-09, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@bentossell exactly, opus carried those early openclaw builds. running agents daily taught me the blocker is the token bill: a personal agent works around the clock, and flagship pricing adds up fast. the day that math fits, opus lands in every personal stack.” [source](https://twitter.com/209923/status/2108418998337454096)
- OpenClaw, 2026-10-08, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@adarshchetan i wish the api were cheaper so we could really use things like openclaw to their full potential.” [source](https://twitter.com/703528675271176192/status/2108093817437962551)
- OpenClaw, 2026-10-07, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@ns123abc i believe the cost of oai tokens alone spent just on openclaw would already exceed the amount of this investment. hermes won.” [source](https://twitter.com/1929593182162927616/status/2107865170244497907)

### 4. Lower price for pro and top tiers

- Hark, 2026-10-10, @hark_labs (X): “@adcock_brett @jwang815 @hark_labs 2 shots hark built me the classic dizzy game and built it as an apk love it @adcock_brett. wish i could afford to continue the top tier sub after the free month. amazing work 👊🏻 [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1834269358547243012/status/2109040987553014173)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-09-30, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “openai dots: always-on agents with their own computer. i didn't try one. • separate work/personal agents. bill up 2-3x. 1hr alone vs 10min if you stay. • toy project quit. pro is too expensive. • "throughput is limited by my approval." [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2104715102922657792/status/2105228596088586455)
- OpenClaw, 2026-09-29, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@red_wolfess @sagevalmere wish we could afford opus in openclaw. but alas… [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1921351146985144320/status/2105074452765811199)

### 5. No price increases or grandfathered pricing

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-08, Play Store (Play Store): “please don't make this into a money machine version of grok and just make it so expensive and take the joy out of it. keep it fun, keep it alive, keep it real.” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.x.grok.bot)
- Muse, 2026-10-07, Play Store (Play Store): “pretty cool as long as they don't start overcharging in the future like the rest of those ai apps” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-05, Play Store (Play Store): “it's quite useful. i hope there won't be any restrictions and price increases over time.” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.x.grok.bot)

### 6. Discounts and promotional deals

- Muse, 2026-10-10, Play Store (Play Store): “so far it's working great i can't wait for the pendant really hoping i can get a discount on it. if not one for free. 😅😁 fresh-air.ai” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Hark, 2026-10-10, X search: Hark Pro, hark.com, Hark AI (X): “@adcock_brett hi! i’d like to ask if the minute5 promotion will ever return to hark pro. are there any plans to bring it back? thank you!” [source](https://twitter.com/1062399061851103233/status/2108944088036716848)
- Hark, 2026-10-09, X search: Hark Pro, hark.com, Hark AI (X): “hark pro is amazing beyond expectations, it moves on its own with scheduled tasks, it's independent and it's incredible. i want to use the $100 plan for free for another six months.” [source](https://twitter.com/836485067035697152/status/2108356812378677656)

### 7. Higher tier with more usage

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-16, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “yeah i’m shocked there’s no plan higher than the $200/mo plan & then if you hit the usage you’re getting crazy taxed on the extra credits that barely go far at all” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x7qezv/weve_made_some_improvements_to_grok_bots_quality/ph6sar7/)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-03, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “it does feel like that. it’s unusable. i would rather them offer higher tiers, even up to $1k a month then make me see money just get burned on on demand credit” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1wwmfk2/usage_increases_and_team_bots/pdm1y4m/)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-30, @bot (X): “@leerob @bot tell me exactly when my weekly usage will reset. and i need a plan above ultra. thanks alot.” [source](https://twitter.com/1520863659269885952/status/2105275671454892201)

### 8. Cheaper hosting and compute to run

- OpenClaw, 2026-10-14, Hermes or OpenClaw? I Built Real Workflows to Find Out (YouTube): “hosting this in hostinger is quite expensive, where can we do cheaper” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTCGDnTrVYI&lc=UgwjZsxkBe4VTRbR9Ot4AaABAg)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-27, App Store (App Store): “game changing for all walks of life. i wish there was a version that could run locally for the mundane tasks to go along with cloud version and have a better $ plan for the cloud version. but really enjoying it for helping my business and personal digital life.” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grok-bot/id6794501026)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-09-25, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@futurlucide if they really improve the creation of ai agents, more autonomous with potentially a cloud, it could be interesting. an upgrade that would allow doing what hermes agent offers, but at a lower cost on a larger scale.” [source](https://twitter.com/1673062808110485504/status/2103451191778644133)

### 9. More usage included for the price

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “switch to the $60 curser plan. game changer, lowest grok plan isn’t great for usage or the lowest $20 curser plan.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1wytj5l/love_grokbot_but_its_a_usage_hog/pei2o6r/)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-06, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “cursor for sure, it's actually the same limits but cheaper($10 cheaper). grok's supergrok plans are expensive really for no reason, cursor is the way to go honestly.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1wza7ur/which_plan_gives_me_higher_grok_bot_usage/peagolo/)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-04, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “so for $300 we can use it for 4 days a month? @grok @grokbot @bot @x @xai [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/32928477/status/2106853890927042822)

### 10. Price matched to cheaper competitors

- Hark, 2026-10-07, X search: Hark Pro, hark.com, Hark AI (X): “@chrisgpt interoperability is the future, especially with hark pro here and reflection on it’s way. prices need to drop muse levels.” [source](https://twitter.com/1742057839122604033/status/2107823503491977511)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-06, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “100 plan is also not great. they are way less than equivalent codex or claude plans for shittier models” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1wytj5l/love_grokbot_but_its_a_usage_hog/pe9rbpj/)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-05, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i'm trying to use dots forcefully, but the cost of using dots compared to the trained hermes agent is too high.” [source](https://twitter.com/1592251/status/2107098904051556820)

### 11. Lower credit cost per task

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, Grok Bot Now Uses Claude Opus 5.5 + More (MASSIVE Update) (YouTube): “would be great if the subscription allowance for grokbot tasks used a lower cost per task than standard api pricing, at least for the weekly allowance i'm sure they can make internal deals to cover the weekly allowance.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8H3MvLJwfs&lc=UgxpWiql-BPYZefW6H14AaABAg.AbfEb5ZVhkZAbfS3Bn0qHi)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-09-19, @NousResearch (X): “@rowans_planet @nousresearch i’d rather pay less for the boring admin stuff. same task shouldn’t cost forty times more just because the model is fancier.” [source](https://twitter.com/1631943482616029184/status/2101401743506518087)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-03, App Store (App Store): “best invention known to man but they need to fix it the $200 they give you last maybe 4 hours of work then you pay almost like a dollar a minute for basic tasks” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grok-bot/id6794501026)

### 12. Cheaper on-demand and overage usage

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-06, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @grok @bot please add more weekly usage in grok bot. on-demand is too expensive, and the included week is too small for daily use.” [source](https://twitter.com/1830989812074995712/status/2107481194963009549)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-19, @bot (X): “@andrewwarner @grok @bot i recently proved that on demand usage costs 14x more than cursor ultra $200/mo. so i made a coo who manages daily workload, aiming for 14% per day. hoping each week i wind up close to 100% before reset, but not popping over.” [source](https://twitter.com/428679450/status/2101392428414406819)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-18, App Store (App Store): “the bots have been great helping me set up my business. i have a bot that helps with each aspect from lead acquisition to lead input crm to marketing. all in one place like a team! i will say once your weekly usage runs out and you need more. do not do the on-demand usage. it’s crazy expensive. just upgrade your plan for the month. they should work on that charge but other than that! it’s great!” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grok-bot/id6794501026)

## Every agent

| Agent | Overall rank | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Hermes Agent](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hermes-agent.md) | 2 | 1st of 6 | 0.624 | 0.594–0.653 | 348 | 256 | 92 |
| [Muse](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/muse.md) | 1 | 2nd of 6 | 0.588 | 0.558–0.617 | 275 | 196 | 79 |
| [Hark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hark.md) | 4 | 3rd of 6 | 0.517 | 0.495–0.540 | 31 | 21 | 10 |
| [OpenClaw](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/openclaw.md) | 5 | 4th of 6 | 0.465 | 0.439–0.494 | 169 | 73 | 96 |
| [Grok Bot](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/grok-bot.md) | 3 | 5th of 6 | 0.402 | 0.368–0.436 | 808 | 366 | 442 |
| [ChatGPT Dots](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/dots.md) | 8 | 6th of 6 | 0.394 | 0.367–0.422 | 126 | 30 | 96 |
| [Gemini Spark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/gemini-spark.md) | 7 | Too few posts | – | – | 27 | 19 | 8 |
| [Poke](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/poke.md) | 9 | Too few posts | – | – | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| [Instinct](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/instinct.md) | 6 | Too few posts | – | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |

## Posts

Receipts rule: Up to 5 praise and 5 complaint posts per area and 3 per criterion. Each is a whole post of 60 to 450 characters (700 for areas) with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, that judges the criterion, whose labels are all praise or all complaint, and that contains no slur. Posts that touch the fewest criteria come first, then posts of at most 280 characters, then the newest. A second large language model reads the first 3 candidates per slot and keeps a post only if it clearly praises, or clearly complains about, the agent on that criterion. Links and personal details removed by the source show as marks such as [link].

### Hermes Agent

- 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)
- Praise, 2026-10-16, @NousResearch (X): “@_jayyy18_13k it had potential to be the best secretary and orchestrator for codex threads until it asked double permission for everything and blocked all threads until it get each approval. i'm better off with @nousresearch hermes doing the job for free [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2098346717355601931/status/2111046157761757527)
- Praise, 2026-10-15, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “running a hermes agent made me realize that you can spend <$20 a month and get a similar or better app compared to instinct or muse” [source](https://twitter.com/1248113707/status/2110553734958964756)
- 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, 2026-10-10, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch @tiny_fish as my gerasim (hermes agent) puts it: we’ve been using the free search+fetch as a backup system since september. what’s new in the plugin is a paid, credit-based feature. there’s no reason for us to pay for that—we already have a local browser.” [source](https://twitter.com/2023352631767257089/status/2108969842657378468)
- Complaint, 2026-10-07, @NousResearch (X): “@hermesagenttips @nousresearch it depends for what. too expensive except for high reasoning activities” [source](https://twitter.com/57416835/status/2107737474541769179)

### Muse

- Praise, 2026-10-15, App Store (App Store): “i literally can’t believe it is free when i pay chatgpt $20 a month for the same thing.” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/muse-from-meta/id6760173601)
- Praise, 2026-10-15, Meta Muse AI Agent Review: Why It's Free (and the Catch) (YouTube): “still the best "free" user friendly assistant at the moment.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4LZM_rNXH8&lc=UgwPbWfHkbL-v2uZIQJ4AaABAg)
- Praise, 2026-10-08, @muse (X): “@nikhilville @alexandr_wang @muse haha no need spotify but got rid of/downgraded so many subscriptions insane” [source](https://twitter.com/122889863/status/2108049538531590204)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, Play Store (Play Store): “i'm still trying to find out what it does that's beneficial compared to other stuff right now that is also free” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, Meta just dropped something insane... (Muse Wonder) (YouTube): “bottom line folks - it’s cheaper just to do it yourself our write your own code to do it. i’m done with every fricking thing being a subscription. i don’t need meta muse wonder wonderful or whatever it’s called.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpLrkJ5NNEI&lc=UgzuhBd3_j_NFNT3Akh4AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-10-06, X search: Muse from Meta, Meta Muse (X): “who the fuck say meta muse is cheap, test their 50$ subscription, it's horrible. can't compare to claude.” [source](https://twitter.com/2938104403/status/2107457315528183963)

### Hark

- Praise, 2026-10-15, App Store (App Store): “hark is my every day helper and literally became my personal assistant. i’m obsessed with how useful and how easy it made my life. best ai experience %100. totally worth my money 💯” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hark-pro/id6772362941)
- Praise, 2026-10-10, @hark_labs (X): “@michaelgannotti @bot @grok @elonmusk @spacexai give @hark_labs [link] a try. it's affordable and very good” [source](https://twitter.com/2825201768/status/2109013590640312446)
- Praise, 2026-10-08, @hark_labs (X): “@adcock_brett @begottensun @hark_labs hark is number 1 now. it's too good; please keep it updated and keep the price affordable. i will use it forever.” [source](https://twitter.com/1210143279653773312/status/2108222168995913882)
- Complaint, 2026-10-10, Hark Pro vs Instinct AI: Which AI Assistant Should You Use? (YouTube): “the sub is high after the first free month if you use it at full steam. not to high if you don’t use it to much. i think its 20 and 100. but its $100 for the one they get ya hooked on for free. just sayin.. also great video and liked/subscribed. keep up the good work.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GbZJyDGX_4&lc=Ugwv-SdltjHjPsHqYv14AaABAg)

### OpenClaw

- Praise, 2026-10-14, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@dark_coderz can get pretty far with openclaw and a $100 either claude or codex subscription, be sure to pick the right model for the task andfor each optimized agent in your multi agent system” [source](https://twitter.com/2031278820389695489/status/2110229631903375579)
- Praise, 2026-10-14, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “i can literally afford all three 100 subs , but i’m not just gonna buy shit for the f of it , either it’s useful and optimized or not , my 20$ plan with openai is currently optimized to run two specialized openclaw agents 😂😂😂” [source](https://twitter.com/2838125118/status/2110230226076926248)
- Praise, 2026-10-09, 7 días con Muse y Dot, los poderosos ASISTENTES IA que no podemos usar (todavía) (YouTube): “i've been using openclaw in a docker + chinese llm for months --> good, nice, cheap” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1fKvNlEj60&lc=Ugwrd4yR74O6etdT4V14AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-10-08, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@adarshchetan i wish the api were cheaper so we could really use things like openclaw to their full potential.” [source](https://twitter.com/703528675271176192/status/2108093817437962551)
- Complaint, 2026-10-05, @openclaw (X): “@liambraus @openclaw exactly, at volume the session cost adds up fast” [source](https://twitter.com/1308053727539068935/status/2107164068943675551)

### Grok Bot

- Praise, 2026-10-18, @bot (X): “used 166m+ tokens in last 30 days on @grok and @bot. same usage would cost $200-$600+ on claude or gpt solid value. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2093926689348968448/status/2111778294794482117)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “grokbot ($200/mo plan) has now saved me $375/mo in subscriptions.” [source](https://twitter.com/1617953301030440971/status/2111922032397144370)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “nice one. i run a small consultancy. i have 36 bots on a ultra plan and they are awesome. and very sticky. where can you get this value for this price. i have combined them with my other coding tools and i am getting so much done” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x7sov2/went_from_burning_through_grok_bot_credits_to/ph7x5gy/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-18, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “lol the on demand buys you much less than say your $30 supergrok - each token costs much more and is not “subsidized” for lack of a better term last week i found my team burns $5/hr not doing much of anything” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x8pd5s/usage_complaint/pheyoh3/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, Play Store (Play Store): “why pay an expensive subscription when you can literally use any other ai completely free... bye bye grok 👋” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.x.grok.bot)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, Muse Wonder vs Hark Pro vs Grok Bot vs Dots: Same Trip, Ranked (YouTube): “so far i’m loving hark. i’m not doing anything complicated. just living but it’s easy and proactive. i used it quite a bit and still haven’t hit my limit. grok is almost useless because it’s so expensive” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8wUXyHewBM&lc=UgwcoDVzqGPw_nBL6_d4AaABAg)

### ChatGPT Dots

- Praise, 2026-10-14, OpenAI Co-Founder: Start Building With AI Before You Feel Ready | Greg Brockman (YouTube): “chatgpt dots changed the way i work daily. what a bargain. still, security awareness and blast radius should always be set up” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy8Gr27yLMk&lc=Ugxx45cbwsoueyGfQ_l4AaABAg)
- Praise, 2026-10-10, Set up your dot in the ChatGPT mobile app (YouTube): “the value that one gets out of dot is insane. honestly, i’d be surprised if they released this to plus users for $20. i could only ever see them released a dumbed-down version that serves to get people to subscribe to the better one.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5KxBTUncoE&lc=UgycvGIpwo3aI4P_YUB4AaABAg)
- Praise, 2026-10-15, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “guys...if you're not using openai dot as an image generator for your 3d workflow in game dev, you are missing out badly. the consistency and quality of what i'm getting back is just on point, constantly. color me impressed. (and it's "free" on your subscription)” [source](https://twitter.com/533199190/status/2110800642222788616)
- Complaint, 2026-10-10, ChatGPT Dots Is WAY More Powerful Than You Think (YouTube): “just wish it weren’t so expensive. i would just like to use it to jot down brainstorming notes, i’m not a developer i don’t need 100 dollar plan with codex and astra workspace” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXhOxfPECnM&lc=UgzlM4UIfW7BBx9YxfV4AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-10-09, NEW ChatGPT Dots Can Blow Up Your Etsy Print-On-Demand Shop! (YouTube): “yeah it's expensive but the good news is you can accomplish a similar workflow without dots. dots just makes it a little easier.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4FzkVj5s8Y&lc=UgyScat1_34Pa-Dxjtx4AaABAg.Abk2fVOOV7dAbk3I3IDglv)
- Complaint, 2026-10-07, OpenAI Dots Review: 12 Real Use Cases Tested Live (YouTube): “you can do all this with chatgpt plus. no reason to spend $100” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coZBDmD13-A&lc=UgyJg1BWGJwaRmYBEWp4AaABAg)

### Gemini Spark

- Praise, 2026-10-07, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “the combination of gemini notebook and gemini spark is currently the strongest in the google environment. the best technology is available at a very low price, so i highly recommend it. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/767752746/status/2107761298109047235)
- Praise, 2026-10-03, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “the tokens for google ai studio/gemini+gemini spark/antigravity/flow/gemini notebook/colab are calculated separately, so if you use them all wisely, it will be quite substantial... right now, i truly recommend this subscription [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1353641054726103040/status/2106297368987816255)
- Praise, 2026-09-29, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “almost perfect for what it is. i have a feeling that when gemini 4 comes out and it gets updated with gemini spark it's going to be something way better. 20 bucks a month than any other agentic thing out there though. i have seen people decompile games which is amazing. /4” [source](https://twitter.com/806898125885599744/status/2104885797220475029)
- Complaint, 2026-09-21, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “@lyalindotcom this simple search took 40 seconds. also, clicking on results take me to its website and not google maps . can you ask gemini spark pm to make it faster and better? very disappointed with my ultra subscription [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2032515062955651076/status/2102058514403442815)
- Complaint, 2026-09-16, Google's New AI Agent! - Gemini Spark Full Beginner's Guide (YouTube): “i have a subscription for this. it's really not super useful. its an overpriced email triage machine. other tasks are either entirely not useful or so inaccurate that you spend more time completing steps it decides it's incapable of or deleting the garbage it produces in your workspace.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-S0xG23B3g&lc=UgxjBOoFQDDzotZMd_Z4AaABAg)

### Poke

- Praise, 2026-09-07, @interaction (X): “@harrystebbings @noahrshinn i have the same thing on poke / @interaction, basically free and less privacy issues… really don’t get why mainstream vc x is obsessed with instinct when poke has been around for over a year” [source](https://twitter.com/1585221113465954304/status/2096939012057649609)
- Complaint, 2026-08-31, @interaction (X): “@interaction fun product but it makes 0 sense to pay 19 bucks for it. hoping you guys the best of luck tho” [source](https://twitter.com/1830570774781931520/status/2094519697400070427)

### Instinct

- Praise, 2026-09-24, Instinct is my new favourite personal AI agent (here’s why) (YouTube): “hey, i grabbed one of your referral links from your newsletter. so far i am really enjoying it, maybe 10 days in? i really wanted to use lindy ai but it was more than i wanted to pay. so far i really recommend it. ive set it up as my executive assistant for my business, got a decent handle name for email” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkoXIAZo9b4&lc=UgyEBXP-SkqVN_1ege54AaABAg)