Compare/Head to head

Hermes Agent vs Orkas

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

Hermes Agent

Quote Free tier

Hermes Agent is Nous Research's open-source personal agent and OpenClaw's main rival. It runs on your own machine, remembers what it learns and turns finished work into reusable skills. Free under MIT; model costs are yours, or bundled through an optional Nous Portal plan.

Where Hermes Agent fits

  • Technical recruiters who want a self-hosted agent that improves over time
  • Agency owners automating research and outreach routines
  • Teams that want model choice without vendor lock-in

Orkas

$5.99/mo Free tier

Orkas is a free, open-source desktop app where one lead agent directs a team of specialist AI agents to produce research, reports, slides, videos and code, and repeat that work on a schedule. It suits a small recruiting agency or solo recruiter who wants recurring research and client reports without a subscription; paid plans start at $5.99 a month for extra credits and sync.

Where Orkas fits

  • Solo recruiters and small agencies doing their own marketing
  • Recurring research and weekly client reports
  • Teams that want to bring their own model key
  • Users who want open-source, local-first AI

At a glance

DetailHermes AgentOrkas
Starting priceQuote$5.99/mo
Free tier✓Yes✓Yes
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No✓Yes
Listed underAI assistantsAI assistants

Where they pull apart

Hermes Agent

Stands out: Hermes is built to get better the longer it runs: every solved task can become a saved skill, and its memory carries across restarts. Five sandbox options make it easier to test safely than most self-hosted agents.

Watch out: Like any self-hosted agent, you set it up and keep it secure. Nous advises isolating deployments, never exposing them publicly and reviewing third-party skills, which matters if it touches candidate or client data.

Not the right fit for

  • Users who want a polished hosted app
  • Teams with nobody to own setup and security

Orkas

Stands out: It is a team, not a single chatbot: a Commander hands one goal to specialist agents and returns finished files (a deck, a video, a spreadsheet), and any request can become a scheduled job. The desktop app is MIT open source, keeps files and chat history on your computer by default, and can pull in Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw and Hermes as team members.

Watch out: Nothing in it is built for recruiting: there is no sourcing, outreach or ATS agent, so you set up those workflows yourself. The company is based in China, and work that runs on Orkas's built-in models goes through its servers; connect your own model key if that matters. It is a desktop app, so jobs run only while your computer is on.

Not the right fit for

  • Sourcing, outreach or ATS work out of the box
  • Teams that need a US-based vendor
  • Jobs that must run while the laptop is off

Pros and cons

Hermes Agent

  • Free and open source under MIT
  • Writes reusable skills from completed work
  • Five sandbox options for safer runs
  • Self-hosted, so setup and security are on you
  • Model and tool costs vary with usage
  • Business edition still being built out

Orkas

  • Free, open-source desktop app
  • Specialist agents return finished files
  • Works with your own model keys
  • No recruiting-specific agents
  • China-based vendor
  • Runs only while your computer is on

What each one costs

Hermes Agent

Quote

Hermes Agent is free and open source under the MIT license; you can run it with your own model provider at no charge from Nous. The optional Nous Portal adds model and tool credits: Free ($0, free models only), Plus ($20/mo, $22 in monthly credits), Super ($100/mo, $110 in credits) and Ultra ($200/mo, $220 in credits). Model providers and hosted services you connect bill separately. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 16 Oct 2026

Orkas

$5.99/mo

The Orkas desktop app is free and open source, and new users get 500 lifetime credits for its built-in models. Paid plans add monthly credits, cloud sync across devices, more cloud storage and up to 50 shared projects with 50 members each: Lite is $5.99 a month with 1,000 credits, Pro is $16.99 a month with 5,000 credits, and Max is $29.99 a month with 10,000 credits. Each plan's price moves with the monthly credit allowance you pick, and a single month can be bought without auto-renewal for $1 more. Using your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or other model key costs no Orkas credits; that provider bills you directly. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 8 Nov 2026

Common questions

Can you try Hermes Agent or Orkas for free?
Hermes Agent and Orkas carry a free tier on our listing.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 16 Oct 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?