Brigade vs Hermes Agent
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A self-hosted personal AI crew of agents that share memory and talk through chat apps.
Open source · MIT
A self-improving AI agent that runs in your terminal and chat apps and learns from past work.
The short answer
Choose Brigade if you need…
- Developers who want to run their own multi-agent setup on a laptop or server
- People who want an AI assistant that keeps data on hardware they control
- Users who already have a Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot subscription and want to avoid managing API keys
- Teams experimenting with agents that delegate tasks through an org chart
Choose Hermes Agent if you need…
- Developers who want a personal agent they can host on their own server or machine
- People who want to reach one assistant from several chat platforms
- Users who want scheduled, unattended tasks described in plain language
- Teams comparing self-hosted agents with hosted model APIs
Side-by-side
| Brigade | Hermes Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | AI model / agent | AI model / agent |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 11.4k | 260k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | See the README |
| Main language | TypeScript | Python |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Brigade
Brigade is a self-hosted system for running a team of AI agents that share one long-term memory called Tideline. You can reach the crew from a terminal or messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and Discord. It can use many AI model providers, including local Ollama models, and keeps your keys and data on your own machine.
Hermes Agent
Hermes Agent is an AI assistant you run yourself, built by Nous Research. You talk to it through a terminal interface or chat apps such as Telegram, Discord, Slack, and WhatsApp, and it can use tools and remember past conversations. The README says it creates reusable skills from experience and can run scheduled tasks unattended. You can connect it to many model providers and switch between them with a command.
Best for
Brigade
- Developers who want to run their own multi-agent setup on a laptop or server
- People who want an AI assistant that keeps data on hardware they control
- Users who already have a Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot subscription and want to avoid managing API keys
- Teams experimenting with agents that delegate tasks through an org chart
Hermes Agent
- Developers who want a personal agent they can host on their own server or machine
- People who want to reach one assistant from several chat platforms
- Users who want scheduled, unattended tasks described in plain language
- Teams comparing self-hosted agents with hosted model APIs
Strengths
Brigade
- Runs locally with keys stored on your machine, per the README
- Supports many model providers, including local Ollama, and lets you switch models mid-conversation
- Single data directory at ~/.brigade/ that is easy to inspect or delete
Hermes Agent
- Supports many model providers and switching between them with one command, according to the README
- Connects to several chat platforms from a single gateway process
- Includes a built-in scheduler and multiple execution backends
Not ideal for
Brigade
- People who want a polished consumer app with no setup, since the README describes it as an ecosystem you host yourself
- Anyone unwilling to run a command-line install and manage a local directory under ~/.brigade/
- Users who need guaranteed security review, since the README makes strong claims but this analysis did not verify them
Hermes Agent
- People who want a zero-setup hosted product, since the README centers on installing and configuring it yourself
- Users who need a guaranteed privacy posture, because the README does not describe data handling in detail and model and tool choices affect where data goes
- Non-technical users who are uncomfortable with terminal installs and API keys
Trade-offs
Brigade
- The README is long and marketing-heavy, so some claims about enterprise scale are not independently verified here
- Requires Node 22.12+ or the provided install script, and a permissions issue (EACCES) is mentioned for global npm installs
- Many features (channels, connectors, Convex backend) add setup complexity beyond basic chat
Hermes Agent
- Setup involves API keys, provider choices, and optional services, which adds complexity
- The README's claims about self-improvement and learning are described by the project itself and are not independently verified here
- Some features, such as the Desktop app and Android/Termux installs, have separate paths and documentation to follow
Getting started
Brigade
Install via npm (if Node 22.12+ is already installed)
npm i -g @spinabot/brigademacOS / Linux install script
curl -fsSL https://brigade.spinabot.com/install.sh | shHermes Agent
Install on Linux, macOS, or WSL2
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bashInstall on native Windows (PowerShell)
iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1)Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Brigade and Hermes Agent?
Brigade: A self-hosted personal AI crew of agents that share memory and talk through chat apps. Hermes Agent: A self-improving AI agent that runs in your terminal and chat apps and learns from past work. Brigade suits developers who want to run their own multi-agent setup on a laptop or server, while Hermes Agent suits developers who want a personal agent they can host on their own server or machine.
Are Brigade and Hermes Agent free?
Brigade: Free and open source. Hermes Agent: Free and open source.
Is Brigade or Hermes Agent more popular?
Hermes Agent has more GitHub stars (260k) than Brigade (11.4k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Brigade and Hermes Agent?
Other options people compare them with include CrewAI, LangGraph, OpenHands, SuperAGI, Edict.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.