Hermes Agent
Version: v0.20.3 (Bot Mode)
By Nous Research
Released: 2026-08-19
A free, open-source (MIT-licensed) autonomous AI agent from Nous Research, running as a CLI, terminal UI, desktop app or gateway across Telegram, Discord, Slack and WhatsApp with one shared memory. The 19 August 2026 Bot Mode update (v0.20.3) lets a single Hermes install split into named Bots, each with its own model, memory and personality, that collaborate in shared group chats, building on the 3 August 'Herald' release (v0.20) which added real-time conversational voice, an Agent-to-Agent (A2A v1.0) protocol and signed outbound webhooks.
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Nous Research Model Timeline
AI Evaluation
A model-agnostic, genuinely open-source agent harness with an unusually fast contributor cadence and a newly funded ($75M Series B, $1.5B valuation) team behind it; Bot Mode turns one install into a specialised multi-agent team, though it's still free software with real hosting and LLM API costs behind it.
Pros
- Free and open source (MIT licence), no per-seat fee
- Bot Mode lets named agents with distinct models/memory collaborate in shared channels
- Runs identically across CLI, desktop and 20+ messaging platforms with shared memory
Cons
- Bot Mode and A2A are early releases, expect rough edges
- Total running cost (hosting + model API) isn't a single flat price and takes setup to estimate
- Reliability depends heavily on which underlying model(s) you choose
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