Hermes Agent
Version: v0.20.0 (Herald)
By Nous Research
Released: 2026-08-03
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 3 August 2026 'Herald' release (v0.20) added real-time conversational voice with barge-in, an Agent-to-Agent (A2A v1.0) protocol, signed outbound webhooks and a desktop plugin platform.
Visit Hermes AgentAI-Powered
Leverages advanced AI technology to deliver cutting-edge capabilities and results.
Fast & Efficient
Optimized performance ensures quick results without compromising on quality.
Purpose-Built
Specifically designed for ai agents tasks and workflows.
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, free software, but real hosting and LLM API costs behind it.
Pros
- Free and open source (MIT licence), no per-seat fee
- Runs identically across CLI, desktop and 20+ messaging platforms with shared memory
- Real-time voice with barge-in, plus an open Agent-to-Agent protocol for talking to other agents
Cons
- Voice and A2A are first major versions, expect early 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 you choose
Related Tools
Zapier
Zapier is the most widely used no-code automation platform, connecting thousands of apps through triggers and actions. Its AI features include Zapier Agents, which build and run autonomous multi-step workflows from a natural-language description, and AI-powered steps inside existing Zaps for summarisation, extraction and classification.
FLUX
FLUX, from Black Forest Labs, is a family of high-quality open and commercial image generation models prized for photorealism and prompt adherence. Widely integrated across third-party tools and APIs, it has become a default backbone for image generation.
Genspark
Genspark is an AI workspace built around SecondBrain, a persistent memory layer that compiles email, meetings, documents and CRM data into context its Super Agent and tools can draw on automatically. Workspace 6.0 (July 2026) added GenTeam (agents and people in shared channels), GenMail, Genspark Design, AgentBase and SecondBrain Note, a $199 AI voice recorder.