{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "gaia", "name": "GAIA", "vendor": "The Experience Company", "vendorUrl": "https://heygaia.io", "kind": "platform", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "GAIA is a personal AI assistant from The Experience Company for email, calendar, todos and scheduled workflows. It runs as a hosted service at heygaia.io with messaging bots, and its source is published for noncommercial self-hosting.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json", "repo": "https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia", "license": "PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@heygaia/cli" } ], "auth": "oauth", "authNotes": "People sign in to the hosted app in a browser, and the backend uses WorkOS for sign-in. Integrations connect by OAuth on the provider's consent screen, through Composio for built-in ones, and Gmail asks for the `gmail.modify` scope. Custom MCP servers take no auth, a bearer token or OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and dynamic client registration, with tokens Fernet-encrypted in PostgreSQL. Bot users link a chat identity with `/auth`. No API key for outside callers was found (https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/blob/master/apps/api/app/config/oauth_config.py; https://docs.heygaia.io/guides/adding-mcp-integrations).", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Pro is $30 a month on the pricing page, the only plan shown there, and its FAQ says GAIA is a paid product. The README and docs also describe a Free plan with daily caps and an Enterprise plan by contact, so whether a new account can use the hosted service without paying was not established. Payments run through Dodo Payments. Self-hosting is free for noncommercial use, plus model usage and a WorkOS account (https://heygaia.io/pricing; https://docs.heygaia.io/guides/usage-subscription; checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "$30 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the backend source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 308, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.heygaia.io", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.heygaia.io/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.accounts", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "source-available", "noncommercial-licence", "self-hosted", "messaging", "imessage", "whatsapp", "telegram", "slack", "discord", "gmail", "mcp-client", "status-page", "llms-txt", "approval-off-by-default" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-14", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 49.5, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 813, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 10, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 54, "maintenance": 78, "payments": 20, "reliability": 67, "schema": 51, "security": 54, "transparency": 60 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -5, "negativeNotes": [ "-3. The release notes of 26 August 2026 say GAIA pauses and asks before a tool that deletes, sends or overwrites, the privacy policy (7 August 2026) says destructive actions require explicit approval, and the pricing page says anything outward-facing waits for the owner's OK. The source at `api-v0.24.0` (14 September 2026) and on master sets the default mode to `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated until flipped after launch. Read from source, not from a live account. https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/blob/master/apps/api/app/models/hil_models.py", "-2. The pricing page FAQ, read on 12 October 2026, says GAIA never shares data with model providers. Section 3.1 of the privacy policy says content, files and data from connected accounts are shared with third-party AI model providers. https://heygaia.io/pricing and https://heygaia.io/privacy" ], "verdict": "GAIA's source is public, so its approval gate, memory store and token handling can be read. Three approval modes and per-tool overrides exist, but the default mode in the source runs every action unasked, which the privacy policy and release notes do not say. Pro costs $30 a month and self-hosting is limited to noncommercial use.", "bestFor": "It suits one person who wants mail triage, meeting briefs, todos and scheduled workflows from one assistant reachable on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or iMessage, and who wants to read the source.", "strengths": [ "The whole product is in a public repository under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, including the approval gate, memory engine and five messaging bots.", "Approval settings have three modes and per-tool overrides, and adding an MCP server, pairing a device or disconnecting an account asks in every mode.", "Memory is visible in Settings as facts, a journal, four documents and a graph, and each item can be edited or deleted, with a clear-all control.", "A BetterStack status page covers the API, web app and four bots, and lists no incident in the 90 days to 12 October 2026.", "Three sets of tagged releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026, the latest on 14 September, with 91 commits on master in the last 30 days." ], "weaknesses": [ "The default approval mode in the source is `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated, while the privacy policy and the 26 August release notes say destructive actions wait for approval.", "The pricing page FAQ says data is never shared with model providers. The privacy policy says content, including data from connected accounts, is shared with them.", "The README lists a Free plan at $0 forever, while the pricing page shows only Pro and says GAIA is a paid product.", "Gmail connects with the `gmail.modify` scope, and built-in integrations run through Composio, so a third party holds those OAuth connections.", "No security.txt, bug bounty, certification, subprocessor list or DPA was found, and self-hosting needs a WorkOS account and five data services.", "The Terms of Service forbid automated systems accessing the Service. Recorded as a fact, and it matters before any probe is run." ], "agentNotes": [ "Set Settings \u003e Approvals to Always ask or Auto before connecting mail. The default in the source runs every action, including send and delete, without asking.", "Expect no public API on the hosted service. The backend turns off its OpenAPI document in production, so reach GAIA through its apps, bots or CLI.", "Check the plan before relying on the hosted service. The README and docs describe a Free plan, and the pricing page says GAIA is a paid product.", "For self-hosting, prepare Docker, Node.js 20, a WorkOS account and a model key first, and confirm the use is noncommercial under the licence.", "Add outside tools as MCP servers by URL on the Integrations page. GAIA asks before adding a server in every approval mode." ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 49.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 54, "maintenance": 78, "payments": 20, "reliability": 67, "schema": 51, "security": 54, "transparency": 50 }, "provenanceScore": 70 }, "connect": { "install": "npm install -g @heygaia/cli \u0026\u0026 gaia init # choose Self-Host (Docker), then open http://localhost:3000" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/gaia" }, "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pro", "unit": "month", "usd": 30, "note": "billed monthly, with usage limits the pricing page does not state" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "The Experience Company, Inc.", "domain": "heygaia.io", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://heygaia.io/terms", "privacy": "https://heygaia.io/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.heygaia.io", "changelog": "https://docs.heygaia.io/release-notes", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The Terms of Service (effective 14 August 2026) name The Experience Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Neither the terms nor the privacy policy gives a postal address.", "The privacy policy (effective 7 August 2026) gives support@heygaia.so as its contact, a different domain from heygaia.io, where the README's security and contact addresses sit.", "heygaia.io/.well-known/security.txt returned 404 on 12 October 2026. The repository's SECURITY.md gives an email address for reports.", "The status page lists api.heygaia.io as the backend. We sent nothing to that host.", "heygaia.io's robots.txt allows every path and names ClaudeBot, Claude-Web and anthropic-ai with Allow. docs.heygaia.io carries Content-Signal ai-input=yes. status.heygaia.io returned an empty robots.txt.", "The domain's registration date was not looked up." ], "score": 70 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.json", "live": { "slug": "gaia", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.heygaia.io", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T17:28:08.466725732Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-12T17:28:08.466725732Z" } }, "answer": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. GAIA leads on reliability.", "b": { "slug": "hermes-agent", "name": "Hermes Agent", "vendor": "Nous Research", "vendorUrl": "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com", "kind": "harness", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "Open-source personal agent from Nous Research that the owner runs on a computer or server. It answers on messaging apps, keeps memory between sessions, runs scheduled jobs and connects to accounts, models and MCP servers the owner configures.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json", "repo": "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "nousresearch/hermes-agent" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account of its own. Model and channel keys go in `~/.hermes/.env` or come from Bitwarden, 1Password or a command helper at start-up. Google Workspace, MCP servers and Nous Portal sign in by OAuth, with tokens stored under `~/.hermes/`. The optional API server takes a bearer key set in `API_SERVER_KEY`.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under the MIT licence. The owner pays the model provider chosen, or nothing with a local model. Nous Portal plans ($0, $20, $100 and $200 a month in credits) and Hermes Cloud hosting ($0.51 a day running on the Standard size, plus inference) are optional and sold separately.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 on Hermes Agent's own interfaces. An optional skill lets the agent pay other services over MPP, which is a client and not a way to pay for Hermes (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 253000, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/", "llmsTxt": "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.accounts", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "local", "free", "no-card", "python", "docker", "llms-txt", "pre-1.0" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-11", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 67.9, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 244, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 3, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 84, "payments": 60, "reliability": 57, "schema": 80, "security": 75, "transparency": 63 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-10-08. The v0.21.6 release notes list six security fixes, among them a native sign-in flaw that could send login codes to a non-loopback redirect and a quoted display name in the `From` header that affected the email gateway's sender check. SECURITY.md counts unauthorised access to an external surface as in scope, yet the repository shows no published advisory, so owners on older versions have no advisory to act on. Fixed and described in the notes, -3. https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases/tag/v0.21.6; https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/security/advisories" ], "verdict": "Card payments always ask first and are refused in unattended sessions, and the messaging gateway denies every sender until an allowlist is set. Shell commands run on the host by default with a model judging risk, and sending mail through the Google Workspace skill is held back only by an instruction to the model.", "bestFor": "A technical owner who wants one always-on agent across chat apps with memory and scheduled jobs, on their own machine or a small server, with any model.", "strengths": [ "Every saved-card fill asks for approval, and cron, webhook and API sessions are refused because nobody can confirm", "The messaging gateway denies all senders until an allowlist or a pairing code approved on the CLI is in place", "The docs say no telemetry, usage data or analytics is collected, and conversations, memory and skills stay in `~/.hermes/`", "SECURITY.md states that in-process checks are not a boundary and names OS-level isolation as the only one", "Ten releases between 19 August and 11 October 2026, the latest v0.21.7 on 11 October" ], "weaknesses": [ "The default terminal backend runs commands on the host, and the default `smart` mode lets an auxiliary model approve commands it rates low-risk", "The Google Workspace skill requests full Gmail, Calendar and Drive scopes, and its confirm-before-sending rule is an instruction in SKILL.md, not enforced in code", "Memory writes are saved without approval by default (`memory.write_approval: false`), including from a background review after each turn", "Release v0.21.6 of 8 October 2026 lists six security fixes and the repository has no published security advisory", "15,102 open issues and more than 5,000 open pull requests on 12 October 2026", "The Nous Portal terms grant Nous a licence to train models on customer data when the Portal is the model provider" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set `approvals.mode: manual` before giving it real accounts. The default `smart` lets an auxiliary model approve commands", "Run the gateway with `terminal.backend: docker` or the project's Docker image when it reads mail, web pages or group chats", "Set `memory.write_approval: true` and `skills.write_approval: true` to review what it saves about the owner", "Leave `approvals.cron_mode` and `approvals.unattended_mode` at `deny` for scheduled and webhook runs", "Set `TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS` or the matching allowlist per channel. Never set `GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true`" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 67.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 84, "payments": 60, "reliability": 57, "schema": 80, "security": 75, "transparency": 73 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash # then: hermes setup", "headless": { "command": "hermes chat -q \"$TASK\" --format stream-json --max-turns 30" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/hermes-agent" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Nous Research, Inc.", "domain": "nousresearch.com", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The site footer reads Nous Research, Inc., and the Nous Portal terms name it as a Delaware corporation.", "No terms or privacy link is given. The Nous Portal terms and privacy policy (both dated 28 September 2026) govern the optional Portal and Hermes Cloud services, not the software the owner runs under the MIT licence, so the licence stands in.", "hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404. SECURITY.md in the repository gives security@nousresearch.com and GitHub private reporting.", "No status page applies to software the owner runs. None was looked for on the Portal.", "The domain registration date was not looked up." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "Platform", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "The Experience Company", "b": "Nous Research", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0", "b": "MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-14", "b": "2026-10-11", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-08-14", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-08-07", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "308 stars", "b": "253k stars", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. GAIA leads on reliability.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, GAIA or Hermes Agent?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for GAIA. Hermes Agent is open source (MIT).", "question": "Are GAIA and Hermes Agent open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 67 against 57" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "It suits one person who wants mail triage, meeting briefs, todos and scheduled workflows from one assistant reachable on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or iMessage, and who wants to read the source.", "slug": "gaia", "watchFor": "The default approval mode in the source is `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated, while the privacy policy and the 26 August release notes say destructive actions wait for approval." }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 51", "Agent ergonomics, 80 against 54", "Security \u0026 auth, 75 against 54", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 20", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 84 against 78" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Free to start without a card", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "A technical owner who wants one always-on agent across chat apps with memory and scheduled jobs, on their own machine or a small server, with any model.", "slug": "hermes-agent", "watchFor": "The default terminal backend runs commands on the host, and the default `smart` mode lets an auxiliary model approve commands it rates low-risk" } ], "job": { "capability": "assistant.proactive", "name": "Assistant proactive" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-gaia.json", "title": "AstrBot vs GAIA", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-gaia" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hermes-agent.json", "title": "AstrBot vs Hermes Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hermes-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia.json", "title": "CowAgent vs GAIA", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Hermes Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-gemini-spark.json", "title": "GAIA vs Gemini Spark", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-gemini-spark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-grok-bot.json", "title": "GAIA vs Grok Bot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-grok-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-haven.json", "title": "GAIA vs Haven", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-haven" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct.json", "title": "GAIA vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-ironclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs IronClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-ironclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-leon.json", "title": "GAIA vs Leon", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-leon" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-lindy.json", "title": "GAIA vs Lindy", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-lindy" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanobot.json", "title": "GAIA vs nanobot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanobot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "GAIA vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke.json", "title": "GAIA vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "GAIA vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hermes-agent.json", "title": "Gemini Spark vs Hermes Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hermes-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hermes-agent.json", "title": "Grok Bot vs Hermes Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hermes-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hermes-agent.json", "title": "Haven vs Hermes Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hermes-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-ironclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs IronClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-ironclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-leon.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs Leon", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-leon" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-lindy.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs Lindy", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-lindy" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanobot.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs nanobot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanobot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-poke.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zo-computer" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 10, "edge": "gaia", "gaia": 67, "hermes-agent": 57, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 29, "edge": "hermes-agent", "gaia": 51, "hermes-agent": 80, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 26, "edge": "hermes-agent", "gaia": 54, "hermes-agent": 80, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 21, "edge": "hermes-agent", "gaia": 54, "hermes-agent": 75, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 40, "edge": "hermes-agent", "gaia": 20, "hermes-agent": 60, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "hermes-agent", "gaia": 78, "hermes-agent": 84, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 3, "edge": "hermes-agent", "gaia": 60, "hermes-agent": 63, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. GAIA leads on reliability. Both do assistant proactive.", "verdicts": { "gaia": "GAIA's source is public, so its approval gate, memory store and token handling can be read. Three approval modes and per-tool overrides exist, but the default mode in the source runs every action unasked, which the privacy policy and release notes do not say. Pro costs $30 a month and self-hosting is limited to noncommercial use.", "hermes-agent": "Card payments always ask first and are refused in unattended sessions, and the messaging gateway denies every sender until an allowlist is set. Shell commands run on the host by default with a model judging risk, and sending mail through the Google Workspace skill is held back only by an instruction to the model." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.min.md" }, "markdown": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. GAIA leads on reliability. Both do assistant proactive.\n\n- GAIA: grade D, 49.5/100, rank #813 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json\n- Hermes Agent: grade B, 67.9/100, rank #244 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json\n- Best AI personal assistants that act for one person: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/personal-assistants/index.md\n- All 190 assistants comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/personal-assistants/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### GAIA (D)\n\nGood for: It suits one person who wants mail triage, meeting briefs, todos and scheduled workflows from one assistant reachable on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or iMessage, and who wants to read the source.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 67 against 57\n\nWatch for: The default approval mode in the source is `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated, while the privacy policy and the 26 August release notes say destructive actions wait for approval.\n\n### Hermes Agent (B)\n\nGood for: A technical owner who wants one always-on agent across chat apps with memory and scheduled jobs, on their own machine or a small server, with any model.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 51\n- Agent ergonomics, 80 against 54\n- Security \u0026 auth, 75 against 54\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 20\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 84 against 78\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Free to start without a card\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: The default terminal backend runs commands on the host, and the default `smart` mode lets an auxiliary model approve commands it rates low-risk\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | GAIA | Hermes Agent | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 67 | 57 | GAIA +10 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 51 | 80 | Hermes Agent +29 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 54 | 80 | Hermes Agent +26 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 54 | 75 | Hermes Agent +21 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 60 | Hermes Agent +40 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 78 | 84 | Hermes Agent +6 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 63 | Hermes Agent +3 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **49.5 · D** | **67.9 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | GAIA | Hermes Agent |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Platform | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | The Experience Company | Nous Research |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | OAuth | None |\n| Pricing | Paid | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0 | MIT |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-14 | 2026-10-11 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-08-14 | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-07 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | |\n| Popularity | 308 stars | 253k stars |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**GAIA.** GAIA's source is public, so its approval gate, memory store and token handling can be read. Three approval modes and per-tool overrides exist, but the default mode in the source runs every action unasked, which the privacy policy and release notes do not say. Pro costs $30 a month and self-hosting is limited to noncommercial use.\n\n**Hermes Agent.** Card payments always ask first and are refused in unattended sessions, and the messaging gateway denies every sender until an allowlist is set. Shell commands run on the host by default with a model judging risk, and sending mail through the Google Workspace skill is held back only by an instruction to the model.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### GAIA\n\n1. Set Settings \u003e Approvals to Always ask or Auto before connecting mail. The default in the source runs every action, including send and delete, without asking.\n2. Expect no public API on the hosted service. The backend turns off its OpenAPI document in production, so reach GAIA through its apps, bots or CLI.\n3. Check the plan before relying on the hosted service. The README and docs describe a Free plan, and the pricing page says GAIA is a paid product.\n4. For self-hosting, prepare Docker, Node.js 20, a WorkOS account and a model key first, and confirm the use is noncommercial under the licence.\n5. Add outside tools as MCP servers by URL on the Integrations page. GAIA asks before adding a server in every approval mode.\n\n### Hermes Agent\n\n1. Set `approvals.mode: manual` before giving it real accounts. The default `smart` lets an auxiliary model approve commands\n2. Run the gateway with `terminal.backend: docker` or the project's Docker image when it reads mail, web pages or group chats\n3. Set `memory.write_approval: true` and `skills.write_approval: true` to review what it saves about the owner\n4. Leave `approvals.cron_mode` and `approvals.unattended_mode` at `deny` for scheduled and webhook runs\n5. Set `TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS` or the matching allowlist per channel. Never set `GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true`\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, GAIA or Hermes Agent?\n\nHermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against GAIA's 49.5 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. GAIA leads on reliability.\n\n### Are GAIA and Hermes Agent open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for GAIA. Hermes Agent is open source (MIT).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"gaia\", \"b\": \"hermes-agent\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare gaia hermes-agent`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json\n\n## Other comparisons with GAIA or Hermes Agent\n\n- [AstrBot vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-gaia.md)\n- [AstrBot vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [CowAgent vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [GAIA vs Gemini Spark](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-gemini-spark.md)\n- [GAIA vs Grok Bot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-grok-bot.md)\n- [GAIA vs Haven](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-haven.md)\n- [GAIA vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct.md)\n- [GAIA vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-ironclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-leon.md)\n- [GAIA vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-lindy.md)\n- [GAIA vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanobot.md)\n- [GAIA vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [GAIA vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke.md)\n- [GAIA vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [Haven vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-ironclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-leon.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-lindy.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanobot.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-poke.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zo-computer.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-12", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "GAIA vs Hermes Agent", "url": "" } ], "description": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) to GAIA's 49.5 (D) for assistant proactive. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "GAIA D 49.5", "Hermes Agent B 67.9", "scores" ], "h1": "GAIA vs Hermes Agent", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-gaia-vs-hermes-agent.png", "path": "/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "GAIA vs Hermes Agent for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2600, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }