# Hermes Agent vs Town

> Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) to Town's 48.7 (D) for proactive personal assistants. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-town
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-town.md (~3,500 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-town.min.md (~580 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-town.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-13

Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against Town's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do proactive personal assistants.

- Hermes Agent: grade B, 67.9/100, rank #244 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json
- Town: grade D, 48.7/100, rank #834 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/town.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/town.json
- Best AI personal assistants that act for one person: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/personal-assistants/index.md
- All 834 assistants comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/personal-assistants/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Hermes Agent (B)

Good 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.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 57 against 35
- Schema & documentation, 80 against 33
- Agent ergonomics, 80 against 49
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 30
- Maintenance & community, 84 against 60

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Open source

Watch 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

### Town (D)

Good for: An owner who wants a mail and calendar assistant whose routines other systems can trigger.

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where Hermes Agent loses 3 points for them

Watch for: The privacy policy describes training with an opt-out and the trust page says training is opt-in.


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Hermes Agent | Town | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 57 | 35 | Hermes Agent +22 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 33 | Hermes Agent +47 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 49 | Hermes Agent +31 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 75 | 79 | Town +4 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 30 | Hermes Agent +30 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 60 | Hermes Agent +24 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 63 | even |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **67.9 · B** | **48.7 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Hermes Agent | Town |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent harness | Platform |
| Vendor | Nous Research | Town.com, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  | HTTP |
| Auth | None | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT | Closed service under Town's Terms of Service (Town.com, Inc., updated 21 July 2026). |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-10 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked |  |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked |  |
| Customer content may train models |  |  |
| Terms restrict automated access |  |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  |  |
| Popularity | 253k stars | none |

## Verdicts

**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.

**Town.** Town is a hosted assistant that works across the owner's mail, calendar and work apps, and other systems can start its routines through per-routine webhooks with rotatable secrets, idempotency keys and documented errors. A caller can't read a run's result. The privacy policy and trust page disagree on whether training is on by default.

## Before you call either

### Hermes Agent

1. Set `approvals.mode: manual` before giving it real accounts. The default `smart` lets an auxiliary model approve commands
2. Run the gateway with `terminal.backend: docker` or the project's Docker image when it reads mail, web pages or group chats
3. Set `memory.write_approval: true` and `skills.write_approval: true` to review what it saves about the owner
4. Leave `approvals.cron_mode` and `approvals.unattended_mode` at `deny` for scheduled and webhook runs
5. Set `TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS` or the matching allowlist per channel. Never set `GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true`

### Town

1. Start a Town routine with POST to its webhook URL, Authorization Bearer whsec_ secret, and application/json or text/plain. Expect 202 only.
2. Send X-Town-Idempotency-Key with a stable event id on every retry so Town doesn't start a second run.
3. Treat 404 as wrong secret, disabled endpoint or missing endpoint alike, and ask the owner to check Routine Settings rather than retrying.
4. Send account_email only if the owner allowed the override. It must match a connected account in full and can't widen the routine's scope.
5. Ask the owner to keep routines that act on webhook input in approval-required mode, as Town's own docs advise.

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Hermes Agent or Town?

Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against Town's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.

### Are Hermes Agent and Town open source?

Hermes Agent is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Town.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-town.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-town.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "hermes-agent", "b": "town"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare hermes-agent town`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/town.json

## Other comparisons with Hermes Agent or Town

- [asaply vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [asaply vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-town.md)
- [Asmi vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Asmi vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-town.md)
- [Boba vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Boba vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-town.md)
- [Brea vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Brea vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-town.md)
- [Del vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Del vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-town.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs OpenInstinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openinstinct.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-orbits.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-orchid-ai.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-szn.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-tab-bot.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zapia.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-town.md)
- [OpenInstinct vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openinstinct-vs-town.md)
- [Orbits vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-town.md)
- [Orchid vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-town.md)
- [szn vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-town.md)
- [Tab vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tab-bot-vs-town.md)
- [Town vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/town-vs-zapia.md)
- [AstrBot vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [AstrBot vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-town.md)
- [Boski vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Boski vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-town.md)
- [Caddy vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Caddy vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-town.md)
- [CowAgent vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [CowAgent vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-town.md)
- [folk vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [folk vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-town.md)
- [GAIA vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [GAIA vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-town.md)
- [Gemini Spark vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Gemini Spark vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-town.md)
- [Grok Bot vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Grok Bot vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-town.md)
- [Haven vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hermes-agent.md)
- [Haven vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-town.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct.md)
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- [Hermes Agent vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-lindy.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanobot.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-poke.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-qwenpaw.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zo-computer.md)
- [Instinct vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-town.md)
- [IronClaw vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-town.md)
- [Leon vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-town.md)
- [Lindy vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-town.md)
- [nanobot vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-town.md)
- [NanoClaw vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-town.md)
- [Dots vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-town.md)
- [OpenClaw vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-town.md)
- [PicoClaw vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-town.md)
- [Poke vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-town.md)
- [QwenPaw vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-town.md)
- [Town vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/town-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Town vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/town-vs-zo-computer.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Natura tinyNature](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-natura.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Pally](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-pally.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-tomo.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-wajo.md)
- [Natura tinyNature vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-town.md)
- [Pally vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pally-vs-town.md)
- [Tomo vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tomo-vs-town.md)
- [Town vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/town-vs-wajo.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-talorys.md)
- [Talorys vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/talorys-vs-town.md)

## Disclosure

- Town competes with LocalGhost, which Anchor Terminal's founder builds. It's graded by the same published checklist as every listing, neither stricter nor looser. Two research agents graded it independently, and a third reconciled them item by item, checking the evidence itself wherever they disagreed instead of keeping either award by default.