Switching from OpenClaw to Hermes
You don't have to choose blind. Onepilot runs OpenClaw and Hermes from the same iPhone app over the same SSH layer, so you can trial Hermes next to your OpenClaw setup, compare on your own tasks, and migrate at your own pace.
TL;DR
People move to Hermes for its self-improving skill loop and persistent memory; OpenClaw stays a mature, broad ecosystem. They are peer frameworks, not drop-in replacements: skills and plugins don't copy across. What carries over is the workflow: a host you SSH into, a provider key, a channel, and your phone. Onepilotkeeps that identical for both and lets you run them side by side, so “switching” can be a gradual comparison instead of a risky cutover.
Trial Hermes next to OpenClaw from one iPhone app, download it on the App Store.
What's the difference between OpenClaw and Hermes?
- Hermescenters on getting better over time: it writes skill files after it solves a task, keeps persistent memory in SQLite/FTS5, and recalls both later. If “an agent that learns my projects” is the goal, that is the draw.
- OpenClaw centers on breadth: a Gateway-and-nodes architecture, a large plugin ecosystem, and a long track record. If you depend on specific OpenClaw plugins or its topology, that is the pull to stay.
- They are genuinely different projects (different SDKs, plugin layouts, and memory formats), so treat a move as adopting a new runtime, not importing your old one. That is exactly why running both for a while beats a hard switch.
How to migrate from OpenClaw to Hermes without a hard cutover
- Keep OpenClaw running. Leave your current Gateway where it is. Nothing about trialing Hermes requires tearing it down.
- Deploy Hermes alongside. In Onepilot, pick a host (the same box or a second one, a Pi, a Mac mini, a VPS) and deploy Hermes through the wizard. Same provider key, same kind of channel.
- Compare on real work. Give both the same tasks for a week. Use the Onepilot file browser to read the skill files Hermes writes and the git tab to see what each actually changed, real evidence, not vibes.
- Migrate when you're convinced. Move your workflows over gradually, then retire the OpenClaw host when you no longer reach for it. Or keep both, plenty of people do.
Why run both agents from Onepilot?
Most mobile agent clients are single-framework and chat-only over a WebUI, which makes a side-by-side comparison painful: a different app per agent, and no access to the host. Onepilot is multi-framework and connects over a real SSH tunnel, so OpenClaw and Hermes live in one app and you get each host's terminal, files, git, and cron. Comparing and migrating is just two deploys in the same place.
New to either? Start with Run Hermes on iPhone or Run OpenClaw on iPhone.
FAQ
Should I switch from OpenClaw to Hermes?
It depends on what you want. Hermes is built around a self-improving loop (it writes reusable skill files as it works and recalls them later) and persistent memory, which is the main reason people move to it. OpenClaw is a mature, broad ecosystem with a Gateway-and-nodes architecture and a large plugin catalog. Neither is strictly better; they are different shapes. The good news is you don't have to bet the farm: with Onepilot you can run both, side by side, on the same or different hosts, and decide based on your own workload instead of a blog's opinion.
Can I run OpenClaw and Hermes at the same time?
Yes. Onepilot is framework-agnostic: it deploys OpenClaw and Hermes through the same wizard, and supervises both over the same SSH layer. You can keep an OpenClaw Gateway running on one host while you trial Hermes on another, compare them on real tasks, and migrate gradually. There is no all-or-nothing cutover and no second app to learn.
Does my OpenClaw setup transfer to Hermes?
Not directly. They are independent projects with different SDKs, plugin layouts, and memory formats, so skills and plugins do not copy across one-to-one. What does transfer is the operating pattern: a host you SSH into, an LLM provider key, a messaging channel, and a phone as the control surface. Onepilot keeps that pattern identical between the two, so the only thing you are really changing is the agent runtime, not your whole workflow.
Why are people moving from OpenClaw to Hermes in 2026?
The pull is the self-improving skill loop and persistent memory, plus rapid momentum: Dealroom designated Hermes Agent the fastest-growing open-source agent framework of 2026 (Dealroom, 2026), and it has been the most-used agent on OpenRouter. OpenClaw remains large and capable, but a lot of the new energy and tutorials have shifted to Hermes. That said, momentum is not a reason on its own; run both and keep the one that does your work better.
What does Onepilot add on top of either agent?
Onepilot is the iPhone control surface and the deploy layer for both. It installs the agent on a host you own over SSH with no sudo, wires the LLM provider and channel, and then gives you a real terminal, a file browser to read skill files, a git tab for real diffs, and cron, for OpenClaw and Hermes alike. Competing mobile clients tend to be single-framework and chat-only over a WebUI; Onepilot is multi-framework and gives you the host itself.
Where are the official OpenClaw and Hermes projects?
Hermes Agent (NousResearch) is at github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent. OpenClaw is its own separate project with a Gateway-and-nodes design. Onepilot is independent of both and treats them as peer frameworks, it deploys and supervises each, rather than favoring one.
Run OpenClaw and Hermes from one app
Download Onepilot on the App Store.
See also: Run Hermes on iPhone, Run OpenClaw on iPhone, OpenClaw vs Hermes, or see all agents.