OpenClaw vs Hermes
OpenClaw and Hermes get compared as rivals, but they sit at different layers of the same stack. One is a gateway. The other is a runtime. Here is the honest difference, when to pick each, and why many people run both.
TL;DR
OpenClaw is a gateway whose strength is routing an agent to channels and plugins. Hermes is a self-improving runtimewhose strength is the agent learning skills from your work and keeping memory. They are not direct substitutes. Pick OpenClaw if your bottleneck is channels and routing, pick Hermes if your bottleneck is the agent getting better over time, and run both on one host if you want each to do its job. Onepilot deploys either or both over SSH and gives you the host's terminal, files, git, and cron on your iPhone.
Deploy OpenClaw, Hermes, or both on one host from your iPhone. Download it on the App Store.
At a glance
| OpenClaw | Hermes | |
|---|---|---|
| Layer in the stack | Gateway | Runtime |
| Core strength | Channel and plugin routing | Self-improving agent with memory |
| Learns skills from your work | No | Yes |
| Long-term memory | Basic | Persistent, central to the design |
| Channels | Telegram, Discord, Slack | Telegram, Discord, Slack |
| Bring your own LLM key | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on a small host | Yes (1 GB VPS) | Yes (1 GB VPS) |
| Can run alongside the other | Yes, same host | Yes, same host |
| Deployed by Onepilot | Yes, SSH wizard | Yes, SSH wizard |
Based on each project's public description and Onepilot's own integrations as of June 2026.
OpenClaw is a gateway
OpenClaw's job is to sit in front of an agent and route it to the world. It connects the agent to channels like Telegram, Discord, and Slack, manages plugins, and keeps the whole thing running as a persistent Gateway. If your problem is "I want my agent to answer in the apps I already use, reliably," that is the problem OpenClaw is built for.
Because it is a gateway, OpenClaw cares less about how clever the agent gets over time and more about connectivity and uptime. It is the routing and plumbing layer, and it does that job whether the agent behind it is simple or sophisticated.
Hermes is a self-improving runtime
Hermes's job is the agent itself. It is a runtime built to learn skills from your work and keep long-term memory, so the agent gets more useful the longer you use it. Memory and skill acquisition are central to the design rather than add-ons. If your problem is "I want an agent that improves at my tasks," that is what Hermes targets.
That focus is why Hermes pairs naturally with OpenClaw rather than competing with it. Hermes handles execution and memory, and a gateway handles the chat surface in front of it. The two layers stack cleanly because each was designed for a different part of the problem.
How to choose, and why you might run both
Choose by your bottleneck. If the friction is getting your agent into the right channels with stable routing, start with OpenClaw. If the friction is the agent not getting better at your specific work, reach for Hermes. Neither choice locks the other out, because they live at different layers.
A common 2026 setup runs both on one host: OpenClaw handles the chat surface and Hermes handles execution and memory. Onepilot deploys either or both over SSH, then gives you the host's real terminal, a file browser to read the skill files Hermes writes, git diffs, and cron on the iPhone. The same app also runs Claude Code and Codex on that host, so one tool covers the whole stack.
FAQ
What is the difference between OpenClaw and Hermes?
OpenClaw is a gateway and Hermes is a runtime, so they sit at different layers of the same stack. OpenClaw's job is to route an agent to channels and plugins, such as Telegram, Discord, and Slack. Hermes's job is the agent itself: a self-improving process that learns skills from your work and keeps long-term memory. They are not direct substitutes, and many people run both on one host.
Is OpenClaw or Hermes better?
Neither is strictly better, because they solve different problems. Pick OpenClaw if your bottleneck is channels and plugin routing and you want a stable gateway in front of an agent. Pick Hermes if your bottleneck is the agent getting better at your tasks over time through learned skills and memory. A common 2026 setup runs OpenClaw for the chat surface and Hermes for execution and memory on the same machine.
Can I run OpenClaw and Hermes together?
Yes. OpenClaw and Hermes can run on the same host because they occupy different layers, with OpenClaw handling the chat surface and Hermes handling execution and memory. NousResearch also ships a hermes-paperclip-adapter so a Hermes runtime can be coordinated by the Paperclip orchestrator. Onepilot deploys both OpenClaw and Hermes through its wizard to the same machine.
Do OpenClaw and Hermes use the same LLM providers?
Both let you bring your own LLM provider key rather than locking you to one vendor. Through Onepilot, each is configured from the same set of 25 supported providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Mistral, Groq, DeepSeek, and others. You can point OpenClaw at one provider and Hermes at another on the same host if you want to split cost or capability.
Should I switch from OpenClaw to Hermes?
Switching only makes sense if your need changed from routing to a smarter agent. If OpenClaw already routes your agent to the right channels and you are happy, there is no reason to move. If you want the agent to learn skills from your work and keep memory across sessions, Hermes adds that, and you can run it alongside OpenClaw rather than replacing it.
Run OpenClaw, Hermes, or both
Download Onepilot on the App Store.
See also: What is OpenClaw?, OpenClaw vs Claude Code, Moving from OpenClaw to Hermes, or Run OpenClaw on iPhone.