Qiu vs Hermes Agent
Hermes Agent is an open-source agent you install and configure yourself, or deploy on its pay-as-you-go cloud. Qiu arrives set up, as a managed service, with teams and approval checks for a flat monthly fee.
Reviewed: November 2026
15-day free trial, no cardTelegram and web
Choose by who sets it up
You want the code. It is open source under the MIT license, and one command installs it on macOS, Linux or Windows.
You message your agent from many places. Its gateway covers 20+ platforms, including Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, Signal, Teams, email and SMS.
You like to tune every part yourself. You choose from 200+ models, several execution backends (local, Docker, SSH, Modal and others) and external memory providers.
You'd rather pay for usage. The agent is free, and on Hermes Cloud you pay for compute by the second plus inference from your Nous balance.
You don't want to set anything up. Open Qiu on Telegram or the web, and its real browser, memory, connectors and desktop app are already in place.
You want it to ask before anything sensitive. A "Confirm" card appears before sensitive actions, and every money decision goes through you.
You want a coworker for each area of the business (sales, support, marketing), with a coworker-manager handing out the work.
You already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want a fixed price. Plans cost €29, €99 or €299 a month, and runs on your own AI cost nothing extra in Qiu.
Qiu and Hermes Agent, side by side
| Feature | Qiu | Hermes Agent |
|---|---|---|
| The agent | Specialised coworkers for each area (sales, support, marketing…), plus a coworker-manager that splits and coordinates the work. A real browser and a desktop app (Win/Mac/Linux) that sees the screen and uses the mouse and keyboard. | A personal agent from Nous Research with 60+ built-in tools. It writes new skills from problems it has solved and runs isolated subagents, each with its own conversation and terminal. |
| Where it runs | In Qiu's cloud, in Europe (Germany), as a managed service: nothing for you to host or maintain. The code cannot be self-hosted. | On your own machine (desktop app or terminal) or on Hermes Cloud, which gives each agent a dedicated instance. Nous places it in the nearest available region from a list of 14 (Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dallas, Tokyo…). |
| How you start | Sign up and talk to Qiu on Telegram or the web. 15-day free trial, no card needed. | Run curl … install.sh | bash on macOS, Linux or WSL2, or use the Windows installer or desktop app. On Hermes Cloud you need at least $2 of credit, then pick a model and size and deploy, which Nous says takes about 60 seconds. |
| Your team | Workspaces with members and permissions. Coworkers collaborate through consent routing and the orchestrator. | Nous Business plan: a hosted agent for every member, email invites, one central balance with a spending cap per member, and roles for owners and admins. SSO is Enterprise only. |
| Connecting apps | Ready-made API connectors: Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, GoHighLevel, banking via Ponto, Brevo and more. Also a real browser, email, social media via GHL, and publishing of websites and apps. | MCP servers you connect and filter yourself, 60+ built-in tools and 20+ messaging platforms. The docs don't list a catalogue of pre-authenticated business-app connectors. |
| What you pay | Personal €29/mo, Pro €99/mo, Business €299/mo. Runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT cost nothing extra. | The agent is free (MIT). Nous Portal plans: Free $0 (free models only), Plus $20/mo, Super $100/mo, Ultra $200/mo. Hermes Cloud also charges for compute by the second and for storage, and inference is billed separately. |
What changes day to day
In Qiu, background goals, routines and watches keep running around the clock in Qiu's cloud and pick up on their own after a restart. Hermes can also work unattended with its built-in cron, on your own machine or on an always-on Hermes Cloud instance.
Qiu keeps three kinds of memory: a personal one that carries across chats, a separate one for each group, and a semantic layer that pulls up what's relevant. Hermes' built-in memory is two capped files of 2,200 and 1,375 characters, which the agent has to consolidate when they fill up. On top of that it offers session-history search and external providers you can install.
Qiu works on its own for as long as it can and stops for you when something matters. It shows a "Confirm" card before sensitive actions and asks you for captchas, codes or passwords. Money decisions always wait for your approval. Hermes focuses its approvals on dangerous terminal commands, plus prompts when an MCP call would exceed its declared spend limit or when a saved card from its credential vault is filled in. Its default "smart" mode has another model judge the risk.
In Qiu you connect your Claude or ChatGPT account, and those runs cost nothing extra. Ready-made connectors for Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, GoHighLevel, Ponto and Brevo are already there. Hermes lets you pick from 200+ models through Nous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI or your own endpoint, and you connect apps through MCP servers you configure yourself.
Switch in 3 steps
- Take stock. Open your Hermes
MEMORY.md, yourUSER.mdand your list of cron jobs. These are the preferences and routines you'll hand over to Qiu. - Connect your tools. Turn on the Qiu connectors for whatever your MCP servers used to handle (Google, Microsoft 365, Slack…), and link your Claude or ChatGPT.
- Run both side by side. During the 15-day trial (no card), ask Qiu on Telegram to do one of your real routines. Switch Hermes off once you're happy.
Before you decide
Hermes Agent is free and Qiu isn't. Is that the whole story?
Hermes is free and open source, but you still pay for the model. If you don't run it on your own computer, you also pay for a Hermes Cloud instance. Qiu costs €29, €99 or €299 a month as a managed service with nothing to host, and runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT cost nothing extra.
Can I self-host Qiu like Hermes?
No. Qiu's code can't be self-hosted. Qiu is a managed service: you don't install or maintain anything, and you start with a 15-day free trial, no card.
Hermes supports more messaging apps. Where do I talk to Qiu?
On Telegram and the web, for now. Hermes connects 20+ platforms through its gateway, so if you need Signal, Teams or SMS, that's a point in its favour.
Does Qiu do what Hermes skills do?
It takes a different approach. Hermes writes new skills from problems it has solved. Qiu uses specialised coworkers for each area, with a coworker-manager handing out the work, plus routines and watches that run around the clock.
Can Qiu use desktop software?
Yes. Qiu has a real browser that logs in, fills in forms and makes purchases. It also has a desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux that sees the screen and uses the mouse and keyboard, for example in Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign. The desktop app is in phase 1. Hermes has no built-in desktop control; community MCP servers add it.
Does Qiu work for teams, like Hermes' Business plan?
Yes. Qiu has workspaces with members and permissions, and its coworkers collaborate through consent routing. On Qiu's Business plan (€299/mo), everyone on your team uses it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once, with your own Claude or ChatGPT.
From €29/mo
Every plan runs on your own AI: connect your Claude or your ChatGPT and those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu.
Your personal AI for everyday use. Connect your Claude or your ChatGPT.
Your marketing and product team in one AI: builds and publishes websites and apps, with specialist coworkers and more capacity. Connect your Claude or your ChatGPT.
Qiu for your whole team, no limits: everyone on your team uses it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once, with your own AI (your Claude or ChatGPT).
See pricing Free trial and plan changes at /en/pricing.
Other comparisons
Put Qiu to work
Reserve your spot and start with one task. Qiu finishes it and you approve what matters.