Yes, there is a hermes agent os free option, and it's called Herald OS. It's free, it's open source under the MIT licence, and it puts a proper operating system UI on top of Hermes Agent so you talk to your agent instead of clicking through menus. The software costs nothing. The only thing you might pay for is the model that powers it.
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I set it up myself on camera. I literally went into Claude and said, can you set this up? About two minutes later it was running. So this page covers what's actually free, what still costs money, the fastest free setup, what you get, the rough edges, and when it makes sense to go beyond the free version.
If you want the Hermes side of this explained step by step, the AI Profit Boardroom has Hermes Agent courses, daily Hermes updates and a full course on building an Agent OS.
What is the free Hermes agent OS?
Herald OS describes itself, per the README, as "an agent-native operating system, with Hermes Agent as the interface." You type or speak to Hermes and it can open apps, organise files, run scheduled routines and remember your preferences.
A few things to know straight away:
- It's an independent project by Luke The Dev (iamlukethedev on GitHub, who posts a lot about Hermes on X).
- It is NOT an official Nous Research product, and it isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Nous Research.
- It's MIT licensed, and it builds on Hermes Agent, which is also MIT.
- The code lives at iamlukethedev/Herald-OS, with about 124 stars and 17 forks at time of writing.
If you want the full walkthrough of the app itself, read my Herald OS review. This page is about the free side of it.
Is Hermes agent OS free? What's free vs what costs
The software is free. You don't pay for Herald OS and you don't pay for Hermes Agent. Both are open source under MIT.
What you still need is a model provider. Hermes has to think with something. Per the README, that's either a Nous Portal account or an API key from a provider like OpenRouter, OpenAI or Anthropic. You can also point it at a local model, which runs on your own machine.
| Piece | Free? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Herald OS | Yes | MIT licence, download from GitHub Releases |
| Hermes Agent | Yes | MIT licence, installed separately first |
| Model provider | Depends on your pick | Nous Portal account or an API key (OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic and others) |
| Local model | No provider bill | Runs on your own hardware |
| Voice | Free engine included | Works with any speech provider; realtime engine is opt-in |
So if you want the closest thing to fully free, run a local model. If you'd rather use a hosted model, that's where any cost comes in. Which model you pick matters a lot for how well Hermes does the work, so check my guide to the best Hermes Agent models and the Goldie Bench results before you commit.
You switch models with hermes model in the terminal, or inside Herald OS under Settings, then Hermes & agents.
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The fastest free setup
There are two ways to do this. One is the lazy way, which is what I did. The other is the manual way.
Option 1: ask your AI agent to do it
I went into Claude and asked it to set Herald OS up for me. That was it. About two minutes later I had it running. If you already use Claude Code, Codex or another agent, paste it the repo link and ask it to install Hermes Agent and Herald OS for your machine. Let it handle the steps.
Option 2: install it yourself
- Install Hermes Agent first, using the official install script from hermes-agent.nousresearch.com.
- Run hermes setup and connect your model provider (Nous Portal, an API key, or a local model).
- Go to the Releases page on the GitHub repo and download the right build. On Mac that's the HeraldOS mac-arm64 .dmg. Drag it to Applications.
- The Mac build isn't notarised yet, so the README gives a one-time command to clear macOS quarantine. Use the one in the README.
- Open Herald OS and start talking to Hermes.
Mac app needs macOS 13 Ventura or later on Apple silicon. There's no Intel build. Linux has an installer ISO, an Arch package, an Omarchy app and a tarball. If you're new to Hermes, my Hermes agent OS guide covers the bigger picture of running Hermes as an operating system.
📺 Watch: Run Hermes Agent Free Forever, Here's how...!
What you get for free
This is the part that surprised me. For a free alpha, there's a lot in here.
- Dashboard. Mine said "Good morning, Julian. Your day already in motion." It showed what's scheduled today, what needs attention, missions, and recent screenshots from my desktop.
- Hermes chat. A chat page with preview and sources, so you can add files Hermes can read.
- Spaces. Ideas, work, personal. You can add a new space per client or company and set a default. AIPB members ask me all the time how to set up an agent OS for separate clients, and this handles it.
- Missions. Give Hermes a mission like "build out a new website for me" and it plans it step by step.
- Memory. Shows everything Hermes remembers.
- Files. Recent, favourites, projects, downloads, shared, deleted.
- Automations. Switch them on and off. Mine synced across Herald OS, Hermes Desktop and my Agentic Operating System. Think a daily 6am to-do recap or morning inbox triage summaries.
- Voice. Press the voice key or say "hey Hermes", and you can run the UI by voice ("open missions").
- Permissions. Per the README, every system tool has a tier. Read and act run directly and get logged, mutate asks first, destructive asks every time. Your ~/.ssh folder, keychains and Hermes's own credentials are always refused, and there's an audit log on disk.
- Extras. Studio (build a project from a description with live preview), screen tools, a command bar, a terminal, a system monitor, twelve themes, and a usage page with a 90% warning.
On Linux you also get a control menu, one-click installs for AI tools like Claude Code, Codex and local models, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth panels, clipboard history, a firewall, and herald-os update and herald-os rollback.
Want help picking the right setup for your business? Book a free AI strategy session and we'll map it out.
The rough edges (it's alpha)
Herald OS is alpha, version 0.1. The first public release was v0.1.0-alpha.1 on 6 October 2026. The README is upfront about it: "Expect rough edges, and keep backups of anything you let an agent touch."
Here's what I hit:
- The top of the window cut off slightly.
- The Connections page didn't work or sync for me. I'd just ask Claude to fix it. It's open source, who am I to be picky.
- The Memory page showed my Telegram details on screen. If you screen-share or record, check what's visible first.
One privacy note from the README. "Pick up where you left off" is off by default. When you switch it on, it suggests up to three threads of work using names and dates, not file contents, and those get sent to your model provider. Fine for most people, but worth knowing.
Free Herald OS vs paid Agent OS: which path fits you?
Honestly, Herald OS is super nice, super clean, easy to use, and it synced up pretty quickly. If you want a good-looking UI for Hermes and you don't love Hermes Desktop, it's a great option, and it's free. I think it looks much nicer than Hermes Desktop, though Hermes Desktop is still good and has plugins.
When Hermes first came out around March or April, everyone ran it in the terminal and it was messy. A proper UI makes navigating, controlling and commanding agents easier. Herald OS gives you that for nothing.
My own Agent OS is a different thing. It's a full Agentic Operating System that manages agents beyond just Hermes, and it comes with courses and support inside the AI Profit Boardroom.
| Herald OS | Julian's Agent OS (AIPB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (MIT) | $69/mo as part of AIPB |
| What it is | A UI for Hermes Agent | A full Agentic Operating System across multiple agents |
| Agents | Hermes Agent | Hermes plus other agents |
| Learning | README and Discord | Hermes courses, daily Hermes updates, Agent OS course |
| Best for | A free, clean Hermes UI | Running a business on agents with support |
You don't have to pick one. My automations sync across both. Start with Herald OS free, and if you want the full system with training, join the AI Profit Boardroom for $69/mo. You can also read my Agent OS guide to see how the bigger system fits together.
My verdict
If you searched for a free Hermes agent OS, Herald OS is the answer. Free software, open source, a clean UI, lots of features, and setup took me about two minutes by asking Claude. Just keep in mind it's alpha, keep backups, and budget for a model provider unless you're running a local model.
If you'd rather have someone walk through your setup with you, grab a free AI strategy session.
FAQ
Is there a free Hermes agent OS?
Yes. Herald OS is a free, open-source operating system UI for Hermes Agent, released under the MIT licence. It's an independent project by Luke The Dev, not an official Nous Research product.
Is Herald OS really free?
Yes, the software is free and so is Hermes Agent. You download Herald OS from the GitHub Releases page at no cost. The only possible cost is the model provider you connect.
Do I need to pay for a model?
Not necessarily. Hermes needs a model provider: a Nous Portal account, an API key (OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic and others), or a local model. A local model runs on your own machine, so there's no provider bill.
Does the free version run on any computer?
Not every one. The Mac app needs macOS 13 Ventura or later on Apple silicon, and there's no Intel build. On Linux there's an x86_64 installer ISO, an Arch package, an Omarchy app and a tarball for other distros.
