The open-source AI agent house has a brand new chief. As of Might 10, 2026, Hermes Agent — constructed by Nous Analysis — has overtaken OpenClaw to carry the #1 place on OpenRouter’s world each day app and agent rankings. Hermes is at present producing 224 billion each day tokens on OpenRouter versus OpenClaw’s 186 billion, making it probably the most actively used open-source AI agent by present inference quantity.
The milestone is extra important than a easy leaderboard swap. OpenClaw’s founder, Peter Steinberger, joined OpenAI in February 2026, whereas OpenClaw moved to an impartial open-source basis with OpenAI as a sponsor.
Two Totally different Bets on What an Agent Ought to Be
The rivalry between Hermes and OpenClaw comes right down to a elementary architectural disagreement. OpenClaw is organized round a central WebSocket Gateway — a persistent routing layer that connects 50+ messaging channels (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Sign, and extra) to an agent runtime. Its design optimizes for attain: what number of surfaces the agent can function throughout concurrently.
Hermes Agent takes the alternative method. Constructed below an MIT license, it facilities on a “do, study, enhance” execution loop. After finishing a process, the agent enters a reflective part the place it analyzes its personal efficiency and autonomously generates reusable talent information for future use. Reminiscence is dealt with by way of three layers: a persistent snapshot of consumer and agent id, a SQLite FTS5 full-text search database of each previous session, and procedural talent information that seize repeatable process logic. The design is constructed for compounding worth over time — the longer you run Hermes, the extra optimized it turns into in your particular workflows.
A Speedy Launch Cadence
Hermes has shipped a confirmed main launch often since its February 2026 launch. The v0.9.0 “In all places” launch introduced Android/Termux help, iMessage through BlueBubbles, WeChat and WeCom adapters, and a neighborhood internet dashboard, pushing Hermes to 16 supported messaging platforms. The v0.11.0 “Interface” launch delivered a full React/Ink TUI rewrite, native AWS Bedrock help, 5 new inference paths together with NVIDIA NIM and Vercel ai-gateway, GPT-5.5 entry through Codex OAuth, and a seventeenth platform through QQBot — throughout 1,556 commits and 761 merged PRs.
The v0.13.0 “Tenacity” launch, shipped Might 7, 2026, is the present newest. It introduces Kanban as a sturdy multi-agent process board with heartbeat monitoring, zombie detection, and hallucination restoration; a /aim command that locks the agent on a goal throughout turns; Checkpoints v2 with actual state pruning; gateway auto-resume after restart; and Google Chat because the twentieth supported messaging platform.
Safety: A Distinction Price Noting
OpenClaw’s scale has include safety prices. CVE-2026-25253, assigned a CVSS rating of 8.8, uncovered the gateway to distant exploitation. In a four-day window in March 2026, 9 CVEs had been disclosed — one scoring 9.9. A Koi Safety audit of two,857 ClawHub abilities discovered 341 malicious entries, with 335 tied to a single marketing campaign, and broader third-party safety scans flagged over 800 suspicious entries throughout the identical interval. SecurityScorecard reported tens of 1000’s of publicly uncovered OpenClaw cases.
Hermes Agent’s safety document is shorter by advantage of its age, however not clear. NVD lists a number of CVEs printed April 27–29, 2026, together with CVE-2026-7113, a lacking authentication challenge within the webhooks endpoint of model 0.8.0, scoring 5.6 MEDIUM on CVSS 3.x and a pair of.9 LOW on CVSS 4.0. The v0.13.0 Tenacity launch addressed 8 P0 safety points, together with enabling redaction by default, guild-scoped Discord function allowlists, WhatsApp stranger rejection, and TOCTOU patches throughout auth.json and MCP OAuth flows.
Migration and the Path Ahead
For builders working OpenClaw who wish to consider Hermes, the transition is designed to be low-friction. Hermes detects an current ~/.openclaw listing throughout setup and presents to import settings, reminiscences, abilities, and API keys mechanically. The hermes claw migrate command helps dry-run previews, selective migration presets, and battle overwrite controls.
The 2 frameworks are additionally more and more being run in parallel, with OpenClaw dealing with orchestration and multi-channel routing whereas Hermes executes repeatable process loops — coordinated through the Agent Communication Protocol (ACP).
The broader sign from the OpenRouter rankings is that the open-source agent market is just not consolidating round one device. It’s bifurcating round two completely different philosophies: breadth of attain versus depth of studying. Hermes Agent’s transfer to #1 on each day utilization means that, no less than for now, a significant portion of the developer neighborhood is betting on depth.
224B
Hermes Every day Tokens
#1 on OpenRouter
186B
OpenClaw Every day Tokens
#2 on OpenRouter
6.35T
Hermes All-Time
vs 9.17T OpenClaw
v0.13.0
Newest Launch
Might 7, 2026
Comparability
Launch Historical past
Safety
When to Use Which
Head-to-Head
Hermes Agent
OpenClaw
Creator
Nous Analysis (MIT)
Peter Steinberger / Basis (OpenAI sponsor)
Launched
February 2026
Late 2025
GitHub Stars
114,000+
370,000+
Every day Tokens
224B (#1 OpenRouter)
186B (#2 OpenRouter)
All-Time Tokens
6.35T
9.17T
Structure
Self-improving execution loop; do–study–enhance
WebSocket Gateway; central routing controller
Reminiscence
SQLite FTS5 + persistent id + auto-generated abilities
Markdown-based; human-authored abilities through ClawHub
Talent Ecosystem
40+ built-in instruments; agentskills.io customary; auto-generates abilities
44,000+ ClawHub abilities (April 2026)
Platforms
20 (incl. Google Chat, QQBot, WeChat, iMessage)
50+ channels
Mannequin Help
200+ through OpenRouter; NVIDIA NIM; AWS Bedrock; Ollama; native
OpenAI-compatible; OpenRouter; Ollama
Newest Model
v0.13.0 — Might 7, 2026
Energetic (LTS introduced Might 2026)
CVE Rely
4 CVEs (Apr 27–29; have an effect on v0.8.0)
9 CVEs in 4 days (Mar 2026); one CVSS 9.9
Migration
hermes claw migrate imports OpenClaw config mechanically
—
Hermes Agent Launch Cadence
v0.13.0 — The Tenacity Launch
Newest
Might 7, 2026
Kanban multi-agent board with zombie detection and hallucination restoration. /aim locks agent on track throughout turns. Checkpoints v2 with actual state pruning. Gateway auto-resumes after restart. 8 P0 safety fixes: redaction on by default, Discord guild-scoped allowlists, WhatsApp stranger rejection, TOCTOU patches. Google Chat = twentieth platform. Seven i18n locales ship.
v0.12.0 — The Curator Launch
Apr 30, 2026
Autonomous background Curator grades, prunes, and consolidates the talent library. 4 new inference suppliers. Groups plugin = nineteenth platform. Native Spotify and Google Meet integrations. ComfyUI and TouchDesigner-MCP bundled. ~57% discount in TUI chilly begin time.
v0.11.0 — The Interface Launch
Apr 23, 2026
Full React/Ink TUI rewrite. Native AWS Bedrock help. 5 new inference paths: NVIDIA NIM, Arcee AI, Google Gemini CLI OAuth, Vercel ai-gateway, Step Plan. GPT-5.5 through Codex OAuth. QQBot = seventeenth platform. Plugin floor dramatically expanded. Dashboard with i18n (English + Chinese language).
v0.10.0 — The Instrument Gateway Launch
Apr 16, 2026
Nous Portal subscribers get internet search (Firecrawl), picture era (FAL/FLUX 2 Professional), TTS (OpenAI TTS), and browser automation (Browser Use) — zero extra API keys required.
v0.9.0 — The In all places Launch
Apr 13, 2026
Android/Termux help. iMessage through BlueBubbles. WeChat and WeCom adapters. Native internet dashboard. Quick Mode for OpenAI and Anthropic precedence queues. Background course of monitoring through watch_patterns. 16 supported platforms. Deep safety hardening move.
CVE Tracker
CVE-2026-25253 — OpenClaw
CVSS 8.8 HIGH
Distant exploitation of the OpenClaw gateway. Single malicious hyperlink might hand over full machine management. Patched; replace required. SecurityScorecard reported tens of 1000’s of uncovered cases.
March 2026 Cluster — OpenClaw
9 CVEs / 4 Days
Mar 18–21, 2026: 9 CVEs disclosed in 4 days. One scored CVSS 9.9. Koi Safety audit of two,857 ClawHub abilities discovered 341 malicious entries (11.9%), with 335 tied to a single marketing campaign. Broader scans flagged 800+ suspicious entries.
CVE-2026-7113 — Hermes Agent
CVSS 3.x: 5.6 MEDIUM
CVSS 4.0: 2.9 LOW
Lacking authentication in webhooks endpoint (gateway/platforms/webhook.py). Impacts hermes-agent v0.8.0 solely. Excessive assault complexity; tough to take advantage of. Printed Apr 27, 2026. Confirm model earlier than assuming unaffected.
v0.13.0 Safety Wave — Hermes
8 P0 Fixes
Tenacity launch (Might 7) closed 8 P0 safety points: redaction ON by default, Discord role-allowlists now guild-scoped, WhatsApp rejects strangers by default, TOCTOU home windows closed throughout auth.json and MCP OAuth flows.
Select Your Stack
Hermes Agent
Nous Analysis — MIT License
▶You need an agent that improves on repeated workflows over time
▶Lengthy-horizon duties the place cross-session reminiscence issues
▶Want AWS Bedrock, NVIDIA NIM, or 200+ mannequin flexibility
▶Safety-first deployment (fewer CVEs, tighter defaults)
▶Migrating from OpenClaw (hermes claw migrate)
▶Serverless, SSH, or HPC deployment environments
OpenClaw
Impartial Basis — OpenAI Sponsor
▶Most messaging channel attain (50+ platforms)
▶Instantaneous entry to 44,000+ community-built abilities through ClawHub
▶Multi-agent orchestration as the first workflow
▶Massive workforce deployments needing mature, battle-tested infrastructure
▶You need the broader neighborhood ecosystem right this moment, not compounding worth over time
Key Takeaways
- Hermes Agent leads OpenRouter’s world each day rankings with 224B each day tokens vs. OpenClaw’s 186B as of Might 10, 2026; OpenClaw leads cumulative all-time at 9.17T vs. 6.35T
- OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger joined OpenAI in February 2026; OpenClaw operates as an impartial open-source basis with OpenAI as a sponsor
- Hermes Agent: 114,000 GitHub stars, MIT license, 40+ built-in instruments, 20 supported messaging platforms as of v0.13.0
- OpenClaw: 370,000 GitHub stars, 44,000+ ClawHub abilities (April 2026), 50+ messaging channels
- Newest Hermes launch: v0.13.0 “Tenacity” (Might 7, 2026) — 864 commits, 588 PRs, 295 contributors, 8 P0 safety fixes
- CVE-2026-25253 (CVSS 8.8) and a cluster of 9 CVEs in March 2026 stay the first OpenClaw safety danger markers; Hermes CVE-2026-7113 (CVSS 3.x: 5.6 MEDIUM) impacts model 0.8.0 solely
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Michal Sutter is a knowledge science skilled with a Grasp of Science in Information Science from the College of Padova. With a strong basis in statistical evaluation, machine studying, and information engineering, Michal excels at reworking complicated datasets into actionable insights.
