NemoClaw vs Hermes vs OpenClaw: Which AI Agent Framework Is Right for You?

# NemoClaw vs Hermes vs OpenClaw: Which AI Agent Framework Is Right for You? So you want to run an AI agent. Cool. But now you're staring at three options that all sound vaguely similar and none of them come with a "start here for normal people" button. OpenClaw. Hermes Agent. NemoClaw. They're all agent frameworks, they're all open-source, and they all promise to turn your LLM from a fancy chatbot into something that actually does stuff. But they're built for different people, and picking the wrong one is a great way to waste a weekend. Let's break them down. ## What even is an agent framework? 🤖 Before we compare them, quick primer. An agent framework (sometimes called an agent harness or agent OS) is the software layer that wraps around an LLM and gives it hands. Without one, your AI model can generate text. With one, it can run shell commands, read and write files, browse the web, send messages, schedule tasks, and generally act like a digital employee who never sleeps. The framework handles the boring-but-critical stuff: tool calling, memory across sessions, security controls, platform integrations, and the loop that keeps the agent working until the task is done. Think of the LLM as the brain. The framework is the body. ## OpenClaw: The OG that started it all 🔥 OpenClaw is the one that kicked off this whole category. Built by Peter Steinberger, it popularized the idea of an "operating system for personal AI." It gives your LLM a shell, file access, memory, skills, and messaging integrations. It was the first framework that made regular people think "oh, I can actually make AI do things on my computer." ### What it's good at - Low barrier to entry - install it on a $5 VPS and go - Model flexibility - works with multiple LLM providers - Huge community and tooling - ClawMart marketplace with 2,000+ listings for personas and skills - Dead simple philosophy: your AI, your machine, your rules ### Where it falls short Here's the thing. Steinberger left for OpenAI in February 2026. The project continues as community-driven, but there's no single visionary steering the ship anymore. And that matters. More importantly, OpenClaw has no security guardrails. It gets deep access to your system and trusts you to handle the rest. That's fine for a developer messing around on their laptop. It's a non-starter for any business that takes compliance seriously. The memory system is also flat markdown files. Works great when you're one person with one project. Doesn't scale well when you're trying to run a business on it. ### Who should use OpenClaw If you're a hobbyist, a solo developer, or someone who wants to experiment with AI agents on your own machine without overthinking it, OpenClaw is still a solid starting point. Just don't bet your business on it without adding your own security layers. ## Hermes Agent: The one that learns 🧠 Hermes Agent is built by Nous Research and it takes a fundamentally different approach. While OpenClaw gives your agent a body, Hermes gives it a memory and the ability to improve over time. The headline feature is the closed learning loop. Your agent creates skills from complex tasks it completes. Those skills get better the more you use them. It remembers what worked, what didn't, and builds an evolving understanding of you across sessions. Nobody else does this as a unified system. ### What it's good at - Self-improving skills that get better at your specific tasks over time - 16 messaging platforms - Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage, WeChat, and more - 20+ LLM providers with automatic credential rotation and failover - 6 terminal backends including serverless options (Modal, Daytona) that hibernate when idle - Full OpenClaw migration with a single command - Profiles for running multiple isolated instances (separate "coder" and "research" setups, for example) - Approval gates, container isolation, and command filtering for security - Runs on anything - $5 VPS, GPU cluster, even Android via Termux ### Where it falls short It's more complex than OpenClaw. There's more to configure, more moving parts, and a steeper learning curve if you want to use all the features. The community is growing fast but smaller than OpenClaw's established user base. And if you're the type who wants zero decisions to make, the sheer number of options can feel like a lot. ### Who should use Hermes Agent Developers, power users, AI consultancies, and businesses that want an agent that actually gets smarter over time. If you need multi-platform support, provider flexibility, and enterprise-adjacent security without the enterprise price tag, this is the one. It's also the best choice if you're migrating from OpenClaw and want your existing setup to keep working. Claw Prime runs on Hermes, if that tells you anything. ## NemoClaw: The enterprise play 🏢 NemoClaw is NVIDIA's answer to a specific problem: enterprises want AI agents but can't stomach the security posture of community-built tools. Jensen Huang said at GTC 2026 that "every company needs its own OpenClaw strategy." NemoClaw is NVIDIA building that strategy for them. It's a hardened fork of OpenClaw with NVIDIA's security layer (OpenShell) bolted on top. OpenShell gives you policy-based guardrails, sandbox isolation, SSRF protection, and secret leak prevention. It also has a privacy router that keeps sensitive data local while routing less sensitive queries to cloud frontier models. ### What it's good at - Enterprise-grade security with policy-based controls - Data sovereignty - sensitive stuff never leaves your network unless you say so - Local compute on NVIDIA hardware with Nemotron models - Hybrid model routing - fast local inference for simple stuff, cloud frontier models for complex queries - NVIDIA platform integration (NeMo, TensorRT, Triton) - Enterprise support and SLAs from a major infrastructure vendor ### Where it falls short It's still in early preview. No GA date announced. The documentation is thin, the community is small, and there are real concerns about data loss during updates. It also requires NVIDIA GPU hardware, which means it won't run on your $5 VPS or your AMD setup. You're locked into the NVIDIA stack whether you like it or not. It also inherits OpenClaw's architectural decisions, including some of the limitations. And unlike Hermes, there's no self-improvement or learning loop. What you deploy is what you get. ### Who should use NemoClaw Enterprise IT teams that need compliance-ready AI agents and already run NVIDIA infrastructure. If your security team would have a meltdown over OpenClaw's access model, NemoClaw is designed to make them comfortable. It's also a strong pick if you want local inference for data privacy reasons. Just know you're buying into early-stage software with hardware requirements. Factor that into your timeline. ## The head-to-head 📊 Let's put them side by side. | | OpenClaw | Hermes Agent | NemoClaw | |---|---|---|---| | **Built by** | Peter Steinberger (now at OpenAI) | Nous Research | NVIDIA | | **Status** | Community-maintained | Active (v0.9.0) | Early preview | | **Best for** | Hobbyists, solo devs | Developers, businesses, consultancies | Enterprise IT | | **Self-improving** | No | Yes | No | | **Messaging platforms** | A few | 16 | Based on OpenClaw | | **LLM providers** | Multiple | 20+ with rotation | NVIDIA + cloud | | **Security** | Minimal | Approval gates, container isolation | OpenShell policies | | **Memory** | Flat markdown files | SQLite + FTS5 search + pluggable backends | OpenClaw base | | **Hardware** | Any Linux/macOS | Any Linux/macOS/Android | NVIDIA GPU | | **Migration from OpenClaw** | N/A | One command | Fork, no migration tool | ## So which one should you pick? 🎯 Once you pick one, follow our [step-by-step setup guide](/blog/how-to-set-up-ai-agent-step-by-step) to get it running. Here's the simple version. **Pick OpenClaw if** you want to get started fast, you're experimenting on your own, and enterprise security isn't on your radar. It's the easiest on-ramp to AI agents, especially if you just want to see what the fuss is about. **Pick Hermes Agent if** you want an agent that improves over time, runs on multiple platforms, works with any LLM provider, and has enough security features to deploy professionally. It's the most capable option for people who plan to actually rely on their agent day to day. **Pick NemoClaw if** you're an enterprise that needs data sovereignty, compliance-ready security, and you're already invested in NVIDIA hardware. Just be prepared for early-preview growing pains. And if you read all that and still have no idea? That's normal. This stuff moves fast and the right answer depends on your specific setup, budget, and what you're trying to accomplish. ## Not sure which one fits? We'll figure it out for you. 🤝 We do this every day. We've deployed agents on all three frameworks and we know the tradeoffs from real experience, not from reading blog posts (yes, we see the irony). Book a free SWOT assessment with our team. We'll look at your operations, your tech stack, your security requirements, and your budget, then tell you exactly which framework makes sense and how to deploy it without losing your mind. No jargon. No 12-month contracts. Just straight answers from people who've actually built this stuff. [Book your free assessment here.]