In Hermes vs Devin, the short answer is this: Hermes Agent is a free, open-source general AI agent you run yourself for business tasks across chat apps, files and schedules, while Devin is Cognition's hosted AI software engineer built to take coding tickets and return pull requests. If your work is mostly code in a Git repo, Devin is the specialist. If your work is everything around the business, with some coding on the side, Hermes is the wider tool.
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Both can run commands, use tools and work while you do something else. The difference is focus: Hermes is a personal agent on your machine or server, and Devin sits inside an engineering team to clear the backlog.
If you want to see how small business owners are putting AI agents like these to work every week, the AI Profit Boardroom is where we share the setups, prompts and workflows. It is $69/mo, and members get the full library of agent builds.
What Hermes Agent is in the Hermes vs Devin matchup
Hermes Agent comes from Nous Research. It is free and open source under the MIT license. You install it and run it on your own computer, a server or a cloud sandbox. The latest release is v0.23.0, "The Hearth Release", published on 5 November 2026.
Hermes is built as a general agent. Its documentation covers:
- Many front ends. A desktop app, the hermes command line, a terminal UI and a web dashboard, all sharing the same state.
- A messaging gateway. Talk to it on Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, email and more.
- Cron jobs. Schedule tasks in plain language or with cron expressions, and deliver results to a chat or a file.
- Skills and memory. On-demand skill files plus a small, curated memory that carries across sessions.
- Delegation. Spin up child agents with their own context and get back a summary.
- Terminal backends. Run commands locally, in Docker, over SSH, or in cloud sandboxes such as Modal, Daytona and Vercel Sandbox.
For coding, Hermes can edit files, run tests, and drive interactive coding tools like Codex and Claude Code in PTY mode. It can also import your setup from Claude Code, Codex CLI or Cursor. We cover the coding side in more depth in is Hermes Agent good at coding.
What Devin is in the Hermes vs Devin matchup
Devin is made by Cognition. Cognition first introduced it on 12 March 2024 as "the first AI software engineer." Its docs today describe it as an autonomous AI software engineer that can write, run and test code. Cognition gives a rule of thumb: if a task would take you three hours or less, Devin can most likely do it.
Devin runs as a hosted service. You sign up at app.devin.ai. Each cloud session gets its own virtual machine with a shell, an IDE you can take over, and a browser. Cognition's docs list the main pieces:
- Cloud sessions. Hand Devin a ticket and it works in its own VM, then opens a pull request.
- Computer Use. A full desktop on Linux, Windows or macOS sessions, so Devin can click through your app and record its tests.
- Devin CLI. A local coding agent in your terminal, with a /handoff command that moves a task to the cloud.
- Devin Desktop. Cognition calls it "the next generation of Windsurf", with an Agent Command Center for local and cloud agents.
- Team tools. Slack and Microsoft Teams tagging, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Linear and Jira, plus Automations triggered by events or schedules.
- Review and memory. Devin Review for pull requests, Knowledge, Playbooks, Skills, and a Memory feature that saves your preferences between sessions.
Self-serve plans are named Free, Pro, Max and Teams, with Enterprise through sales. Cognition also says it has been SOC 2 Type II certified since September 2024.
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Hermes vs Devin side by side
| Feature | Hermes Agent | Devin |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Nous Research | Cognition |
| Main job | General personal and business agent | AI software engineer for code tasks |
| License | Open source, MIT | Commercial hosted product |
| Where it runs | Your computer, server or chosen sandbox | Cognition's cloud VMs; Outposts for your own machines |
| How you talk to it | Desktop, CLI, TUI, web dashboard, chat apps | Web app, Slack, Teams, CLI, Devin Desktop, API |
| Output | Messages, files, reports, scheduled jobs, code | Pull requests, reviews, tested code |
| Scheduling | Built-in cron jobs | Automations with schedule and event triggers |
| Models | You pick the provider and model | Cognition's Adaptive router or a chosen model |
| Plans | Free software; you pay your model provider | Free, Pro, Max, Teams, Enterprise |
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Hermes vs Devin for coding work
On pure software engineering, Devin is the more specialised product. Cognition designs everything around the repo: blueprints that set up your environment, pull requests that respond to review comments, stacked PRs for big changes, code scans and a security product. Devin also tests its own work by launching your app and recording what it did.
Hermes can write and fix code, but it does not ship that engineering workflow out of the box. You get the raw tools: terminal, files, delegation, a /goal command that keeps a task running until a judge model says it is done. You wire up Git, CI and review yourself. That gives you more control and fewer guard rails.
If you want to compare Hermes with other coding tools, see Hermes vs Cursor and Hermes Agent vs Claude Code. For how we test models ourselves, Julian keeps his own scoreboard at Goldie Bench.
Hermes vs Devin for a small business: three scenarios
These are illustrations of how each tool fits, not case studies.
Scenario 1: a local agency with no developers
A five-person marketing agency wants daily client reports, inbox triage and a morning summary on Telegram. There is no code repo to speak of. Hermes fits here. Its gateway, cron jobs and skills cover the work. Devin would be the wrong shape, because it is built to work inside a codebase.
Scenario 2: a software startup with a long ticket list
A small SaaS team has a backlog of bug tickets in Linear and a repo on GitHub. They want draft pull requests waiting each morning. Devin fits here. It can take tickets, work in parallel sessions and open PRs that the team reviews. Hermes could do parts of this, but the team would build the workflow themselves.
Scenario 3: an online store with one part-time developer
An e-commerce owner wants an agent for supplier emails and stock alerts, and a developer wants help fixing theme code. This one splits. Hermes handles the business side. Devin handles the code tickets. The owner gets an assistant and the developer gets an engineer.
Not sure which way your business splits? Book a free AI strategy session and we will map the tasks to the right agent.
Can Hermes and Devin work together?
Yes, based on what each side publishes. Neither company names the other in its docs, so these are connection paths, not official integrations.
- Through MCP. Cognition says its Devin MCP server gives any MCP-compatible AI agent access to session management, playbooks, knowledge and scheduling. Hermes supports MCP servers over a local command or a remote URL. So Hermes can start and check Devin sessions as a tool, using a Devin API key.
- Through ACP. Devin Desktop runs third-party agents in its Agent Command Center using the Agent Client Protocol. Hermes ships an ACP server with the hermes acp command. That points to Hermes running beside Devin inside Devin Desktop, added as a custom agent.
A sensible split: Hermes runs the business day and hands coding tickets to Devin. For the full picture of how we stack agents into one system, read the Agent OS guide.
Hermes vs Devin: who should pick which
Pick Hermes if you want a free, open-source agent that you control, that runs across your chat apps and files, and that handles general business tasks with some coding on the side. It suits owners and operators who are happy to set things up.
Pick Devin if your main need is shipping code, you work in GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, and you want an agent that takes tickets, tests its work and opens pull requests for your team to review. It suits engineering teams and founders with a real backlog.
Use both if you run a business that also builds software. Hermes covers operations. Devin covers engineering.
If you want help deciding, grab a free AI strategy session. We will look at your workload and tell you where each agent saves time.
Hermes vs Devin FAQ
Is Hermes free and is Devin free?
Hermes Agent is free, open-source software under the MIT license, though you still pay whichever model provider you connect. Devin has a Free plan with limited usage, plus paid Pro, Max, Teams and Enterprise plans.
Can Hermes replace Devin for coding?
For small fixes and scripts, Hermes can do the work. For a team that wants tickets turned into tested pull requests with review built in, Devin is designed for that job and Hermes is not.
Does Devin run on my own computer?
Devin CLI and Devin Desktop run locally, and Local Hands lets a cloud session act on your computer with approval. Cloud sessions run on Cognition's VMs, and Outposts lets companies serve sessions from their own machines.
Which is better for a non-technical business owner?
Hermes, if the work is operations, messages and reports. Devin is aimed at people who manage code.
Ready to put AI agents to work in your business? Join the AI Profit Boardroom for the weekly builds, or book a free AI strategy session and we will plan your first agent with you. That is the practical end of the Hermes vs Devin question: pick the agent that matches the work.
