Brigade vs Hermes
Two MIT, self-hosted AI agents. One manages memory, connectors, and security for you, and improves only with your sign-off.
Brigade and Hermes Agent are both MIT-licensed AI agents you self-host. Hermes is known for automatic skill-learning and a quick install, with memory, connectors, and security left for you to manage. Brigade ships a crew of agents on a real org chart, Tideline managed memory, 1,000+ Composio connectors, and five layers of security, and it improves under your sign-off rather than learning unreviewed.
Choose Brigade if you want managed memory, connectors, and security with self-improvement you approve. Choose Hermes if you want a lean self-hosted agent with automatic skill-learning that you manage yourself.
Brigade vs Hermes, side by side
Brigade
HermesWhere Brigade pulls ahead
Self-improvement you approve
Brigade confirms patterns and proposes changes for your sign-off before applying them. Hermes learns skills automatically, but unreviewed, so you have less control over what it picks up.
A real org chart
Brigade routes goals to agents on an actual org chart that delegate and hand off. Hermes runs agents without goal-based routing or a chart.
Managed memory, not a local database
Tideline is a managed memory graph with typed links, decay, and poison resistance. Hermes stores memory in SQLite plus markdown that you manage and encrypt yourself.
1,000+ connectors out of the box
Brigade ships 1,000+ managed Composio connectors. Hermes gives you MCP and roughly 40 tools, none of them managed for you.
Where Hermes is a good pick
Hermes Agent is a strong pick if you want a lean, self-hosted agent that learns skills automatically and installs quickly. It is fully open source and known for solid continuity and recall. If you are comfortable managing memory, security, and integrations yourself, and you want automatic skill-learning without an approval gate, Hermes fits well.
Frequently asked
Are Brigade and Hermes both open source?
- Yes. Both Brigade and Hermes Agent are MIT licensed and free to self-host. The difference is what each ships managed: Brigade includes memory, connectors, and security, while Hermes leaves those for you to configure and maintain.
What does Brigade have that Hermes doesn't?
- Brigade adds a real org chart with goal-based routing, Tideline managed long-term memory, 1,000+ Composio connectors, five built-in security layers, a switchable encrypted database, Heartbeat scheduling, and self-improvement that you approve before it applies.
How is Brigade's memory different from Hermes Agent's?
- Hermes stores memory in SQLite plus markdown files that you manage and encrypt yourself. Tideline is a managed memory graph with typed links between facts, decay so the unimportant fades, and resistance to poisoning from untrusted pages.
Does Brigade or Hermes self-improve more safely?
- Both can self-improve. Hermes uses automatic skill-learning that is unreviewed, so it adopts patterns on its own. Brigade proposes changes for your approval first, so you stay in control of what the agents learn and apply.
Try Brigade for free
Self-host the whole crew on your own machine. MIT licensed.
$ npm i @spinabot/brigadeGitHub