head to head · open source
Hermes Agent vs k-dense-byok
Hermes Agent has 246,618 GitHub stars, 51,659 forks, 41,784 open issues and last shipped today. k-dense-byok has 1,235 stars, 151 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. Hermes Agent leads on adoption by 19,869% (246,618 vs 1,235 stars). Hermes Agent is written in Python under MIT; k-dense-byok is written in TypeScript under MIT. Hermes Agent has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, k-dense-byok 12%. Hermes Agent was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai-agent), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Hermes Agent | k-dense-byok | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 247K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 52K | ⑂ 151 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Hermes Agent if
- You weight community size — 247K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick k-dense-byok if
- You want the k-dense-byok feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and k-dense-byok fits your workflow better
About Hermes Agent
Hermes Agent is a desktop AI agent developed by Nous Research that maintains persistent memory and self improving capabilities across sessions and platforms. It operates as a local first, cross platform interface for LLMs, integrating with multiple model providers and deployment environments without vendor lock in. The agent implements a closed learning loop where it curates its own memory, creates and refines skills from experience, and supports cross session recall via full text search and summarization.
read the full Hermes Agent overview →
About k-dense-byok
K Dense BYOK 🎥 Webinar recording: Getting Started with K Dense BYOK An online walkthrough of installing Kady and running your first research task, with live Q&A. 👉 Watch the recording on YouTube Your own AI research assistant, running on your computer, powered by the accounts and API keys you choose. K Dense BYOK (Bring Your Own Keys) is a free, open source app that gives you Kady — an AI research assistant for scientists in any field. Describe a task in plain language — analyze this dataset , review my manuscript , search the literature , build this figure — and Kady works through it in a complete research wor…
read the full k-dense-byok overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hermes Agent or k-dense-byok more popular?
Hermes Agent has 246,618 GitHub stars and k-dense-byok has 1,235. Hermes Agent has the larger community by that measure.
Are Hermes Agent and k-dense-byok free?
Both are open source. Hermes Agent is licensed under MIT and k-dense-byok under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Hermes Agent and k-dense-byok?
Hermes Agent is written in Python and k-dense-byok in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Hermes Agent or k-dense-byok?
Choose Hermes Agent if you want the larger community (246,618 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose k-dense-byok if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.