head to head · open source
Hermes Agent vs Minutes
Hermes Agent has 246,492 GitHub stars, 51,615 forks, 41,784 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Minutes has 1,484 stars, 163 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Hermes Agent leads on adoption by 16,510% (246,492 vs 1,484 stars). Hermes Agent is written in Python under MIT; Minutes is written in Rust under MIT. Hermes Agent has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, Minutes 11%. Minutes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai, claude), 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 | Minutes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 246K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 52K | ⑂ 163 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Hermes Agent if
- You weight community size — 246K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Minutes if
- You want the Minutes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Minutes 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 Minutes
Minutes is open source MIT Rust local first conversation memory app. It lives in AI and MCP ecosystem. It records and transcribes meetings, calls, voice memos, and dictation on device. It lets Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or another MCP client search history user chooses to share.
read the full Minutes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hermes Agent or Minutes more popular?
Hermes Agent has 246,492 GitHub stars and Minutes has 1,484. Hermes Agent has the larger community by that measure.
Are Hermes Agent and Minutes free?
Both are open source. Hermes Agent is licensed under MIT and Minutes under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Hermes Agent and Minutes?
Hermes Agent is written in Python and Minutes in Rust. 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 Minutes?
Choose Hermes Agent if you want the larger community (246,492 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Minutes if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.