head to head · open source
Hermes Agent vs Zola
Hermes Agent has 246,492 GitHub stars, 51,615 forks, 41,784 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zola has 1,531 stars, 295 forks, 28 open issues and last shipped 9 months ago. Hermes Agent leads on adoption by 16,000% (246,492 vs 1,531 stars). Hermes Agent is written in Python under MIT; Zola is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Hermes Agent has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, Zola 19%. 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), 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Hermes Agent | Zola | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 246K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2025-12-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 52K | ⑂ 295 |
| 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 Zola if
- You want the Zola feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Zola 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 Zola
Zola is an open source TypeScript chat interface for multiple AI model providers. It lives in the AI interaction and interface ecosystem and gives users one chat surface for OpenAI, Mistral, Claude, Gemini, and local Ollama models. The project uses Apache 2.0 and is built with Next.js, prompt kit, shadcn/ui, Tailwind CSS, Vercel AI SDK, and Supabase.
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Interaction & Interfaces projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Interaction & Interfaces field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hermes Agent or Zola more popular?
Hermes Agent has 246,492 GitHub stars and Zola has 1,531. Hermes Agent has the larger community by that measure.
Are Hermes Agent and Zola free?
Both are open source. Hermes Agent is licensed under MIT and Zola under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Hermes Agent and Zola?
Hermes Agent is written in Python and Zola 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 Zola?
Choose Hermes Agent if you want the larger community (246,492 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Zola if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.