head to head · open source
nanobrowser vs hermes-browser-extension
nanobrowser has 13,810 GitHub stars, 1,459 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. hermes-browser-extension has 1,542 stars, 147 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. nanobrowser leads on adoption by 796% (13,810 vs 1,542 stars). nanobrowser is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; hermes-browser-extension is written in JavaScript under MIT. nanobrowser has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, hermes-browser-extension 10%. hermes-browser-extension was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (chrome-extension), 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
| nanobrowser | hermes-browser-extension | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-18 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 147 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nanobrowser if
- You weight community size — 14K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick hermes-browser-extension if
- You want the hermes-browser-extension feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and hermes-browser-extension fits your workflow better
About nanobrowser
Nanobrowser is an open source Chrome extension for AI powered web automation that runs multi agent workflows inside your own browser using your own LLM API key, built for people who want Operator style browser agents without a subscription.
read the full nanobrowser overview →
About hermes-browser-extension
Hermes Browser Extension is a Chrome, Edge, and Chromium side panel that connects the web page a user is viewing to a real Hermes Agent runtime, whether that runtime runs locally or on a gateway the user controls.
read the full hermes-browser-extension overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is nanobrowser or hermes-browser-extension more popular?
nanobrowser has 13,810 GitHub stars and hermes-browser-extension has 1,542. nanobrowser has the larger community by that measure.
Are nanobrowser and hermes-browser-extension free?
Both are open source. nanobrowser is licensed under Apache-2.0 and hermes-browser-extension under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nanobrowser and hermes-browser-extension?
nanobrowser is written in TypeScript and hermes-browser-extension in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nanobrowser or hermes-browser-extension?
Choose nanobrowser if you want the larger community (13,810 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose hermes-browser-extension if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.