# Hermes Agent vs SafeClaw

> Side-by-side comparison of two projects in the OpenClaw ecosystem.

Canonical HTML: https://shelldex.com/compare/hermes-vs-safeclaw/
JSON: https://shelldex.com/api/compare/hermes-vs-safeclaw.json

| Field | Hermes Agent | SafeClaw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | The agent that grows with you | Zero-LLM OpenClaw alternative |
| Language | python | python |
| Status | active | active |
| Stars | 152k | 280 |
| Forks | 24066 | 35 |
| Open issues | 11409 | 2 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Last commit | 2026-05-15T16:39:27Z | 2026-05-09T13:48:23Z |
| 7d growth | 15959 | 2 |
| MCP support | yes | no |
| Requires LLM | yes | no |
| Platforms | server, messaging | server |
| Categories | memory, self-hosted, multi-platform | minimal, lightweight |
| Health score | 70/100 | 85/100 |
| Leaderboard rank | #2 | #39 |

## Key differences

- Hermes Agent has 542x more stars (152k vs 280), indicating significantly broader adoption.
- Hermes Agent is growing faster with +16k stars this week vs +2 for SafeClaw.
- SafeClaw works without any API keys — zero LLM cost — while Hermes Agent requires an LLM provider.
- Hermes Agent has MCP (Model Context Protocol) support while SafeClaw does not.
- Hermes Agent focuses on memory, self-hosted, multi-platform while SafeClaw targets minimal, lightweight.
- SafeClaw scores higher on project health (maintenance activity, issue management, release cadence).

## Descriptions

### Hermes Agent

Persistent personal AI agent by Nous Research with multi-level growing memory, self-authored skills, and multi-platform messaging. Learns your projects and builds reusable knowledge over time.

### SafeClaw

Rule-based and local-first assistant positioned as an OpenClaw alternative with no required LLM API spend.