Hermes vs OpenClaw

Diali runs two engines, and the question we get most is which one to pick. They are not two versions of one thing. OpenClaw is an autonomous agent built to act; Hermes is a conversational agent built to remember. Both reach the same chat apps, both install skills from the same catalog, and one account can run one of each. Here is how to choose.

What OpenClaw is for

OpenClaw is the engine that does things. It connects to your channels, watches its inbox, runs scheduled work, places phone calls, browses the web and can operate a computer you own through Remote Hands. The OpenClaw page describes it in full; the short version is that it is the one to pick when the job is a workflow rather than a conversation.

• Voice calls on a number you own run on OpenClaw only.
• Remote Hands, pairing a laptop or server you own so the agent can use it, is OpenClaw only.
• The web terminal add-on, a browser terminal into the agent’s workspace, is OpenClaw only.

What Hermes is for

Hermes is the engine that remembers. It keeps context across sessions, improves its own skills as it works, and is built around conversation and proactive help rather than autonomous execution. The Hermes page covers it in full. It is the one to pick when what you want is a daily driver that knows you, and the two browser chat dashboards, Open WebUI and the native Hermes WebUI, are Hermes add-ons for exactly that.

Pick OpenClaw when the job is a workflow. Pick Hermes when the job is a relationship.

What is the same on both

• Channels: Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Mattermost, Matrix and SMS connect to either engine.
• Skills: the same catalog, and each skill says which engine it supports. Most support both.
• Plans, credits and hosting: the same plans, the same included AI credits, the same isolated sandbox in the EU, and the same vault for keys.
• Backups and the Computer add-on, a private Linux desktop the agent can drive, are available to both.

Running both

You do not have to choose once. An account can run an OpenClaw and a Hermes side by side, each on its own plan, and pair them so they can message each other. A common shape is Hermes as the assistant you talk to and OpenClaw as the one that runs the jobs. The pricing page lists what each plan includes; the engines cost the same.

A short decision list

• It has to act on its own, on a schedule, inside your apps: OpenClaw.
• It has to remember you and get better at your work over months: Hermes.
• It has to make phone calls or use your own computer: OpenClaw.
• You want a chat dashboard in the browser as well as the messaging apps: Hermes.
• You are not sure: start with the one that matches the first job, and add the other later.

And if what you are really weighing is whether to run either of them yourself, the OpenClaw alternatives guide is the honest version of that question.