# How to install Hermes Agent, and run the open-source Kortix alternative

> Hermes Agent installs with a single curl command on Linux, macOS or WSL2, and starts from the CLI. Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, installs the same way, then keeps your agents, skills and memory as files in a git repo your team owns.

URL: https://hermesalternative.com/how-to-install-hermes-agent

## Install and start Hermes Agent

The commands from Hermes's own docs, each with its source.

### Linux, macOS, WSL2

`terminal`

```sh
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
```

Source: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/installation

### Windows

`terminal`

```sh
iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1)
```

Source: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/installation

### Start

`terminal`

```sh
hermes setup --portal
hermes
```

Source: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/overview

## What installing Hermes Agent needs

Hermes Agent is an open-source autonomous agent built by Nous Research that runs where you point it. Its [installation guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/installation) starts with Linux, macOS and WSL2, then adds a native Windows script and a Termux package for aarch64 Android. The POSIX installer expects Git, curl, tar and SHA-256 utilities, and then fetches its own Python, Node.js, ripgrep and FFmpeg. Hermes documents a $5 VPS, a GPU cluster, or serverless infrastructure from Daytona and Modal as places it runs, so a small box is enough for one operator.

## What a team's rollout adds

A single Hermes install serves one operator. Its [team guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/team-telegram-assistant) shows several people sharing one gateway through allowlists or DM pairing, and each person gets their own context, but the config, memory and skills stay on the machine that runs the agent. A team that needs to review what an agent changed, decide who may touch which tool, and keep that history in one place needs a project with a repository and a review step. A shared install alone does not give it roles or a permissions model, and [scaling Hermes to a team](/hermes-for-teams) is where that gap shows.

## Where Kortix's install differs

Kortix is open source and installs from one command as well, then adds the team layer. `kortix init` scaffolds a project with a `kortix.yaml` and a git repository, and `kortix ship` pushes it live. [Self-hosting Kortix](/self-hosting-hermes-alternative) runs the whole platform as one Docker Compose stack on a box you control, and self-host is free. Where a Hermes install keeps config on the machine, a Kortix project keeps agents, skills, memory and connectors as files in a git repo your team owns, runs every session in its own sandbox on its own branch, and sends work to `main` through a change request a person reviews. Any model works with your own keys. [Compare the two installs](/kortix-vs-hermes), [move an existing Hermes setup over](/migrate-from-hermes), or read [what each one costs](/is-hermes-agent-free), which is mostly the model and the compute.

## How the two installs compare

Kortix first, then Hermes Agent, each fact from its own documentation.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Hermes Agent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Yes; the source is on GitHub. |
| Install method | One command, then `kortix init` and `kortix ship`. | One curl script; PowerShell on Windows; Termux on Android. |
| Prerequisites | macOS or Linux on x86_64 or arm64; Windows in WSL. | Git, curl, tar and SHA-256 utilities; Python and Node are bundled. |
| Where it runs | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or on-prem; a sandbox per session. | A $5 VPS, a GPU cluster, or serverless; local or Docker backend. |
| Multi-user support | Roles and groups; per-resource permissions for people and agents. | One gateway with allowlists or DM pairing per person. |
| Configuration as files | `kortix.yaml`, agents, skills and memory in a git repo you own. | `config.yaml`, `MEMORY.md` and `USER.md` on the machine it runs on. |
| Self-hosting | Self-host is free; one Docker Compose stack, or on-prem. | Self-host on your own server; runs on a $5 VPS. |

## Hermes Agent install questions

### What does Hermes Agent need installed first?

The POSIX installer expects Git, curl, tar and SHA-256 utilities, and then fetches its own Python, Node.js, ripgrep and FFmpeg. Windows runs a PowerShell script that stages its own tools.

### Can Hermes Agent run on a $5 VPS?

Yes. Hermes documents a $5 VPS, a GPU cluster, or serverless infrastructure as valid homes, so a small box is enough for one operator.

### Can several people share one Hermes install?

One gateway can serve several people through allowlists or DM pairing, and each person gets their own context. The config, memory and skills stay on the machine that runs it.

### How is installing Kortix different?

Kortix installs with one command too, then keeps config in a git repo your team owns, runs each session in its own sandbox, and sends work through a change request. Self-host is free.

## Run the open-source alternative as one project.

Start free in the cloud, or self-host on a box you control.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Read the install FAQ](https://hermesalternative.com/faq)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem