Choose OpenClaw when…
- You want the full control plane and dashboard.
- The agent edits a workspace or schedules cron jobs.
- You route multiple agents or use the Hosted Browser.
- You need WhatsApp alongside Telegram and Slack.
Compare runtimes
OpenClaw vs Hermes: pick your managed agent runtime.
Lobsterland hosts two agent runtimes on one account. OpenClaw is the full operating surface; Hermes is the focused chat-and-channels runtime from NousResearch. Choose the runtime when you launch an instance — or run both and switch experiments without re-onboarding.
app.lobsterland.ing/app/instances
Side by side
What you manage in the dashboard.
Both runtimes are managed, isolated, and zero-ops, on the same dashboard and billing. This compares the surfaces you operate from the dashboard — OpenClaw adds the heavier ones. (Hermes is its own kind of agent under the hood, with persistent memory and self-written skills; see what Hermes is.)
| Capability | OpenClaw | Hermes |
|---|---|---|
| Browser chat from the dashboard | ||
| Telegram & Slack, with allowlists | ||
| Runtime logs | ||
| Bring your own model keys | ||
| Isolated instance, no public IP | ||
| Skills you manage in the dashboard | ||
| Paperclip workspace | ||
| WhatsApp channel | ||
| Workspace & file editor | ||
| Cron & scheduled work | ||
| Multiple agents | ||
| Hosted Browser | ||
| Usage analytics |
Best fit
When to pick which.
Choose Hermes when…
- You want an agent that remembers across sessions and writes its own skills.
- You want to host NousResearch's open-source Hermes agent specifically.
- The job lives in chat — browser, Telegram, and Slack.
- You're evaluating runtimes and want to try it alongside OpenClaw.
No wrong answer
Run one, or run both.
They share one account, one dashboard, and one bill — so you can launch OpenClaw today and spin up a Hermes instance to compare whenever you like. From $6.90/mo, online in about two minutes. Prefer to run it yourself? See how to set up OpenClaw.
FAQ
Choosing a runtime, answered.
Pick OpenClaw for the full operating surface — workspace files, cron, multiple agents, Hosted Browser, usage analytics, and every channel including WhatsApp. Pick Hermes for a focused, memory-first agent with browser chat, Telegram, and Slack — it also manages skills and Paperclip from the dashboard. If you're not sure, OpenClaw is the flagship, full-power runtime most teams launch first.
Yes. Choose the runtime when you launch each instance and run either — or both — on one account and one bill. It's the simplest way to evaluate runtimes side by side without re-onboarding or a second set of keys.
An instance's runtime is fixed when you launch it, so you switch by launching a new instance on the other runtime. Both share the same account, dashboard, and billing, so spinning up the alternative takes about two minutes.
Yes. Both run on the same capacity tiers: Light is $6.90/month, Medium is $14.90/month, and Large is $29.90/month. Model usage is billed by your own provider on either runtime.
Hermes is NousResearch's open-source agent runtime — an alternative agent that's been gaining ground in the open-agent community, which you can host on Lobsterland with browser chat, Telegram, and Slack.