Nous Hermes Cloud is run by Nous Research, the team that makes Hermes Agent. It hosts a dedicated instance of Hermes for you, billed per day from prepaid Nous credit, with model and tool usage charged on top. Hivra is a separate company and is not affiliated with Nous Research. It hosts Hermes too, from its own maintained image rather than Nous's release, alongside other agents.
For Hermes alone the two are close. Which one fits depends mostly on how often the agent runs.
What each costs
Nous charges by the second of uptime plus storage, and takes it from your credit once a day in arrears. The Medium instance (4 vCPU and 2 GB of RAM) is $0.56 a day running, about $16.80 over 30 days by our arithmetic. The Large instance (8 vCPU and 4 GB) is $1.09 a day, about $32.70 over 30 days. Stopped, an instance costs $0.03 a day for storage, about $0.90 over 30 days.
Hivra is $9.99 a month for 2 vCPU and 4 GB, or $19.99 a month for 4 vCPU and 8 GB. The shapes differ, so the numbers aren't like for like. Nous Medium has more vCPU and less RAM than Hivra's $9.99 size. Nous Large has more vCPU and half the RAM of Hivra's 4 vCPU and 8 GB size.
Model usage is extra on both when you bring your own key. On Nous it comes out of the same credit. To deploy there, you need at least $2 of credit or an active subscription.
Always on versus a few hours a week
If the agent runs all day, Hivra's flat price is lower than Nous's running rate, though the sizes differ. If you use Hermes a few hours a week and stop it in between, Nous is cheaper than any flat monthly fee. A stopped instance costs about $0.90 a month, and running time is metered to the second.
Nous's page says the agent runs 24/7 and also says it scales to zero when idle. It doesn't reconcile the two, so it isn't clear whether an idle instance stops on its own. If you want the low price, stop the instance yourself.
Refunds and billing risk
Nous's Terms of Service say all fees are non-refundable, with no refunds or credits for unused or partial periods. They don't say how unspent prepaid credit or daily instance charges are treated. Charges land a day or two after use, so your balance can lag your real spend.
Hivra offers a 7-day money-back guarantee on card payments. That helps if you're not sure Hermes hosting is for you.
What each one gives you beyond Hermes
Nous Hermes Cloud runs Hermes Agent only. It's first-party, so updates, model routing and its Tool Gateway (web search, image generation, speech and a cloud browser) all come from one vendor on one bill. One Nous subscription proxies a large model catalogue. Nous lists 14 city locations, including Asia-Pacific, India and Europe, and lets you resize at any time. Hermes Agent itself is MIT licensed and can be self-hosted, so there's no lock-in to Nous hosting.
Hivra hosts Hermes from its own image, so the version can differ from Nous's latest release. It also hosts OpenClaw and Agent Zero on a paid size, Claude Code and Codex on your own logins, and Aeon on your GitHub Actions, all from one dashboard.
Where Nous is the better choice
If you want Hermes exactly as its maker ships it, with the Tool Gateway and a single bill for models and hosting, Nous is the direct route. Intermittent use costs less there too. The top size is larger, and Nous lists 14 city locations.
Feature comparison
| Criterion | Hivra | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on cost, entry size | $9.99/mo for 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM | About $16.80 over 30 days for 4 vCPU and 2 GB RAM, plus model usage |
| Used a few hours a week | Same flat price | Stop it to pay about $0.90 a month for storage |
| Billing | Monthly | Prepaid credit, charged daily in arrears |
| Agents | Hermes, OpenClaw, Agent Zero, Claude Code, Codex, Aeon | Hermes Agent only |
| Hermes version | Hivra's maintained image | First-party from Nous |
| Largest size | 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM at $19.99/mo | 8 vCPU and 4 GB RAM at $1.09/day |
| Refund | 7-day money-back guarantee on card payments | All fees non-refundable per its terms |
| Regions | Not published | 14 cities listed |
Verdict
Nous Hermes Cloud suits you if you want Hermes straight from its maker, use it in short bursts or want a choice of region. Hivra suits you if you run several kinds of agent, want a fixed monthly price, a 7-day card refund window or an open-source platform.
Where these numbers come from
Prices and terms for the other provider come from its own pages, as of . Vendors change prices, so check the source before you pay.
Common questions
Is Hivra the same as Nous Hermes Cloud?
No. Nous Hermes Cloud is run by Nous Research. Hivra is a separate company, not affiliated with Nous Research, and runs Hermes from its own maintained image.
How much does Nous Hermes Cloud cost per month?
The Medium instance is $0.56 a day while running, about $16.80 over 30 days by our arithmetic, plus model and tool usage. A stopped instance is $0.03 a day. You need at least $2 of credit to deploy.
Can I run Claude Code or Codex on Nous Hermes Cloud?
No. It runs Hermes Agent only. Hivra runs Claude Code and Codex on your own logins.
Does Nous Hermes Cloud refund unused credit?
Its terms say all fees are non-refundable and don't cover unspent prepaid credit, so assume you can't get it back. Hivra has a 7-day money-back guarantee on card payments.
Can I self-host Hermes instead of paying either?
Yes. Hermes Agent is MIT licensed and runs on your own machine or server. See the self-hosting guide for the work involved.