alternatives
Hermes IDE alternatives
TL;DR
Hermes IDE, by the hermes-hq team (hermes-ide.com), isn't related to Nous Research's Hermes Agent, though it can launch Hermes Agent as one of its agents. It's a free desktop app that runs Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and other agents, or any CLI you add, each in its own real terminal and git worktree. Around them it adds a status per agent, an inbox for agents blocked on you, per-turn diffs and a one-step "Land" to commit, open a pull request or merge.
Windows and licensing are the sticking points. Hermes IDE calls Windows "best-effort." On the current release, starting a Codex task there fails. Its BSL 1.1 license is source-available, not open source.
Pane gives you a native Windows app that also runs agents inside WSL, under an open-source license. Orca and Emdash are open source with Windows builds, and Herdr keeps agents running after you close the window.
the alternatives
Every tool here runs several coding agents at once. The chips show where each one runs: green is native, amber has a catch, red is no.
1.Pane
Best for the same real-terminal, worktree-per-task model, with Windows and WSL as first-class targets.
Like Hermes IDE, Pane leaves each agent's terminal UI alone and gives it its own worktree. It adds WSL repos next to your Windows ones in the same app, and Sessions, where one agent starts and steers the others. AGPL-3.0, free, no account.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
2.Orca
Best for an all-in-one with SSH hosts and phone apps.
MIT. Real terminals and worktrees for 40 agents, plus a diff viewer, commit and PR buttons, a built-in browser and issue trackers. Runs agents inside WSL, and has iOS and Android apps.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
3.Emdash
Best for turning issue-tracker tickets into agent tasks.
Apache-2.0, with 35 agents in worktrees, tasks from 12 issue trackers, and SSH projects. No account needed. No WSL mode.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
4.Herdr
Best for agents that keep running after you close the window.
A free, Apache-2.0 tool that splits your own terminal into panes. Its sidebar shows which agent is working, waiting or done, and creates worktrees when you ask. Native on Windows, macOS and Linux; WSL repos need its Linux build inside WSL. It has no diff or commit tools.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with hermes ide if
- → you want to diff or restore one agent reply at a time, and send a line comment back to the agent that wrote it
- → you like landing a task as a commit, pull request or local merge in one step you can undo
- → you juggle several accounts per agent, like work and personal Claude profiles side by side
- → you're on Linux, including ARM, where it ships AppImage and .deb packages
- → you want a phased workflow (questions, research, design, structure, plan, implement) that stops for your approval after each step
pick pane if
- → Windows is your main machine and best-effort support isn't enough
- → your repos live inside WSL and you want them next to your Windows repos in one app
- → you need an open-source license
- → you want one agent that starts and steers the others
pane vs hermes ide at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane11 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | hermes ide8 yes · 3 partly · 0 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | a desktop app | a desktop app |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | x64 and ARM64, labeled "best-effort" |
| repos inside WSL | yes, in the same app | not documented |
| macOS | yes | yes, macOS 13 or later (Apple Silicon and Intel) |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | yes (AppImage, .deb, x64 and ARM) |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | 10 built in, plus any CLI |
| what needs you | status dots and notifications | a status per agent and an attention inbox |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes, by default | yes |
| review and git | Changes panel, diff tabs, commit, push, merge | per-turn diffs, line comments, one-step Land to commit, PR or merge |
| remote and teams | ||
| remote machines | Remote Pane, on your own server | SSH and tmux sessions |
| safety and setup | ||
| license | AGPL-3.0 | BSL 1.1 (source-available) |
| account needed | no | no |
basics
what it is
pane
hermes ide
a desktop appplatforms
Windows
pane
hermes ide
x64 and ARM64, labeled "best-effort"repos inside WSL
pane
hermes ide
not documentedmacOS
pane
hermes ide
yes, macOS 13 or later (Apple Silicon and Intel)Linux
pane
hermes ide
yes (AppImage, .deb, x64 and ARM)agents
agents
pane
hermes ide
10 built in, plus any CLIwhat needs you
pane
hermes ide
a status per agent and an attention inboxeveryday work
worktree per task
pane
hermes ide
yesreview and git
pane
hermes ide
per-turn diffs, line comments, one-step Land to commit, PR or mergeremote and teams
remote machines
pane
hermes ide
SSH and tmux sessionssafety and setup
license
pane
hermes ide
BSL 1.1 (source-available)account needed
pane
hermes ide
noHermes IDE facts checked on November 5, 2026 (Hermes IDE v2.3.4); Pane facts from Pane v2.4.157.
why people look for a hermes ide alternative
Windows is best-effort, and the license isn't open source.
Hermes IDE ships Windows installers for x64 and ARM64, but its download page labels Windows "best-effort." On the current release, 2.3.4, starting a Codex task on Windows fails with "%1 is not a valid Win32 application" (issue #532, opened November 1). WSL isn't documented. An April 2026 issue (#240) marks a way to run an agent through WSL as done, but the 2.3.x docs don't mention it.
The license is BSL 1.1. You can use it in production as long as you don't build a competing editor, terminal or IDE, and each release turns Apache 2.0 three years after it ships. That's source-available, not open source. It ships often: 93 releases since March. The latest was October 15, and commits have continued since.
moving from hermes ide to pane
Your agent sign-ins carry over. Each Hermes task becomes a Pane with its own terminal and worktree.
The way you work barely changes. Hermes IDE and Pane both run each agent's own CLI, signed in the way you already set it up, in a real terminal on its own branch and worktree. Where you'd start a new task in Hermes, create a Pane. Its worktree is a separate folder on its own branch, so agents don't overwrite each other, and Pane copies your .env and agent config into it.
One click starts Claude Code or Codex (Cursor too on macOS, Linux and WSL). Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Aider and the other agents Hermes has built in run as custom commands. Hermes's attention inbox maps to Pane's status dots and notifications. For review, the Changes panel shows each worktree's diff, and shortcuts commit, push and merge it.
our verdict
Hermes IDE gets a lot right: any agent CLI in its real terminal, per-turn review and an undoable Land, all free. For Windows or WSL work, or an open-source license, Pane is the most direct switch. Orca adds SSH hosts and phone apps in one app. Emdash turns issue-tracker tickets into agent tasks. Herdr keeps agents running after you close the window.
how we checked
We wrote this from Hermes IDE's public material, without installing it. On November 5, 2026 we read its README, design principles, site, download page, changelog, GitHub releases and issue tracker.
Orca, Emdash and Herdr facts are from their own docs and changelogs, read on October 3 and 4, 2026.
- What we ran
- → Desk research: Hermes IDE's README, site, download page, changelog, releases and issue tracker, checked November 5, 2026. We didn't install or run it.
- Who wrote this
- We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We checked every claim about Hermes IDE against its own site, docs, releases and issues on the dates above.
- Corrections
- If anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it and update the date at the top. Open an issue on GitHub
- Sources
frequently asked questions
By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. .