Odysseus vs Hermes AI Agent: Side-by-Side Test (Which One Wins?)
The video compares PewDiePie’s new open-source Odysseus AI agent with the open-source Hermes Agent by testing them side by side. Odysseus is presented as a polished, self-hosted standalone app with a fixed UI, built-in tools like email and calendar, and a setup geared toward running local models, but it can feel messy due to pop-up tool windows and has a more manual, non-live memory approach. Hermes is positioned as a more configurable standalone agent that can run in a terminal, desktop app, or within an agent operating system, supports pluggable memory and cloud or local models, can run in the background 24/7, and integrates with other agents and systems. Using the same model in both produced similar general responses, but the creator prefers Hermes for customization, orchestration, and long-term flexibility.
00:00 Odysseus vs Hermes
00:29 Getting Odysseus Setup
00:47 App Design Differences
01:32 UI Workflow Issues
02:02 Memory and Skills
03:00 Solo App vs Orchestration
03:46 Local vs Cloud Models
04:57 Performance and Customization
05:48 Who Each Is For
06:42 Future Proofing Agents
07:40 Why Custom Systems Win
08:53 Verdict and Wrap Up
09:07 Boardroom and Resources
09:41 Final Goodbye