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Side-by-side comparison · AI Browsers & Agents

ChatGPT Work vs Hermes Agent vs Microsoft Edge

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

ChatGPT Work

4.0

From $20/mo

Hermes Agent

3.5

From $20/mo

Microsoft Edge

3.9

From $19.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overall

Pick it if: ChatGPT users who want admin, inbox, research and reporting jobs done for them without building automations.

Pick it if: Technically confident founders and tinkerers who want a personal agent on their own hardware that gets better the more they use it.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

Overview

AttributeChatGPT WorkHermes AgentMicrosoft Edge
In one lineChatGPT's agent mode: hand it a whole task across your email, apps, files and browser.Free, open-source personal agent from Nous Research that remembers and learns as it works.Microsoft's free browser with Copilot built in to read pages, compare tabs and do tasks.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreeFreemium
Starting price$20/mo$20/mo$19.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeChatGPT WorkHermes AgentMicrosoft Edge
Overall rating4.0Winner3.53.9
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
2.5
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
3.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
4.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
3.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeChatGPT WorkHermes AgentMicrosoft Edge
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes No Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No No Yes
API access No No No
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes– Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No Yes No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images Yes Yes Yes
Makes video No No No
Writes code Yes Yes No
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No Yes No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score12/ 1711/ 1712/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeChatGPT WorkHermes AgentMicrosoft Edge
Plans

Free

Free

Trying a task or two on desktop.

Self-hostedOur pick

Free

Anyone happy to bring their own AI model key.

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and Journeys.

PlusOur pick

$20/mo

Handing off a few jobs a week.

Nous Portal Plus

$20/mo

People who want one bill for models and tools.

Microsoft 365 Premium

$19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr

US households and sole traders who want the agent and Office apps in one bill.

Pro

From $100/mo

Anyone running agent tasks every day.

Nous Portal Super

$100/mo

Heavy users or an agent hosted around the clock.

Microsoft 365 Copilot (business)

See website

Companies on Microsoft 365 business plans.

Business

See website

Teams that want shared admin and no training on their data.

Nous Portal Ultra

$200/mo

Agents running big jobs all day.

Which plan to pickTry it on Plus with a couple of real jobs. If you hand it work most days you'll run out of credits, and that's when Pro or extra credits make sense.Hermes itself costs nothing. If you already pay for an AI model's API, plug that in. If you'd rather not collect separate keys for models, search and browsing, Nous Portal Plus at $20 a month covers light use. There's also a free Portal tier limited to free models.Stay on free. The side panel, tab comparisons and Journeys cover what most business owners need, and they cost nothing. Microsoft 365 Premium is only worth it if you're in the US and already want Office for the household; don't buy it just for the browser agent, which Microsoft still calls experimental.

Key features

AttributeChatGPT WorkHermes AgentMicrosoft Edge
Standout features
  • Works across your apps
  • Its own browser
  • Scheduled and triggered tasks
  • Finished outputs
  • Runs in the cloud
  • Desktop app access
  • Memory that grows
  • Writes its own skills
  • Chat where you are
  • Scheduled jobs
  • Any model
  • Runs anywhere
  • Copilot side panel
  • Journeys
  • Browse with Copilot
  • Memory and history
  • Study, write, listen
  • Voice and Vision on mobile

Pros and cons

AttributeChatGPT WorkHermes AgentMicrosoft Edge
Pros
  • Handles multi-step work across email, calendar and files, not just chat
  • Runs in the cloud, so scheduled tasks don't need your computer on
  • No separate subscription if you already pay for ChatGPT
  • Asks before important actions, and you can redirect it mid-task
  • Hands back finished documents, decks and spreadsheets
  • Free and open source under the MIT licence
  • Built-in memory and self-improving skills
  • Desktop app for Mac and Windows makes setup easier than most
  • Works with almost any AI model, including free ones
  • Optional cloud hosting through Nous Portal if you don't want your own server
  • Already installed on Windows, nothing new to learn
  • Free Copilot reads pages and compares open tabs well
  • Journeys makes it easy to pick research back up
  • Chrome extensions and bookmarks work
  • Strong admin controls for businesses on Microsoft 365
Cons
  • Long tasks burn through credits quickly, especially on Plus
  • Long or complex jobs still go wrong and need checking
  • Reads a lot of your email, calendar and chat, which some teams won't accept
  • Only one Gmail account at a time for now
  • Being always on still needs a server and technical setup
  • Its memory works on its own and is hard to check or correct
  • Smaller library of community skills than OpenClaw
  • AI costs are unpredictable when it runs all day
  • An agent with your email and files can do damage if it gets things wrong
  • The agent is US only and needs Microsoft 365 Premium
  • Several features are US or English-language only, so Australian users get less
  • Microsoft calls the agent experimental and warns it can misread instructions
  • Copilot prompts are pushed into many corners of the browser, which some find cluttered
  • Screenshots from agent sessions are kept with the chat for up to 30 days

Who each one is for

AttributeChatGPT WorkHermes AgentMicrosoft Edge
Best for
  • Sorting inbox and calendar admin across connected apps
  • Weekly reports and reviews on a schedule
  • Research that ends in a finished document or deck
  • Repetitive web jobs like comparing suppliers or filling in forms
  • Prep notes before meetings and calls
  • A personal assistant you message on Telegram or WhatsApp
  • Scheduled reports and briefings that run unattended
  • Repeat jobs it learns to do better each time
  • Tinkerers who want to choose their own AI model
  • Summarising long pages and PDFs
  • Comparing products or quotes across open tabs
  • Picking research back up days later with Journeys
  • Businesses already paying for Microsoft 365
You'll find it used by
  • Business owners
  • Operations teams
  • Marketers
  • Analysts
  • Sales teams
  • Developers
  • Tech-savvy founders
  • Tinkerers
  • Researchers
  • Office workers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Windows users

Questions people ask

Which is better, ChatGPT Work, Hermes Agent or Microsoft Edge?

ChatGPT Work scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT Work 4.0/5, Hermes Agent 3.5/5 and Microsoft Edge 3.9/5). ChatGPT Work is best for sorting inbox and calendar admin across connected apps and weekly reports and reviews on a schedule. Hermes Agent is best for A personal assistant you message on Telegram or WhatsApp and scheduled reports and briefings that run unattended. Microsoft Edge is best for summarising long pages and PDFs and comparing products or quotes across open tabs.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT Work, Hermes Agent or Microsoft Edge?

ChatGPT Work: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Hermes Agent: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Microsoft Edge: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo.

Which is easier to use, ChatGPT Work, Hermes Agent or Microsoft Edge?

Microsoft Edge rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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