Liftoff vs Hermes
Hermes runs on your own hardware, for one person. Liftoff runs your whole AI operation in the cloud, always on, and imports what you already built.
Better in Every Way
Simpler. Faster. More capable, more secure, and more flexible.
| Topic | Hermes | Liftoff |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Open-source, self-hosted personal assistant | Cloud-hosted AI workforce platform |
| Core job | Run an assistant on your own hardware | Run business functions with fleets of AI teams |
| Who it serves | Whoever installed it, on their own hardware | Anyone, from one person to a whole company |
| Setup | Technical: install, bring your own API keys, and configure the assistant yourself | Zero setup. Comes with pre-built AI teams for many business functions. Create AI teams with no code, just natural language |
| Collaboration | Single user, no shared workspace | People and AI teams can collaborate together in real time on the same workflows with shared context |
| Memory | Basic memory | Every AI team remembers its own work, and nothing is lost company-wide |
| Self-improvement | Basic | Always learning and self-improving 24/7 |
| Governance | Minimal, you are the only safeguard | Guardrails for what AI teams can access and what requires approval, access controls, audit logs, and undo capability |
| Integrations | Messaging channels and any MCP server | Connects with everything: apps and services, any MCP server, and a browser for apps with neither |
| Where it runs | Your own hardware | Liftoff cloud, always on, automating your work 24/7 |
| Security | Basic, you are responsible for everything | Access controls, secure cloud sandboxes for AI teams, enterprise-grade infrastructure and security, isolated per customer |
| Maintenance | Do-it-yourself (DIY) | Zero maintenance, centralized console and analytics, and no lock-in to any AI provider |
| Pricing | You pay for your own hardware and ongoing AI provider costs | From $20/month, unlimited AI teams and people in the same workspace |
Built to Operate Inside Real Companies
Liftoff is designed for businesses that need speed and autonomy without giving up oversight, boundaries, or accountability.
Clear Operating Boundaries
Decide what the system can do on its own, what requires approval, and what should escalate.
Human Review Where It Matters
Sensitive cases, exceptions, and low-confidence situations route to your team with context.
Full Operational Visibility
See what is moving, what is blocked, and where intervention is needed.
Continuous Improvement
AI teams learn from your business and your feedback to continuously improve.
Already using Hermes?
Start importing your current local setup to Liftoff, so all your existing workflows can run better with an always-on cloud.
npx @liftoffos/cli switch --from hermesRequires a Liftoff account. Your credentials are never imported.