Comparison

OpenClaw vs Hermes Agent vs Oscova Agents

Oscova Agents encrypts chats, memory and API keys under your password, lists what leaves the machine and keeps runs offline with one switch. Each row is something Oscova Agents does. Each cell gives a verdict, one line, and the page it was read from.

Last updated 8 November 2026

OpenClaw and Hermes Agent compared with Oscova Agents

Criterion	Oscova Agents	OpenClaw	Hermes Agent
Encrypts chats and memory on disk	Yes Details Chats, memory, task runs, instructions and settings are encrypted under each user's Vault Password. Docs	No Details Transcripts are readable by any process with filesystem access. Its docs recommend full-disk encryption on the host. Source	Not documented Details Docs protect keys and pairing files with file permissions. They describe no encryption at rest. Source
Saved API keys encrypted on disk	Yes Details API keys and bot tokens you save are encrypted under your Vault Password. Docs	Partial Details Plaintext keys are allowed and its secret store is not encrypted at rest. An external manager can hold keys. Source 1 Source 2	Partial Details Keys live in ~/.hermes/.env unless you set up Bitwarden, 1Password or a command helper. Source
Encrypted files you and your agents edit	Yes Details Files ending in .enc are encrypted on save. Agents read, edit and search them with their own tools. Docs	Not documented Details The storage docs leave workspace files as plain files and describe no encrypted file type. Page checked	Not documented Details Its vault encrypts website logins, cards and addresses. It describes no encrypted files. Source
Several people, each with private data	Yes Details One operator and separate users. Each user's data is encrypted under a Vault Password the operator never sets. Docs	Partial Details Per-person sign-in, but a shared gateway is one trust domain for sessions, tools and files. Source	Partial Details Chat users are allowlisted or paired by code. Docs describe no per-person encryption. Source
Admin cannot open other users' chats	Yes Details Each user's chats are encrypted under their own Vault Password. The operator's account cannot open them. Docs	No Details Admins can see other people's drafts. Personal model accounts are not isolated from them. Source	Not documented Details A dashboard sign-in can browse every session of a profile. No per-user privacy is described. Source
Household sign-in with a PIN	Yes Details Home mode lists each person's profile. Everyone signs in with their own PIN. Docs	Not documented Details The Control UI signs in with a shared gateway token or password, or device pairing. Source	Not documented Details The dashboard uses one shared password, a token or OAuth. No profile or PIN sign-in. Source
Signs out idle browsers	Yes Details Automatic sign-out ends an idle browser session after 5, 15 or 30 minutes. Docs	Not documented Details No idle sign-out in the Control UI docs. Page checked	Not documented Details Sessions end after a fixed time, 12 hours for password sign-in. No idle sign-out. Source
Duress password	Yes Details A duress password or PIN opens a normal-looking sign-in and runs the deletion you chose. Docs	Not documented Details Nothing of the kind in the security docs. Page checked	Not documented Details Nothing of the kind in the security docs. Page checked
Audit of what leaves the machine	Yes Details The Egress Audit lists cloud model calls, Internet tool calls, channel replies and cloud embeddings. Docs	Partial Details An audit ledger records runs and tool actions. It never stores URLs. Source	Partial Details An optional proxy, off by default, logs Docker sandbox requests. Model calls from the host are not covered. Source
One switch keeps agent runs offline	Yes Details One Privacy switch blocks cloud models, Internet tools, cloud embeddings and cloud speech for your runs. Docs	Partial Details Ollama setup offers a Local only model mode. No documented switch also blocks web tools. Source	Partial Details Local models keep inference on your computer. Cloud providers stay one click away, with no switch for web tools. Source
Keep one agent local only	Yes Details Mark an agent Local only and its runs skip cloud models, Internet tools, cloud embeddings and cloud speech. Docs	Partial Details Each agent can deny tools, but nothing blocks cloud models for one agent. Source	Partial Details Each profile sets its own model and toolsets. No single local-only setting. Source
No telemetry at all	Yes Details No telemetry. It checks nuget.org for app updates and oscova.ai for Avatar Engine updates. Capture	No Details A daily update check and an install count are on by default. Feature statistics are opt-in. Source	Partial Details Its FAQ says no telemetry. Usage metrics shared with Nous are opt-in and asked for at setup. Source 1 Source 2
Encrypted backup of everything	Yes Details Export writes one .oscb file of the whole environment, encrypted with a passphrase you choose. Docs	Partial Details Local backups are plaintext .tar.gz files. Encryption applies only when uploading to offsite storage. Source 1 Source 2	Not documented Details hermes backup writes a zip that includes the .env keys file. The docs describe no encryption. Source 1 Source 2
Edit the built-in instructions	Yes Details Compaction, memory, environment, skills, tool search and goal-check instructions are all editable templates. Docs	Partial Details Workspace files shape the prompt. Its core sections are built in code. Source	Partial Details SOUL.md and platform hints are editable. The other guidance is built in code. Source
Fits small local context windows	Yes Details No minimum window. On default settings the first request is under 15,000 tokens, measured 8 November 2026. The main agent's instructions are editable. Docs	Partial Details No fixed minimum, but its local-model recipes set a 64K context. Its docs example loads about 17,600 tokens of prompt and tool schemas. Source 1 Source 2	No Details Refuses any model with a context window under 64,000 tokens. Source 1 Source 2
Built-in 3D avatar	Yes Details The free Oscova Avatar Engine renders a speaking 3D avatar on a Windows PC. Docs	No Details The agent avatar is an image. The Oscova Avatar Engine can add a 3D face through MCP. Source Avatar Engine	Not documented Details Pets are animated mascot sprites. The Oscova Avatar Engine can add a 3D face through MCP. Source Avatar Engine