Comparison

Open Relay vs HermesPilot

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Open Relay

This app provides a native iOS and iPadOS client for Open WebUI, allowing users to chat with AI models on their server. It features real-time markdown rendering, voice calls with AI, and an admin console for server management.

Highlights
  • Native iOS & iPadOS client
  • Streaming chat with rich markdown
  • Voice calls with AI
  • Admin console for server settings
  • Terminal integration with file browser
  • On-device voice processing
  • Prompt library and skills integration
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Your AI. Your server. Your pocket. Open Relay is a beautiful, 100% native iOS & iPadOS client for Open WebUI. Chat with any model on your server, right from your iPhone or iPad, with a fast, polished experience that feels native. — STREAMING CHAT WITH RICH MARKDOWN — Watch responses flow in word by word with full markdown rendering — syntax-highlighted code blocks, tables, math equations, Mermaid diagrams, inline SVG images, and more. Everything renders beautifully in real time. — VOICE CALLS WITH AI — Call your AI like you'd call a friend. Open Relay uses Apple's CallKit so it looks and feels like a real phone call — complete with an animated orb that reacts to your voice and the AI's response. — ADMIN CONSOLE — Take full control of your WebUI admin settings directly from the app instead of visiting the site. Directly add new integrations, mcp servers, or modify server settings quickly through the app. — TERMINAL INTEGRATION — Give your AI access to a real terminal. Enable command execution from chat, then swipe from the right edge to open a file browser with directory navigation, file upload, preview, and a mini terminal. — SWITCH MODELS ON THE FLY — Type @ to mention any model and switch mid-conversation. A persistent chip in the composer shows which model is active. — PROMPT LIBRARY & SKILLS — Type / to search your prompt library with slash commands, or $ to browse and apply your Open WebUI skills — all without leaving the composer. — KNOWLEDGE BASES (RAG) — Type # to search and attach your knowledge collections, folders, and files. Works exactly like the web UI. — ON-DEVICE VOICE, COMPLETELY PRIVATE — Built-in neural text-to-speech (Marvis) and speech-to-text run entirely on your device via Apple's MLX framework. Download once, then no data ever leaves your phone. Server-based and Apple system voices also supported. — TOOLS & WORKSPACE — Toggle server-side tools on or off per conversation. Tool calls render inline with collapsible details. Manage models, knowledge bases, prompts, skills, and tools directly from the app. — CHANNELS — Collaborative chat rooms where multiple users and AI models interact — organized by Direct Messages, Groups, and Channels. — AUTOMATIONS — Automations let you schedule prompts to run automatically at recurring times. — TASK MANAGEMENT — Task Management gives agentic models a structured way to plan and track multi-step work in a chat. — CALENDAR — Schedule, track, and manage events — with AI that can plan for you. — ORGANIZE EVERYTHING — Drag and drop chats into folders. Pin important conversations. Search across everything. Configure folders with system prompts, default models, and attached knowledge. Archive and restore in bulk. — RICH ATTACHMENTS — Attach files, photos, or paste images into chat. The Share Extension sends content from any app straight into a conversation. — DEEP THEMING — Accent color presets or a custom color wheel. Pure black OLED mode with tinted surfaces. Every change previews live. — MULTI-SERVER/ACCOUNT SUPPORT — Save multiple Open WebUI connections and switch instantly. Full auth support — username/password, LDAP, SSO, and auth proxies like Authelia and Authentik. — HOME SCREEN WIDGETS & SHORTCUTS — Start a chat from a widget or your Action Button. Background notifications alert you when a generation finishes while you're in another app. — ACCESSIBILITY — Independently adjust message text size, conversation title size, and UI element scaling Requires a running Open WebUI server instance. Your models Your rules!

About

HermesPilot

Manage AI interactions and tasks on the go. This app acts as a mobile command center for AI agents, allowing users to start conversations, send files, and manage AI profiles and skills. It offers a secure personal AI control panel for efficient AI management.

Highlights
  • Start and manage AI conversations
  • Send attachments and voice messages
  • Read streaming responses and Markdown
  • Secure personal AI control panel
  • Manage AI profiles, models, and skills
  • Schedule AI tasks
Features
Read full description

HermesPilot is the mobile command center built for Hermes Agent. Start conversations anytime, pick up instantly, and keep the context flowing without friction. Send attachments or voice, read streaming responses and Markdown, and move fast through every interaction. Pair with Hermes Link to turn your phone into a secure personal AI control panel, where you can manage profiles, models, permissions, skills, memory, and scheduled tasks in one place, and make AI actually work for you. Privacy Policy: https://hermes-site.clawpilot.me/en/legal/privacy-policy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Open Relay4 screens
HermesPilot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HermesPilot at Free against Open Relay's $9.99. HermesPilot also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.1). Open Relay's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

HermesPilot is free to download; Open Relay costs $9.99 up front. HermesPilot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Open Relay asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Open Relay holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Open Relay's written reviews are positive against 88% of HermesPilot's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Open Relay ships an update daily, HermesPilot every 3 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Open Relay versus HermesPilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpen RelayHermesPilot
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (27 ratings) — better4.5 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews — better87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings27 — better24
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#41 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB57 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAbhishek BhardwajYang Hangbin

Customer experience

Open Relay

All ratings27 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

HermesPilot

All ratings24 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Open Relay

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

HermesPilot

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$9.99

Questions

Is Open Relay free?
Open Relay costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HermesPilot free?
HermesPilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Open Relay or HermesPilot?
Open Relay is rated higher. Open Relay averages 5.0 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while HermesPilot averages 4.5 from 24 ratings.
Do Open Relay or HermesPilot have ads?
Neither Open Relay nor HermesPilot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Open Relay or HermesPilot?
Open Relay ships an update daily, and HermesPilot every 3 days. Most recently, Open Relay was updated on September 24, 2026 and HermesPilot on September 24, 2026.

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