Free Nous Models

Quick answer · Updated June 2026

The most capable free Nous model is Hermes 3 405B Instruct (free), scoring 17.6 on the Intelligence Index at no per-token cost via OpenRouter.

17.6Intelligence

20 t/sSpeed

FreeInput /M

131KContext

The best large language models with a free tier, ranked by intelligence. Capable AI models you can use at no cost via OpenRouter.

1N
hermes-3-llama-3.1-405b:free
17.6 intel · 20 t/s · 650ms ttft
17.6
Intelligence

Frequently asked

Is there a free Nous model?

The most capable free Nous model is Hermes 3 405B Instruct (free), scoring 17.6 on the Intelligence Index at no per-token cost via OpenRouter.

How many Nous models are there?

modelgrep tracks 5 Nous models with live benchmarks, speed, latency and per-provider pricing, led on intelligence by Hermes 4 405B. 1 of them qualify for this ranking.

More Nous rankings

Nous: Smartest LLMs Nous: Best LLMs for Coding Nous: Best LLMs for Design & Frontend Nous: Fastest LLMs Nous: Lowest-Latency LLMs Nous: Cheapest LLMs Nous: Best Reasoning LLMs Nous: Best Vision LLMs Nous: Best LLMs for Agents Nous: Best Open-Source LLMs Nous: Longest-Context LLMs

All rankings

Small & Fast LLMs Smartest LLMs Best LLMs for Coding Best LLMs for Design & Frontend Fastest LLMs Lowest-Latency LLMs Cheapest LLMs Best Reasoning LLMs Best Vision LLMs Best LLMs for Agents Best Open-Source LLMs Longest-Context LLMs