Smartest Nous Models

Quick answer · Updated June 2026

The smartest Nous model is Hermes 4 405B, scoring 18.6 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. Hermes 3 405B Instruct (free) (17.6) and Hermes 3 405B Instruct (17.6) round out the top three.

18.6Intelligence

31 t/sSpeed

$1.00Input /M

131KContext

The most capable AI models ranked by the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index — a composite of reasoning, knowledge, math and science benchmarks. These are the highest-scoring large language models available today.

Frequently asked

What is the smartest Nous model?

The smartest Nous model is Hermes 4 405B, scoring 18.6 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. Hermes 3 405B Instruct (free) (17.6) and Hermes 3 405B Instruct (17.6) round out the top three.

What's a good alternative to Hermes 4 405B?

Hermes 3 405B Instruct (free) (17.6) is the closest alternative on this metric, followed by Hermes 3 405B Instruct (17.6). See the full ranking above for the tradeoffs.

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. 5 of them qualify for this ranking.

More Nous rankings

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