Hermes 3 70B Instruct vs Hermes 4 405B
Hermes 4 405B leads Hermes 3 70B Instruct on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 7.5 to 6.7, and Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs 4.3x less per output token ($0.70 vs $3.00 per million). Updated October 23, 2026; 1 benchmarks have a result for both.
Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Hermes 4 405B: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Hermes 3 70B Instruct for output tokens 4.3x cheaper ($0.70 vs $3.00 per million) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 1
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct only
- 4
- Hermes 4 405B only
- 1
- Like-for-like categories
- 1 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Hermes 4 405B
Hermes 4 405B leads, 7.5 against 6.7.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
No call
Both take 131K tokens.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Hermes 3 70B Instruct
Hermes 3 70B Instruct $0.0010, Hermes 4 405B $0.0025 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct not benchmarked, Hermes 4 405B not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Intelligence, 0.8 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- AA Intelligence Index: Hermes 3 70B Instruct 6.7 against Hermes 4 405B 7.5, 0.8 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct $0.70 against Hermes 4 405B $3.00 per million output tokens, 4.3x apart.
- Context window
- Both take 131K tokens.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Bars | Hermes 4 405B | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 1 |
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 18.8% | Not measured | Only Hermes 3 70B Instruct measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 42 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 6.7 | 7.5 | Hermes 4 405B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 42 boards here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index3 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 40.1% | Not measured | Only Hermes 3 70B Instruct measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 4.0% | Not measured | Only Hermes 3 70B Instruct measured |
| Kagi LLM Benchmark | Not measured | 55.8% | Only Hermes 4 405B measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 20 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 14 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 57.1% | Not measured | Only Hermes 3 70B Instruct measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 19 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 48 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Hermes 4 405B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Nous Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Nous Hermes 4 405B |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Nous Research | Nous Research |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | August 18, 2024 | August 26, 2025 |
| Context window | 131K | 131K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.70 | $1.00 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.70 | $3.00 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Hermes 3 70B Instruct better than Hermes 4 405B for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Hermes 3 70B Instruct for output tokens 4.3x cheaper ($0.70 vs $3.00 per million) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Hermes 4 405B?
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs $0.70 per million input tokens and $0.70 per million output tokens; Hermes 4 405B costs $1.00 and $3.00. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Hermes 4 405B?
Neither: both take 131K tokens.
How many benchmarks is the Hermes 3 70B Instruct vs Hermes 4 405B comparison based on?
1 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 23, 2026. Hermes 3 70B Instruct's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Hermes 4 405B's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.