TL;DR
If you’re all-in on Hermes Agent: pick Nous Portal (single auth, credits cover model + tools). If you want maximum flexibility and use multiple IDEs/clis: pick Kilo Gateway (500+ models, BYOK, marketplace credits). If you want the strongest single-agent coding benchmark: pick Claude Code (Opus 4.x at 80.8% SWE-bench).
Decision matrix
| Criterion | Nous Portal Plus | Kilo Pass | Claude Code Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $20 | $19 | $20 |
| Credits included | $22 (10% bonus) | Up to 50% bonus | n/a |
| Model count | 300+ | 500+ | Anthropic only |
| Tool gateway | ✅ built-in | ❌ | ❌ |
| BYOK support | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Marketplace credits | ❌ | ✅ (MiniMax, etc.) | ❌ |
| Coding benchmark | n/a | n/a | 80.8% SWE-bench |
| Best IDE integration | Hermes CLI | VS Code / JetBrains | Terminal only |
When to pick each
Nous Portal
- You run Hermes Agent as your daily driver
- You want one OAuth login, one bill
- Tool gateway (web search, image gen, TTS) matters to your workflows
- Caveat: per-token rates for premium models can be higher than going direct — verify live pricing in the Portal before assuming cost equivalence.
Kilo Gateway
- You split time between multiple coding tools (Cline, Kilo Code, Roo Code, etc.)
- You already have OpenAI/Anthropic keys and want to BYOK them
- You want to use marketplace credits to buy partner plans (MiniMax)
- You’re OK with the OpenRouter-style API contract
Claude Code
- Coding is the primary use case, not general chat
- You want the strongest single-agent benchmark (Opus 4.x)
- You’re willing to pay for Anthropic-direct pricing
- Terminal-first workflow fits
Recommendation for the original question
The user is currently on z.ai (per their description “kinda crappy”) and shopping alternatives. The realistic shortlist:
- Try Kilo Pass ($19/mo with bonus credits). Best flexibility, marketplace credits can buy partner plans including potentially MiniMax. Cline/Kilo/Claude Code all work via the gateway.
- Try Nous Portal Plus ($20/mo with $22 credits). Best if they’re already using Hermes Agent — single auth + tool gateway.
- Hold off on Claude Code Max ($200/mo). Too expensive for unproven workflows. Pro at $20 is fine for testing.
The Kilo + Nous combination is actually the cheapest hedge: $19 for multi-model routing, $20 for Portal, and you can compare both side by side for a month.