The best Conductor alternative depends on your operating system and your agents. As of 22 October 2026, Conductor's site lists a macOS desktop app and an iOS app, so Windows and Linux users need something else: the Claude desktop app or the Codex app if you use one provider, Emdash, Orca or Nimbalyst if you want a free open-source app on all three systems, and VibeiDE if you want one task queue with a review step for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode. We build VibeiDE, so every other fact below comes from each tool's own site or repository, checked on 22 October 2026.
Quick answer:
- Windows, one provider: the Claude desktop app's Code tab (Claude Code) or the Codex app (Codex).
- Windows, macOS and Linux, free and open source: Emdash, Orca or Nimbalyst (Pane is open source too; check its pricing page).
- Terminal only, free: Claude Squad or cmux (macOS).
- Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode in one desktop queue with review: VibeiDE.
- Nothing to install: git worktrees plus your usual terminal.
Conductor alternatives compared
Here is every option side by side, by platform first, because that is the most common reason people switch.
| Tool | Windows | macOS | Linux | Agents | Isolation | Cost and license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conductor | No | Yes | No | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode | Cloud microVMs | See its pricing page |
| VibeiDE | Yes | Yes | Experimental | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode | Optional worktree per task | 14-day trial, then paid |
| Claude desktop app | Yes | Yes | Beta (Ubuntu, Debian) | Claude Code | Optional worktree per session | Paid Claude plan |
| Codex app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Codex | Worktree chats | ChatGPT plan |
| Emdash | Yes | Yes | Yes | 25+ agents incl. Claude Code, Codex, Cursor | Worktree per task | Free, open source |
| Orca | Yes | Yes | Yes | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, Copilot, any CLI | Worktree per agent | Free, MIT |
| Pane | Yes, plus WSL | Yes | Yes | Claude Code, Codex, Aider, Goose, any terminal agent | Worktree per feature | Open source, AGPL-3.0 |
| Nimbalyst | Yes | Yes | Yes (AppImage) | Claude Code, Codex | Not documented | Free for individuals, open source |
| Superset | No | Yes | Experimental AppImage | Any CLI agent incl. Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode | Worktree per agent | Free tier, source-available (ELv2) |
| Paseo | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor and more | Optional worktree | Free, Apache 2.0 |
| Agentastic | CLI via WSL | Yes (macOS 14+) | CLI only | 55 built-in definitions incl. Claude Code, Codex | Worktree or container | Free |
| cmux | No | Yes | No | Claude Code, Codex in terminal tabs | Not documented | Free, AGPL |
| Claude Squad | Not stated | Yes (tmux) | Yes (tmux) | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Amp, Gemini, Aider | tmux plus worktrees | Free, AGPL-3.0 |
| Git worktrees | Yes | Yes | Yes | Any CLI | Worktree per agent | Free |
"Not stated" means the tool's own site did not say on 22 October 2026, not that it fails there.
What does Conductor offer, and why look elsewhere?
Conductor runs first-party agents in the cloud and on your Mac. Its site describes a macOS desktop app, an iOS app, an API and Conductor Cloud, which runs agents on isolated microVMs with your repositories and dependencies pre-installed. It runs the Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode agents with your own subscriptions and keys.
People usually look for an alternative for one of four reasons: they work on Windows or Linux, they want everything to stay on their own machine, they prefer free or open-source tools, or they want a different review workflow. No single tool covers all four. Our VibeiDE vs Conductor page has the head-to-head view.
What is the best Conductor alternative for Windows?
For one provider, use the official app; for several agents, pick a cross-platform orchestrator.
- Claude desktop app: the desktop docs list macOS, Windows (x64 and ARM64) and a Linux beta for Ubuntu and Debian. Sessions run in parallel, and turning on Worktree before a session gives it its own Git worktree (it is off by default). A paid Claude plan is required (overview).
- Codex app: OpenAI's Codex app runs projects in parallel on macOS, Windows and Linux, with worktree chats for isolated tasks. It works with your ChatGPT plan (OpenAI help).
- Emdash, Orca, Pane, Nimbalyst: all four list Windows, macOS and Linux builds and run several agents. Pane also lists WSL.
- VibeiDE: supports Windows, with macOS fully validated (more below).
Superset, Agentastic and cmux are Mac-first: Superset adds an experimental Linux AppImage, and Agentastic's CLI runs on Linux and WSL, but neither offers a Windows desktop app yet.
Which free, open-source Conductor alternatives are there?
These tools publish their source; all but Pane state that they are free.
- Emdash (YC W26) runs each task in its own Git worktree with its own branch, terminal, conversation and review state, and supports more than 25 agents.
- Orca is MIT licensed, runs each agent in an isolated worktree and has a mobile companion for iOS and Android.
- Pane gives each feature its own worktree, is keyboard-first and is AGPL-3.0 licensed; its pricing is on its own page.
- Paseo is Apache 2.0, runs agents on your own machines and lets you start and watch them from desktop, web, terminal or its iOS and Android apps. Worktrees are optional.
- Claude Squad is an AGPL-3.0 terminal app that uses tmux for one session per agent and worktrees for one branch per session. Install it with
brew install claude-squad. - cmux is a free, AGPL, Ghostty-based macOS terminal with vertical tabs and notifications for agent sessions.
Nimbalyst is open source and free for individuals, and Superset publishes its source under the Elastic License 2.0, which its site notes is not an OSI-approved open-source license. Agentastic is free without sign-up; its site did not state a license.
Which alternatives run Claude Code and Codex together?
Most of them. Emdash, Orca, Pane, Superset, Paseo, Agentastic, cmux, Claude Squad and VibeiDE all run Claude Code and Codex side by side. The two official apps run only their own agent. If OpenCode matters to you, Orca, Superset, Paseo, Claude Squad and VibeiDE name it.
VibeiDE: a task queue with a review step
VibeiDE is a desktop app that coordinates the Codex, Claude Code and OpenCode CLIs you already installed, signed in to your own provider accounts. Each project has its own task queue, the "New worktree per task" mode gives each task its own Git worktree and branch, and finished tasks wait in Ready for review instead of counting as done. macOS is fully validated, Windows is supported and the Linux build is experimental. A 14-day trial starts at first sign-in without a card; after that a licence costs $7.99 a month, $79 a year or $249 once, at launch prices for purchases before January 1, 2027.
- Choose it if you switch between Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode across several projects and want a queue plus a review step.
- Skip it if you need cloud sandboxes, a free tool, or agents beyond those three.
- More: parallel AI coding agents and VibeiDE vs Claude Squad.
How do you run parallel agents with no new tool?
Use git worktrees. A git worktree gives each agent its own folder and branch:
git worktree add ../app-auth -b auth cd ../app-auth && claude git -C ../app-auth diff main git merge auth && git worktree remove ../app-auth Claude Code can do the first step for you with claude --worktree auth; see our Claude Code worktree guide and the Codex worktree guide.
This works well for two or three agents. It gets hard when you lose track of which terminal holds which request, which is the gap every tool above tries to close.
How to choose
- Pick your platform. Windows rules out Conductor, Superset, Agentastic and cmux today.
- Count your agents. One provider: take its official app. Several: an orchestrator.
- Decide where code runs. Conductor Cloud and the official cloud modes run remotely; Emdash, Orca, Pane, Paseo, Claude Squad and VibeiDE run on your machine.
- Decide how you review. Most tools show diffs per worktree; VibeiDE also puts every finished task in Ready for review instead of marking it done.
- Check the price and license on the tool's own page before you commit a team to it.
FAQ
Is there a Conductor alternative for Windows?
Yes. As of October 2026 the Claude desktop app, the Codex app, Emdash, Orca, Pane, Nimbalyst and VibeiDE all list Windows support, while Conductor's site lists a macOS app and an iOS app.
Is there a free, open-source Conductor alternative?
Yes: Emdash, Orca (MIT), Paseo (Apache 2.0), Claude Squad (AGPL-3.0) and cmux (AGPL) are free and open source, and Pane is open source under AGPL-3.0. Plain git worktrees are free too.
Which Conductor alternative runs Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode together?
Orca, Superset, Paseo, Claude Squad and VibeiDE name all three on their own sites.
Do these tools raise my Claude or Codex limits?
No. Every option uses your own provider accounts, so running agents in parallel spends the same allowance faster. See what Claude Code costs before you scale up.
Can I watch these agents from my phone?
Several tools offer it: Conductor and Superset have iOS apps, Orca and Paseo list iOS and Android, and Agentastic has an iPhone beta. If security matters to you, our post on how VibeiDE secures phone control lists the questions to ask any tool.
Takeaways
- Start with your operating system: Conductor is macOS and iOS only as of October 2026.
- With one provider, the official Claude desktop app or the Codex app is the simplest choice.
- Emdash, Orca and Nimbalyst are free cross-platform apps, Pane is an open-source one, and Claude Squad and cmux are terminal options.
- VibeiDE fits when Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode share a queue and every task needs a review.
- Git worktrees remain the zero-install baseline under all of them.
Originally published at https://vibeide.dev/blog/conductor-alternatives/
