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Conductor alternatives: tools for running coding agents in parallel

Since Meta bought Conductor on 4 November 2026, the main choices for running several coding agents at once are desktop apps that give each agent its own git worktree (microManager, Orca, Paradev, Emdash, Agentastic, Nimbalyst), terminal tools such as Claude Squad, and the single-agent apps from Anthropic and OpenAI. Every fact below comes from each tool’s own site or repository, read on 8 November 2026.

Updated

How do they compare at a glance?

microManager is ours, so it is listed first and marked; everything else is in no particular order. Tools change quickly: check each one’s site before you decide.

Tool Platforms Agents Isolation License and price
microManager (this site) macOS (Apple Silicon; Intel when a release has an Intel build), Windows x64, Linux x64 Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, OpenCode, Gemini CLI and any ACP agent A git worktree and branch per workspace Free, closed source, no account; imports from Conductor
Orca macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux; iOS and Android companion apps Any CLI agent; its README names 34, including Claude Code, Codex, Grok, OpenCode, Cursor and GitHub Copilot Each agent works in its own git worktree; a worktree can also get its own cloud VM MIT, free and open source; you bring your own agent subscriptions
Paradev (formerly Superset) macOS, with an experimental Linux build; an iPhone and iPad app Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor’s agent, Copilot CLI and other CLI agents Each task runs in its own git worktree workspace MIT since 4 November 2026 (previously the Elastic License 2.0); uses your own subscriptions and API keys and does not bill model usage; the mobile app needs Paradev Pro
Emdash macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux; remote machines over SSH Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Amp, Devin, Qwen Code, Droid, GitHub Copilot and more Every task runs in its own git worktree and branch Apache-2.0, open source; no price listed
Agentastic macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel 55 built-in agent definitions, 31 of them native or over ACP, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and OpenCode Each workspace is a new git worktree; Apple containers, Docker and remote runners are optional Free with no sign-up; closed development for now
Nimbalyst (formerly Crystal) macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux; iOS and Android companion apps Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other agents Git worktree isolation for parallel sessions MIT, free and open source
Claude Squad Installs with Homebrew or a shell script; needs tmux and gh Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Aider and other local terminal agents A tmux session per agent and a git worktree per task AGPL-3.0, free
T3 Code macOS, Windows and Linux desktop builds; iOS and Android; a web app Codex, Claude, Cursor, Grok Build, OpenCode, Antigravity and fx Its README does not describe worktrees MIT; nothing for sale; uses your existing provider plans
Claude Code in the Claude desktop app macOS, Windows, Linux (beta); local, cloud, SSH and WSL sessions Claude only Optional per-session git worktree (off by default) under .claude/worktrees; reads .worktreeinclude Part of Claude; sign in with a Claude account or a supported provider
Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app macOS, Windows and Linux (the ChatGPT desktop app) Codex only A managed git worktree per chat under $CODEX_HOME/worktrees, with handoff to your local checkout; reads .worktreeinclude Sign in with a ChatGPT account
Vibe Kanban Runs locally with Node, or self-hosted Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Amp, Cursor, OpenCode, Droid, CCR and Qwen Code Each workspace gets a branch, a terminal and a dev server Apache-2.0

What does each tool offer?

Orca

Stably AI

Desktop app

Platforms
macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux; iOS and Android companion apps
Agents
Any CLI agent; its README names 34, including Claude Code, Codex, Grok, OpenCode, Cursor and GitHub Copilot
Isolation
Each agent works in its own git worktree; a worktree can also get its own cloud VM
Review
Line notes on diffs sent back to the agent; drafts commit messages and pull requests
License, price
MIT, free and open source; you bring your own agent subscriptions

Also offers SSH and remote execution, a built-in browser and a coordinator agent that spawns workers.

Source: github.com/stablyai/orca, read .

Paradev (formerly Superset)

Superset Inc.

Desktop app and CLI

Platforms
macOS, with an experimental Linux build; an iPhone and iPad app
Agents
Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor’s agent, Copilot CLI and other CLI agents
Isolation
Each task runs in its own git worktree workspace
Review
Reply to agents and review diffs from the iPhone and iPad app
License, price
MIT since 4 November 2026 (previously the Elastic License 2.0); uses your own subscriptions and API keys and does not bill model usage; the mobile app needs Paradev Pro

Renamed from Superset on 26 October 2026; the superset terminal command keeps working.

Sources: paradev.com/blog/a-new-name, paradev.com/blog/paradev-is-now-mit, read .

Emdash

General Action (YC W26)

Desktop app

Platforms
macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux; remote machines over SSH
Agents
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Amp, Devin, Qwen Code, Droid, GitHub Copilot and more
Isolation
Every task runs in its own git worktree and branch
Review
Diff review, pull requests, CI checks and merging in the app
License, price
Apache-2.0, open source; no price listed

Source: github.com/generalaction/emdash, read .

Agentastic

Agentastic

Native macOS app

Platforms
macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel
Agents
55 built-in agent definitions, 31 of them native or over ACP, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and OpenCode
Isolation
Each workspace is a new git worktree; Apple containers, Docker and remote runners are optional
Review
Native unified and side-by-side diff viewer, AI review, pull requests and merging
License, price
Free with no sign-up; closed development for now

Source: agentastic.dev, read .

Nimbalyst (formerly Crystal)

Nimbalyst

Desktop app

Platforms
macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Linux; iOS and Android companion apps
Agents
Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other agents
Isolation
Git worktree isolation for parallel sessions
Review
A visual workspace for agent sessions, with diffs, tasks, docs, diagrams and mockups
License, price
MIT, free and open source

Crystal, the earlier app from the same team, was deprecated in February 2026 in favor of Nimbalyst.

Sources: github.com/Nimbalyst/nimbalyst, github.com/stravu/crystal, read .

Claude Squad

smtg-ai

Terminal app (tmux)

Platforms
Installs with Homebrew or a shell script; needs tmux and gh
Agents
Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Aider and other local terminal agents
Isolation
A tmux session per agent and a git worktree per task
Review
Terminal-based: review and push each branch yourself
License, price
AGPL-3.0, free

Source: github.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad, read .

T3 Code

Ping (pingdotgg)

Desktop (Electron), web, mobile and CLI

Platforms
macOS, Windows and Linux desktop builds; iOS and Android; a web app
Agents
Codex, Claude, Cursor, Grok Build, OpenCode, Antigravity and fx
Isolation
Its README does not describe worktrees
Review
Its README links a source control integrations page without details
License, price
MIT; nothing for sale; uses your existing provider plans

The README says “We are very very early in this project. Expect bugs.”

Source: github.com/pingdotgg/t3code, read .

Claude Code in the Claude desktop app

Anthropic

The Code tab of the Claude desktop app

Platforms
macOS, Windows, Linux (beta); local, cloud, SSH and WSL sessions
Agents
Claude only
Isolation
Optional per-session git worktree (off by default) under .claude/worktrees; reads .worktreeinclude
Review
Diff view with line comments Claude acts on; pull requests with CI status, auto-fix and merge when ready
License, price
Part of Claude; sign in with a Claude account or a supported provider

Source: code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop, read .

Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app

OpenAI

The Codex mode of the ChatGPT desktop app

Platforms
macOS, Windows and Linux (the ChatGPT desktop app)
Agents
Codex only
Isolation
A managed git worktree per chat under $CODEX_HOME/worktrees, with handoff to your local checkout; reads .worktreeinclude
Review
Its docs have a code review section
License, price
Sign in with a ChatGPT account

Sources: learn.chatgpt.com/docs/app, learn.chatgpt.com/docs/environments/git-worktrees, read .

Vibe Kanban

Bloop AI until April 2026; now community maintained

Kanban board with agent workspaces (runs with npx)

Platforms
Runs locally with Node, or self-hosted
Agents
Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Amp, Cursor, OpenCode, Droid, CCR and Qwen Code
Isolation
Each workspace gets a branch, a terminal and a dev server
Review
Inline diff comments sent to the agent; pull requests with generated descriptions
License, price
Apache-2.0

Bloop, the company behind it, shut down on 10 April 2026; the project goes on as community-maintained open source, and its README says “Vibe Kanban is sunsetting”.

Sources: github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban, vibekanban.com/blog/shutdown, read .

How do I choose?

  • Your platform. microManager, Orca, Emdash, Nimbalyst, T3 Code and the ChatGPT app that runs Codex work on macOS, Windows and Linux; Paradev is for macOS with an experimental Linux build, and Agentastic’s app is Mac only.
  • Your agents. The Claude and ChatGPT desktop apps run only their own agent. Multi-agent tools differ in which CLIs they support out of the box and whether they speak ACP.
  • Local or remote. Some tools add SSH, containers or cloud machines; others, microManager included, run everything on your own computer.
  • How much you need to move. If you have many Conductor workspaces, a tool that imports them and reads .conductor/settings.toml saves you rebuilding each repository’s setup. The Conductor alternative page shows how microManager does that.
  • Whether it will be around. Bloop, the company behind Vibe Kanban, shut down in April 2026 and left the project to its community, Crystal was replaced by Nimbalyst, and T3 Code calls itself very early. Check each project’s recent activity.

What about plain git worktrees?

Running git worktree add ../my-app-task -b task and starting an agent CLI in the new folder works with no app at all. What you give up is what the apps automate: copying .env files, running setup, assigning ports, watching several chats at once, reviewing diffs and cleaning up worktrees afterwards.

Questions about the alternatives

What can I use instead of Conductor?

Desktop apps that run several coding agents in git worktrees include microManager, Orca, Paradev (formerly Superset), Emdash, Agentastic and Nimbalyst. Claude Squad does the same in a terminal with tmux. Anthropic and OpenAI also run parallel sessions in their own apps, each for its own agent only.

Which alternatives are open source?

As of 8 November 2026, by their own repositories: Orca (MIT), Paradev (MIT since 4 November 2026), Emdash (Apache-2.0), Nimbalyst (MIT), Claude Squad (AGPL-3.0), T3 Code (MIT) and Vibe Kanban (Apache-2.0). microManager and Agentastic are free but not open source.

Which alternative can import my Conductor workspaces?

microManager has a one-click, read-only import of Conductor’s repositories, workspaces and chats, and reads Conductor’s settings files and CONDUCTOR_* variables. We did not find an import from Conductor described on the other tools’ pages we read on 8 November 2026.

Can I just use git worktrees without an app?

Yes. Run git worktree add for each task and start your agent CLI in each folder. You then handle copying .env files, installing dependencies, picking ports and cleaning up yourself, which is what these apps automate.

Try microManager

Free, no account, for macOS, Windows and Linux. It runs the agent CLIs you already have installed and signed in.

Download All systems and install options
curl -fsSL https://micromanager.win/install.sh | sh

That installs it on macOS and Linux. On Windows, paste this into PowerShell:

irm https://micromanager.win/install.ps1 | iex