Conductor alternatives

How we chose

Every tool here runs Claude Code or Codex, the agents Conductor runs, on your own projects and with your own subscription or key. We make Macaron, so it's listed first; the rest are in no particular order. What we say about each tool comes from its own site and docs, read on October 1 and 2, 2026, and linked under Sources. Each has a full comparison with Macaron if you want more detail.

At a glance

Prices as published on each tool's site on October 1 and 2, 2026. Agents you run inside another tool are billed by their own provider.

Macaron

A desktop app for Mac and Windows that runs Claude Code, Codex and its own agent on your projects, with your own accounts. Each turn ends in a card listing the files changed, with an undo button. Your test, lint and typecheck scripts run before and after the change, and a second model can review the diff. Agents can work on an isolated Linux computer that can't reach your files or keys: a sandbox copy of your folder goes there, and Apply to Mac writes the result back only if it applies cleanly.

• Pick it if you don't want an agent running on your files at all, or want your checks run around every change.
• Trade-off: single user, no mobile app, and it doesn't run Cursor's agent.

Cline

An open-source coding agent that lives in VS Code, VS Code-based editors and JetBrains, with a CLI and a desktop app. Its Kanban board, in research preview, gives each task its own git worktree and can drive Claude Code and Codex as well as Cline's own agent. Cline saves a checkpoint after every step, and you choose which kinds of action it may take without asking.

• Pick it if you want parallel tasks without leaving your editor, and fine control over approvals.
• Trade-off: it runs on your machine as you; the docs don't describe running your tests automatically.

Zed

A fast, open-source editor whose Agent Panel runs Claude Agent, Codex, OpenCode and others over the Agent Client Protocol, alongside Zed's own agent. Zed doesn't charge for external agents, and threads can run in parallel in separate worktrees. Review Changes lets you accept or reject an agent's edits hunk by hunk.

• Pick it if you want a great editor with agents in the same window, on any desktop platform, for free.
• Trade-off: Zed's optional sandbox covers its own agent, not external agents such as Claude Agent.

Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)

Windsurf became Devin Desktop in June 2026. It's an AI editor with Cognition's own models and agents, and on Pro, Max and Teams it can run Claude Agent and Codex over ACP, billed through their own providers. Sessions can run in git worktrees that you merge back with a click.

• Pick it if you want one AI editor with tab completion, its own models and cloud agents through Devin Cloud.
• Trade-off: running Claude Code or Codex in it needs a paid plan.

Claude Code and Codex on their own

Both agents have their own apps. Claude Code runs in the terminal, a desktop app, VS Code, JetBrains, the web and on mobile. Codex has a desktop app, the web, a CLI and IDE extensions, with sandbox modes from read-only to full access and cloud tasks in OpenAI's containers.

• Pick them if you use one agent and want every new feature the day it ships.
• Trade-off: running both side by side, or many tasks at once, is up to you.

What Conductor does better

• Many agents on many branches at once, on your Mac, free.
• Cursor's and OpenCode's agents alongside Claude Code and Codex.
• Merge-readiness checks: git status, CI, deployments, review threads and todos.
• Live collaboration, an API and a mobile app on its paid plans.

Switching from Conductor

Conductor's workspaces are ordinary git worktrees and branches, so any tool here can open the same repository. Your Claude and ChatGPT sign-ins come with you, because every tool here runs the agents with their own accounts.