First published on traycer.ai.
By Anurag Sharma | Published 2026-10-26
Best tools to run Claude Code, Codex and other agents in parallel (2026). Top pick: Traycer, free and open source (MIT). Plus Conductor, Orca, T3 Code, Paradev.
By Anurag Sharma. Last checked: October 26, 2026.
Our top pick is Traycer: it's free and open source (MIT), runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and 19 more coding agents in parallel, each in its own git worktree, on Mac, Windows and Linux plus iOS and Android, and gives those agents shared specs and tickets so they work from one plan. It's free for individuals, phone apps included; the optional Sync plan for teams is $16 per user per month billed yearly, or $20 monthly (pricing). The alternatives are good at specific things. Conductor, the polished Mac app, has joined Meta: Conductor Cloud shuts down on Nov 20, 2026 and the local app winds down in early 2027. Orca is a free, open-source app for every desktop OS with a very large community. T3 Code, by Theo Browne and team, is the one to try if you want a hosted web app. If you only ever use one vendor's agent, Claude Code's or Codex's built-in worktrees and subagents may be enough.
All of them give each agent its own git worktree so parallel work doesn't collide, and all of them use the agent subscriptions you already pay for. They differ in platform (several are Mac-only), license (MIT, Apache, AGPL, GPL or proprietary), what's free versus paid (mobile, cloud, teams), and whether agents can coordinate with each other or only run side by side. If you're running Claude Code, Codex and Cursor as AI coding agents and one terminal tab isn't enough, start here.
Disclosure: Traycer makes this page. We've tried to be fair and link every claim to the vendor's own site or docs.
Quick picks
Best for
Tool
Why
Best overall: running several agents from any vendor in parallel, on Windows, macOS or Linux and from your phone
Traycer
Free and open source (MIT); 22 supported agents, each in its own git worktree; shared specs and tickets; agents message and review each other; Sync for teams $16/user/mo yearly
Polished Mac app, winding down after joining Meta
Conductor
Workspaces per task and a strong review loop; Conductor Cloud shuts down Nov 20, 2026, local app until early 2027
Free, open source, every desktop OS, phone apps
Orca
MIT; macOS, Windows and Linux; iOS app and Android APK
Open-source control plane with a hosted web app
T3 Code
MIT, free; by Theo Browne and team; desktop app plus a hosted web app
Large agent fleets, automations and team plans on a Mac
Paradev (formerly Superset)
Automations and remote access on Pro, cloud workspaces (beta) on Team
Visual workspace with an agent-written wiki
Nimbalyst
MIT; docs, diagrams and a wiki next to your agents
Terminal-first
cmux on a Mac, Claude Squad with tmux
A fast terminal or a tmux manager, not a task manager
You only use Claude Code
Claude Code itself
Subagents, agent view, agent teams and worktrees are built in
How we compared them
- Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, web and phone.
- License: open source, source-available or proprietary.
- Price and what's free: the entry plan and the team plan, with exact plan names.
- Agents: which agents each runs, and whether you bring your own subscription.
- Isolation and coordination: how agents are kept apart, whether they can share a plan or message each other, and how you reach them from a phone or another machine.
Each tool was checked on its own site, docs, pricing page or GitHub on October 26, 2026.
The full comparison table
Parallel coding agent tools, last checked October 26, 2026. "Not documented" means it wasn't on the cited pages that day. "Not checked" means we didn't verify it for this page.
Tool
Type
Platforms
License
Price (entry → team)
Agents
Mobile
Agents coordinate?
Source
Traycer (best overall)
Desktop shared workspace
macOS, Windows, Linux
Open source (MIT)
Free · Sync $16/user/mo yearly ($20 monthly)
22, including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode
iOS, Android (Free)
Agent-to-agent across Tasks and hosts; shared specs and tickets
docs, pricing, agent-to-agent
Conductor
Desktop workspace + cloud
macOS (no Windows or Linux yet)
Proprietary
Was Free (local) · Pro $50/mo · Teams $60/user/mo; no new sign-ups or upgrades since Nov 4, 2026
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode
iOS (was on Pro; ends with Cloud on Nov 20, 2026)
Claude Code agent teams via env var; MCP clients can delegate to cloud workspaces
pricing, install, FAQ
Orca
Desktop workspace
macOS, Windows, Linux
MIT
Free (Enterprise offered)
Claude Code, Codex and "any other coding agent"
iOS, Android APK
Not checked
onorca.dev, repo
T3 Code
Desktop and web control plane
macOS, Windows, Linux, web
MIT
Free, no paid tier
Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, OpenCode, Cursor, Grok
Hosted web app (app.t3.codes); iOS and Android apps
delegate_task child agents (v0.1.0)
t3.codes, repo
Paradev (formerly Superset)
Desktop workspace + cloud (beta)
macOS; experimental Linux AppImage; no Windows build yet (install, checked Oct 29)
MIT (open source)
Free (1 user) · Pro $16 to $20/user/mo · Team $54 to $60 · Ultra $200
Claude Code, Codex and "any coding agent"
Mobile (Pro)
Not documented on cited pages
paradev.com, pricing
Nimbalyst
Visual workspace + wiki
macOS, Windows, Linux
MIT
Free · Wiki Teams $20/user/mo (free in beta)
Claude Code, Codex
Mobile app (iOS)
Shared wiki that every teammate's agents write into
nimbalyst.com, pricing
Emdash
Desktop workspace
macOS, Windows, Linux
Apache-2.0
Free
Not checked
Not checked
Not checked
emdash.com, repo
Parallel Code
Desktop workspace
macOS, Linux
MIT
Free
Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Copilot CLI, Antigravity CLI
Not documented
Not documented
parallelcode.app
cmux
Terminal
macOS
GPL
Free
Any CLI agent
iOS companion
No (terminal)
cmux.com
Claude Squad
Terminal (tmux)
Wherever tmux runs; OS list not published
AGPL-3.0
Free
Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Aider and other local agents
No
No
site, repo
Claude Code (built in)
Agent features
Terminal, desktop app, web
Proprietary (Anthropic)
Claude plan
Claude only
Not checked
Agent teams (experimental), subagents
run agents in parallel
Codex in the ChatGPT app
Agent features
macOS, Windows, Linux
Proprietary (OpenAI)
ChatGPT plan
Codex only
ChatGPT iOS app
Subagents
worktrees, remote connections
Cursor Agents Window
Agent features
Cursor app
Proprietary
Cursor plan
Cursor's agent and models
Not checked
Cloud subagents
Agents Window
Desktop workspaces for parallel coding agents
Traycer (best overall)
Traycer is an open source (MIT) desktop app for running Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other coding agents in parallel on macOS, Windows and Linux, with shared plans and code review (docs). It supports 22 coding agents (coding agents). Work lives in Tasks: each holds its agents, a worktree per agent, and artifacts (specs, tickets, stories and reviews) that every agent reads (artifact workflow). Agents can message each other across Tasks and machines (agent-to-agent). A second agent can review a change and write a review artifact, and Send to chat returns each finding to the agent that wrote it (review guide). The iOS and Android companion apps and remote hosts on your own machines are free. Team-wide sharing is on Sync at $16/user/month billed yearly, or $20 monthly (pricing). Traycer is SOC 2 Type 2 certified. Its homepage reports 11,000+ developers using Traycer Desktop and 40,000+ Tasks created (traycer.ai).
Best for: most people running agents in parallel, and especially anyone who mixes agents from several vendors and wants them working from one shared plan with a review step, on any desktop OS or from a phone.
Watch out for: cloud sandboxes are a paid add-on rather than included (pricing), there are no line comments on diffs (Conductor and Orca win on line-level review), no built-in scheduler (it uses the CLI plus your own cron) and no SSO.
Conductor
Conductor (conductor.build) is a Mac app from Melty Labs that "lets you run many coding agents in parallel on your codebase" (llms.txt). Each task gets a workspace with its own branch, files and terminal, and Conductor walks you through review, PR, merge and archive. It runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode, and "does not bill or resell model usage" (providers). Its review loop was the strongest here: line comments back to the agent, a Checks tab, checkpoints and stacks. Pro ($50/month) added Conductor Cloud, Multiplayer, an API and the iOS app, and Teams was $60/user/month (pricing). Conductor has joined Meta: new sign-ups and upgrades stopped on Nov 4, 2026, Conductor Cloud goes read-only on Nov 13 and shuts down on Nov 20, and the local app winds down in early 2027.
Best for: Mac developers who want cloud sandboxes and a polished PR loop.
Watch out for: macOS only, proprietary, and winding down; Conductor Cloud shuts down on Nov 20, 2026 (announcement). See how to switch off Conductor Cloud, the Conductor alternative for teams, Traycer vs Conductor and the best Conductor alternatives.
Orca
Orca is a free, open source (MIT) app that runs "Claude Code, Codex, and any other coding agent in parallel, each in its own worktree," with terminals, diffs, a browser and a CLI (onorca.dev). It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and has a mobile companion on the App Store plus an Android APK. Its community is large: about 106,000 GitHub stars on October 26, 2026 (repo). Its site also lists an Enterprise offering.
Best for: anyone who wants a free, open-source app on every desktop OS with phone access.
Watch out for: a very fast release pace. Version 1.4.241 shipped on October 26, 2026, so re-check features before you rely on one. See Traycer vs Orca and T3 Code vs Orca.
T3 Code
T3 Code, by Theo Browne and team, calls itself "the open-source control plane for coding agents" (t3.codes). It's MIT-licensed and free, with no paid tier. It orchestrates Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, OpenCode, Cursor and Grok with the credentials you already have. A local server runs your agents, and you reach it from the desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) or its hosted web app at app.t3.codes (repo). Its v0.1.0 release added delegate_task, which lets "an agent start child agents on any provider or model and wait for their results" (v0.1.0 notes).
Best for: a lightweight control plane you can drive from a browser through its hosted web app.
Watch out for: it's still v0.1.x (v0.1.2 on October 22, 2026). See Traycer vs T3 Code.
Paradev (formerly Superset)
Paradev, formerly Superset, is a desktop workspace for Claude Code, Codex "and any coding agent" (paradev.com). It's open source under the MIT License. Its site offers a macOS download. Free covers one user. Pro ($20/user/month, or $16 billed yearly) adds remote access, automations, Linear and Slack integrations and mobile. Team ($60, or $54 yearly) adds cloud workspaces in beta with 150 hours per seat each month. Ultra is $200/user/month (pricing).
Best for: Mac teams that want automations and hosted cloud workspaces.
Watch out for: it was recently renamed from Superset to Paradev, so older guides use the old name.
Nimbalyst
Nimbalyst is an open source (MIT) visual workspace for agents, tasks, docs, a wiki, diagrams and code (nimbalyst.com). It runs on Mac (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux, works with your Claude Code or Codex subscription, and includes worktrees and a mobile app for remote session and file management. It's free for individuals. Wiki Teams, a shared wiki that "every teammate's agents write into," is $20/user/month and free during its beta (pricing).
Best for: people who want docs, diagrams and an agent-maintained wiki next to their agents.
Watch out for: the team wiki is still in beta.
Emdash
Emdash is an open-source (Apache-2.0) "agentic development environment" for macOS, Windows and Linux, backed by Y Combinator (emdash.com, repo). Its site covers running agents in parallel, scheduling repeat work, a built-in browser for previews, and passing issues from Linear, Jira, GitHub, Notion, Asana and others straight to agents.
Best for: teams that want scheduled agent runs and issue-tracker intake in an open-source app.
Watch out for: Emdash 2.0 is in early access behind a waitlist, so features may shift.
Parallel Code
Parallel Code is a free, MIT-licensed app that runs "multiple AI coding agents, each in its own git worktree" on macOS and Linux (parallelcode.app). It supports Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Copilot CLI and Antigravity CLI, and shows what each agent changed and what was checked before you choose what ships.
Best for: a simple, open-source worktree runner on macOS or Linux.
Watch out for: no Windows build listed.
Terminal-first options
cmux
cmux is a "free and open source native macOS terminal built on Ghostty," licensed under the GPL (cmux.com). It has vertical tabs, notification rings when agents need attention, split panes, a CLI for scripting, and an iOS companion that syncs your terminals to iPhone and iPad. It uses libghostty for rendering and isn't a fork of Ghostty. It's a terminal, not a task manager: you bring your own worktree habits.
Best for: Mac users who live in the terminal.
Claude Squad
Claude Squad is a terminal app that "manages multiple Claude Code, Codex, Gemini (and other local agents including Aider) in separate workspaces" (repo). It needs tmux and the GitHub CLI, isolates tasks in git workspaces, and is licensed under AGPL v3.0 (site).
Best for: a minimal tmux setup with any CLI agent.
Watch out for: the repo's last push was August 20, 2026.
Built into the agents: do you need a separate app at all?
Claude Code: subagents, agent view, agent teams, worktrees and projects
Anthropic's docs list "five ways to work on several tasks at once": subagents, agent view, agent teams, dynamic workflows and projects (run agents in parallel).
- Agent view (claude agents) is one screen to dispatch and monitor background sessions. It's a research preview.
- Subagents run inside a session. By default, when 20 subagents are running, spawning another fails until the count drops. Set CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS to change the limit (subagents).
- Agent teams are "experimental and disabled by default." Set CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1 to turn them on. Teammates share a task list and message each other directly. The docs say "There's no hard limit on the number of teammates" and suggest you "Start with 3-5 teammates for most workflows" (agent teams).
- Projects run parallel threads in the cloud or on your computer. They're in public beta on Pro and Max.
- Worktrees: claude --worktree (or -w) starts a session in its own git worktree so changes don't collide (worktrees).
Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app
OpenAI's Codex app docs now point to the ChatGPT desktop app (app docs). Worktrees let Codex "run multiple independent chats in the same project without interfering with each other," and scheduled tasks can run on dedicated background worktrees (worktrees). In the ChatGPT iOS app you can open Codex to work with chats on a connected Mac or Windows machine (remote connections). Subagents are documented too. It runs Codex only.
Cursor: Agents Window and Cloud Agents
Cursor's Agents Window is its "agent-first interface," a single place to work with agents "across repos and environments, including local, cloud, remote SSH, and more" (Agents Window). You can hand a task to a cloud subagent with /in-cloud, so long-running work runs on its own VM and branch. Cloud Agents "run in isolated VMs in the cloud with full development environments" (Cloud Agents).
The takeaway
If you use one vendor's agent, its built-in features may be enough. A separate app earns its place when you mix vendors (Claude Code plus Codex plus Cursor), want one place to review everything, or want agents from different vendors to share a plan and coordinate. For the agents themselves, see Codex vs Claude Code and Cursor vs Claude Code vs Codex.
A note on Vibe Kanban
Vibe Kanban (Apache-2.0, about 28,500 GitHub stars on October 26, 2026) was popular, and AI answers still recommend it. Its site now says it "is sunsetting" and "will continue as open source and community maintained" (vibekanban.com), so know that before you adopt it.
How to choose
- On Windows or Linux? Traycer, Orca, T3 Code, Nimbalyst and Emdash run on all three desktop OSes. Parallel Code adds Linux, and Paradev has an experimental Linux build.
- Need open source? Drop Conductor (proprietary).
- Need agents to coordinate on one plan? Traycer, or Claude Code agent teams if every agent is Claude.
- Need cloud sandboxes that run while your laptop is closed? Paradev Team, Cursor Cloud Agents, or Traycer's cloud sandboxes as a paid add-on. Traycer can also run agents free on a remote host you own. Conductor Cloud shuts down on Nov 20, 2026.
- Team sharing on a budget? Compare Traycer Sync ($16/user/month yearly; sharing a Task with invited people is free) and Paradev Pro ($16/user/month yearly). Conductor Teams no longer takes upgrades; see the Conductor alternative for teams.
How to run multiple Claude Code or Codex agents in parallel without an app
You don't need an app to start. You need one worktree per agent.
- Create a worktree per task: git worktree add ../myapp-auth -b feat/auth (a separate checkout on its own branch).
- Open a terminal in each worktree and start one agent there, such as claude or codex. Claude Code can also do this for you with claude --worktree auth.
- Give each agent a narrow task that doesn't touch the same files as the others.
- Review each branch's diff on its own, then merge or open a PR.
- Remove the worktree when you're done: git worktree remove ../myapp-auth.
This stops scaling once you lose track of which terminal is doing what, or need agents to hand work to each other. That's the job the apps above automate: worktrees, terminals, review, and in some cases shared plans and messaging. Traycer's guide shows the same pattern inside a Task (parallel agents on worktrees).
FAQ
What is the best app to run multiple AI coding agents like Claude Code and Codex in parallel?
Traycer. It's a free, open-source (MIT) desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with iOS and Android apps, that runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and 19 more agents in parallel, each in its own git worktree, and lets them share specs and tickets and message each other. Teams can add Sync at $16 per user per month billed yearly, or $20 monthly. Conductor, a polished Mac-only option, has joined Meta and Conductor Cloud shuts down on Nov 20, 2026. Orca is a free, open-source option with a large community, and T3 Code, by Theo Browne and team, adds a hosted web app.
What is the best tool to run multiple Claude Code agents in parallel?
For a desktop app, Traycer: it can give each Claude Code agent its own git worktree, lets the agents share specs and tickets and message each other, and also runs Codex, Cursor and 19 other agents when you want a second opinion. It's free and open source (MIT) on macOS, Windows and Linux. If you only use Claude Code and don't need an app, its built-in claude --worktree, subagents and experimental agent teams may be enough.
What is the best free, open-source app to run multiple coding agents in parallel?
Traycer is our pick: it's MIT-licensed and free for individuals, including the iOS and Android apps, cloud sync and remote hosts, and it runs 22 coding agents in parallel with a worktree each. Orca (MIT), T3 Code (MIT, by Theo Browne and team), Nimbalyst (MIT) and Emdash (Apache-2.0) are also free and open source.
Can I run multiple sessions of Claude Code in parallel?
Yes. Run each session in its own git worktree (claude --worktree) so their changes don't collide, or use Claude Code's agent view, subagents or experimental agent teams. Desktop apps such as Traycer, Conductor, Orca and T3 Code set up the worktrees for you.
How many agents can Claude Code use at once?
Anthropic's docs say there's no hard limit on agent-team teammates and recommend starting with 3 to 5. Subagents are capped at 20 running at once per session by default, and an environment variable changes that limit.
Can two Claude agents talk to each other?
Yes, in Claude Code's agent teams. They're experimental and off by default, and teammates share a task list and message each other directly. Traycer also lets agents from different vendors, such as Claude Code and Codex, message each other across Tasks and machines.
How do I run multiple AI coding agents in parallel?
Give each agent its own git worktree (a separate checkout on its own branch), start one agent per worktree, then review and merge each branch. Parallel-agent apps automate the worktrees, terminals and review.
Is there an open-source desktop app to run Claude Code, Codex and Cursor side by side with shared context?
Yes. Traycer is an open source (MIT) desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and 19 other agents in one Task, where they share specs, tickets and reviews. Orca, T3 Code, Nimbalyst and Emdash are also open source, but we didn't find a shared spec and ticket layer in their docs.
What tools let multiple coding agents share specs and tickets and message each other?
Traycer keeps specs, tickets and reviews as artifacts every agent in a Task reads, and lets agents message each other across Tasks and machines. Claude Code's agent teams share a task list among Claude sessions, and Nimbalyst gives agents a shared wiki.
Does ChatGPT have a coding agent?
Yes. Codex runs in the ChatGPT desktop app, where worktrees let it run several chats in the same project in parallel, and you can follow it from the ChatGPT iOS app.
Is Conductor available for Windows?
No, and it won't be. Its install guide says it's not available for Windows or Linux yet, and after joining Meta, Conductor stopped new downloads on Nov 4, 2026; Conductor Cloud shuts down on Nov 20. Traycer, Orca, T3 Code, Nimbalyst and Emdash all run on Windows.
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