Orca vs Conductor (2026): Agent Development Environments Compared
Compare Orca and Conductor for running AI coding agents in parallel Git worktrees. Platform support, agent coverage, pricing, and where Superset fits as an agent-agnostic alternative.
Orca and Conductor solve the same problem from opposite ends. Both run multiple AI coding agents at once, each in its own Git worktree, with review and merge in the app. Orca is open source under MIT, cross-platform, and covers 25+ agents plus any custom CLI you add. Conductor is a proprietary macOS app focused on Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode, with a paid tier for cloud and team features.
Superset runs the same worktree-per-task model and is the option to look at if you want other software to drive it, through an MCP server and a TypeScript SDK.
At a Glance
| Orca | Conductor | Superset | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| License | Open source | Proprietary | Source available |
| Agent coverage | 25+ prebuilt, plus custom CLI agents | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode | Any CLI agent |
| Isolation | Git worktree per task | Git worktree per workspace | Git worktree per workspace |
| Remote work | SSH remote worktrees | Cloud workspaces on paid tiers | Remote hosts and cloud workspaces |
| Task intake | GitHub, Linear, GitHub Projects | GitHub, Linear | GitHub, Linear, Slack |
| Mobile | iOS and Android | Announced, not released | iOS |
| Pricing | Free, open source | Free tier, Pro $50/mo, Teams $60/user/mo | Free tier, paid plans |
What Is Orca?
Orca calls itself an Agent Development Environment: an MIT-licensed desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux that runs parallel agents in isolated worktrees, with terminals, editors, task workflows, and browser previews in one window.
Its differentiator is breadth of agent support. Orca ships prebuilt configurations for more than 25 agents, including Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor CLI, GitHub Copilot, Gemini, Grok, Pi, Goose, Cline, Continue, Kilocode, and Qwen Code. It also ships SSH remote worktrees, a design mode that opens a real Chromium window per worktree, GitHub PR, issue and Project boards alongside Linear, an account switcher showing Claude and Codex quota with reset times, and companion mobile apps for iOS and Android.
What Is Conductor?
Conductor is a native macOS app for running Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode in parallel, each agent on an isolated copy of your codebase.
Its differentiator is coordination and polish rather than breadth. Conductor spawns agent teams with named roles (Researcher, Builder, Reviewer, Reporter) across four coordination patterns: Supervisor, Pipeline, Consensus, and Swarm. It also manages context explicitly: when the window compacts, it extracts decisions, files, and tasks and reinjects them. The app leans on native macOS conventions, with a command palette and a session browser for resuming past conversations.
Orca vs Conductor: Key Differences
Platform and License
Orca runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux and is open source, so you can read it, fork it, and self-host the pieces you care about. Conductor is macOS only and proprietary. On this axis the choice often gets made for you: if your team is not all on Macs, Conductor is out.
Agent Coverage
Orca's 25+ prebuilt agents against Conductor's four is the starkest difference, and Orca also documents adding a custom CLI agent by name, binary, and default arguments. So if you switch models often, or want an agent no vendor has heard of, Orca and Superset both handle it and Conductor does not. Conductor's narrower list is a deliberate trade for a more opinionated experience on the agents it does support.
Coordination Model
This is where Conductor pulls ahead. Named team roles and four coordination patterns are a real feature, not a wrapper around parallel terminals, and its explicit context reinjection on compaction addresses a genuine failure mode. Orca's model is closer to a fleet of independent agents you supervise.
Pricing
Orca is free and open source. Conductor has a free individual tier, with Pro at $50 per month adding Conductor Cloud workspace hours and multiplayer for up to five people, and Teams at $60 per user per month. It has announced a mobile app that has not shipped yet. Whether that is worth it depends on how much you need the cloud and collaboration half.
Where Superset Fits
Orca covers much of this ground already. It runs cross-platform and ships a design mode, SSH remote worktrees, PR and issue browsing, and mobile apps, so the honest gap is narrower than a feature list would suggest.
Against Conductor the gap is wide: any CLI agent, any platform. Against Orca it comes down to one thing, which is what can drive the tool from outside. Superset exposes an MCP server and a TypeScript SDK, so agents and your own scripts can create workspaces, launch agents, and read results as a first-class interface. Orca consumes MCP servers without exposing one, and otherwise takes direction through its CLI. Superset also dispatches work from Slack and has an enterprise track with SSO, SCIM, and audit logs. See Superset vs Orca and Superset vs Conductor for the head-to-heads.
Which Should You Choose?
- Choose Orca if you want open source and free, the widest prebuilt agent list, and mobile on both iOS and Android.
- Choose Conductor if you are on macOS, work primarily in Claude Code or Codex, and want structured multi-agent coordination with managed context.
- Choose Superset if you want orchestration other software can drive: an MCP server and TypeScript SDK, Slack dispatch, and an enterprise track with SSO and SCIM.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Orca and Conductor both use Git worktrees?
Yes. Both give each workspace its own Git worktree, so agents in separate workspaces never edit the same files. Conductor also supports running more than one agent inside a single workspace when the work belongs on the same branch, and those agents do share files. Superset uses the same worktree-per-workspace model.
Does Conductor run on Windows or Linux?
No. Conductor is a native macOS app. Orca and Superset both run on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Which supports the most coding agents?
Orca ships prebuilt configurations for more than 25 agents and lets you add a custom CLI agent, against Conductor's Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode. Superset is agent-agnostic and runs any CLI agent. On this axis Orca and Superset are close; Conductor is the narrow one.
Is Orca free?
Yes. Orca is open source and free to run. Conductor has a free individual tier, with Pro at $50 per month and Teams at $60 per user per month for cloud workspace hours and collaboration.
Can I use my existing Claude or Codex subscription?
Yes, with all three. In local workspaces, Orca, Conductor, and Superset run the agent CLIs on your machine under your own login, so you keep your existing plan rather than paying per token through the tool. Conductor Cloud is the exception to the local part: those sessions run in Conductor-managed Linux sandboxes rather than on your machine.