ADE — agent development environments
Apps for running several coding agents in parallel. Compared to Claude Code in the JetBrains terminal.
| name | stars | ui | language | platform | agents | worktrees | mobile | open source | price | status | github |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orca | 88,380 | desktop app + mobile companion | TypeScript | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | any CLI agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, OpenCode, 40+) | ✓ | ✓ | yes, MIT | free, bring own agent subscription | active | stablyai/orca |
| Vibe Kanban | 28,306 | kanban board (web, run via npx) | Rust, TypeScript | macOS, Windows, Linux | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Amp | ✓ | ✗ | yes, Apache-2.0 | free | company shut down 2026-04, community-maintained | BloopAI/vibe-kanban |
| cmux | 28,056 | native terminal (Ghostty-based) with vertical tabs, browser, notifications | Swift | macOS only, iOS beta | any terminal agent (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Amp, Aider) | ✗ | ✓ | yes, GPL-3.0 client, BSL 1.1 server | free, optional Founders Edition subscription | active | manaflow-ai/cmux |
| T3 Code | 26,528 | desktop (Electron) + web + mobile | TypeScript | macOS, Windows, Linux, web, iOS, Android | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok Build, OpenCode, Antigravity | ✗ | ✓ | yes, MIT | free, bring own agent subscription | early, expect bugs | pingdotgg/t3code |
| Paseo | 20,457 | desktop app + mobile/web/CLI clients of a local daemon | TypeScript | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, web | Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, OpenCode, Pi, Antigravity, Muse Code | ✓ | ✓ | yes, Apache-2.0 | free, bring own agent subscription | active, early (v0.11) | getpaseo/paseo |
| Superset | 15,026 | desktop app | TypeScript | macOS | any CLI agent (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini) | ✓ | ✗ | source-available | free, bring own agent subscription | active | superset-sh/superset |
| Claude Squad | 8,585 | terminal TUI (tmux) | Go | macOS, Linux | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Amp, Aider | ✓ | ✗ | yes, AGPL-3.0 | free | active, slower updates | smtg-ai/claude-squad |
| Crystal Nimbalyst | 3,127 | desktop app | TypeScript | macOS, Windows, Linux | Claude Code, Codex | ✓ | ✗ | yes, MIT (Crystal) | free | Crystal repo stale since 2026-02, renamed to Nimbalyst | stravu/crystal |
| Sculptor | 237 | desktop app | Python, TypeScript | macOS, Linux | Claude Code | ✗ | ✗ | yes, MIT | free beta, bring own Claude subscription or API key | beta, active | imbue-ai/sculptor |
| Conductor | desktop app | unknown, closed source | macOS only | Claude Code, Codex | ✓ | ✗ | no | free, bring own agent subscription | active |
When it’s worth it
Only for 2+ agents in parallel. For one agent at a time, the JetBrains terminal + Claude Code plugin is enough: IDE diff viewer, refactorings, inspections on the same files.
What they add over IDE terminal tabs
- Isolation — each agent gets its own git worktree (Sculptor: container) automatically. Two agents in one checkout overwrite each other’s files and break each other’s builds. In JetBrains that’s a manual
git worktree add+ a separate project window + re-indexing. - Overview + notifications — see which agent is working, waiting on a permission prompt, or done, without clicking through terminal tabs. cmux’s main selling point.
- Per-task review and merge — each agent’s work is a separate branch/diff; compare attempts, keep one, throw the rest away.
- Away from the desk — Orca, T3 Code, cmux (iOS beta) let you check on or answer an agent from the phone.
What they cost
- No IDE while the agent works — navigation, inspections, debugger; review still ends up in the IDE.
- Setup per worktree — dependency install,
.envfiles, separate ports for running services. - Review is the bottleneck — 5 agents = 5 diffs to review, parallel branches can conflict on merge.
- Young tools — T3 Code early, Sculptor beta, Vibe Kanban’s company shut down.
Pick
- Regularly 2–3 agents busy → cmux first: lightest step up, still a terminal + notifications/tabs, but no worktrees (set them up yourself).
- Want worktrees handled → Orca.
- Either way, review in JetBrains.