Coda vs Conductor
Project workspace vs parallel agents on worktrees
Quick summary
Conductor is a Mac app for running Claude Code, Codex and other agents in parallel, each in its own git worktree, with a diff viewer, checkpoints and a pull request flow. It needs a GitHub sign-in.
Coda is built around a project’s running parts: its dev servers, the agents working on it and the page in a browser pane. It supervises servers, starts them in order and restores everything when it opens. It has no worktree or diff features.
Choose Conductor to run several agents on separate branches and review their diffs. Choose Coda to run your project’s servers and agents together in one window.
Who should choose Coda, and who should choose Conductor?
Choose Coda if
- You want dev servers supervised, restarted on crash and started in order.
- You want a browser pane with DevTools that agents can use.
- You want servers, agents and browser tabs back after you quit.
- You don’t want to sign in to use the app.
Choose Conductor if
- You want each agent on its own git worktree with checkpoints and diff review.
- You want a pull request flow built in.
- You want cloud workspaces.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Coda | Conductor |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A Mac app for dev servers, CLI agents and browser panes, grouped by project | A Mac app for parallel agents on git worktrees |
| Runs your dev servers | Each service has a command, a folder and a port | Setup and run scripts per workspace |
| Restarts a server when it crashes | Per service, up to 3 attempts, 2 seconds apart | Not documented |
| Starts the services a server needs first | Starts each required service and waits until its port accepts connections | Not documented |
| CLI agents from several vendors | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Copilot and pi, plus any CLI added with a JSON file | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Cursor |
| Agent conversations resume after a restart | Each agent pane resumes its own session at launch | Not clearly documented |
| Servers start again when the app reopens | Services that were running start again, agents resume and browser tabs reopen | Not documented |
| Built-in browser with DevTools | WebKit pane with the Chrome DevTools frontend beside the page | Experimental in-app browser |
| Agents can use the built-in browser | 21 browser tools over MCP, with an approval policy per action | Not documented |
| MCP server that controls the app | More than 50 tools for services, logs, views, tasks and the browser. Off until you turn it on | API, MCP and CLI for cloud workspaces only |
| Shell commands as buttons | Per project, run in their own pane | Setup and run scripts |
| Split panes | Views with split panes, layout presets and floating windows | Not documented |
| Task board | Kanban board per workspace that agents can read and update | No task board |
| Git worktrees and diff review | No worktree management or diff view | Worktrees, diff viewer, checkpoints and PRs |
| Code editor | Plain text editor and file drawer, no syntax highlighting | Not documented |
| Configuration as plain files | Plain files in a .coda folder | .conductor/settings.toml |
| Built with | Native Swift | Desktop app, closed source |
| No account needed | No account | Needs a GitHub sign-in |
| Platforms | macOS 14 and later | macOS |
| Price | Free during the public beta | Free with your own keys, Pro $50 a month |
“Not documented” means we found no mention of it in Conductor’s documentation.
Different jobs
Conductor is about running several agents at once on separate branches and merging the best result. Coda is about keeping one or more projects running: their servers, the agents on them and the page you are testing. The two can be used together.
Where Conductor is ahead
Conductor’s worktrees, checkpoints, diff viewer and pull request flow are its core. Coda has none of them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Coda a Conductor alternative?
Only partly. Both run Claude Code and Codex on a Mac. Conductor focuses on worktrees and diffs, Coda on dev servers, the browser and restore on relaunch.
Does Coda need a GitHub account?
No. Coda needs no account of any kind.
Try Coda
A native Mac app for your dev servers, CLI agents and browser panes. Requires macOS 14 or later.
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Last reviewed October 5, 2026. Product features and prices change; tell us on the contact page if something here is out of date.