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// VS · CONDUCTOR

HyperCoder vs Conductor.

Worktree-per-task is great. Mac-only, two agents only, one workspace at a time.

// §01 // WHAT CONDUCTOR IS

A free Mac-only app that orchestrates parallel Claude Code and Codex agents in isolated git-worktree workspaces.

www.conductor.buildPRICING · Free.PLATFORMS · macOS only (Apple Silicon)
✓ WHERE IT WINS
  • ▸Worktree-per-workspace is the spine — every workspace is a fresh git worktree, automatically.
  • ▸Parallel Claude Code + Codex sessions in isolated workspaces, with a built-in diff viewer and merge/PR flow.
  • ▸First-class MCP — app-level and per-repo (.mcp.json), with a /mcp-status dialog and permanent allow-listing.
  • ▸A "Big Terminal Mode" panel (⌘⇧T) for shell-out moments, plus a side terminal panel with @terminal context.
  • ▸Free, with adopters across well-known engineering teams.
✕ WHERE IT FALLS SHORT
  • ▸Conductor isn't a terminal — it's an orchestrator app that happens to embed a terminal panel. HyperCoder is a real terminal in the same category as Ghostty or Warp: shells, builds, REPLs, dbs, SSH and agents all share the same first-class surface, not a side panel.
  • ▸Heavier app overall — Electron orchestrator with sidebars, panels, and SDK harnesses humming in the background. HyperCoder is terminal-class: lighter to launch, faster to switch, easier to keep open all day.
  • ▸macOS only — Apple Silicon required. Linux, Windows, and Intel Mac users are locked out entirely.
  • ▸Only Claude Code and Codex are first-class agents. The Big Terminal lets you run other CLIs as raw shell processes, but they aren't orchestrated peers.
  • ▸Runs Claude Code and Codex through their SDKs, not the native `claude` / `codex` CLIs — so new CLI features (slash commands, hooks, plugins, tool changes, model options) only land in Conductor after a harness update, and the day-to-day UX often diverges from what those CLIs do natively.
  • ▸One workspace surface at a time — no Discord-style dock for jumping across many projects, no auto-grid of agents working side by side.
// §02 // FEATURE-BY-FEATURE

Side by side.

FEATURE
CONDUCTOR
HYPERCODER
Product category
Agent orchestrator app with a terminal panel
Real terminal app — same category as Ghostty or Warp — that hosts agents as panes
Footprint & speed
Electron orchestrator with sidebars, panels, SDK harnesses
Terminal-class — lighter to launch, faster to switch
Platforms
macOS only (Apple Silicon)
macOS Apple Silicon today; Linux + Windows builds in flight
Agent runtime
Claude Code & Codex via their SDKs in a custom harness — CLI features lag upstream
The actual `claude` / `codex` CLIs running inside real terminal panes — every CLI feature lands day-one
Real shell / terminal
Terminal panel + Big Terminal Mode (⌘⇧T) inside the orchestrator
Full xterm.js + PTY everywhere — every pane is a real shell, not a panel
Project / branch navigation
Workspace list
Discord-style dock for projects, branches as channels
Multi-pane grid
One agent per workspace view
Auto-grid panes with focus mode — many agents side by side
Git worktrees
Yes — one per workspace, automatic
Yes — auto-created per feature with ⌘N
MCP support
First-class — app-level + per-repo .mcp.json + /mcp-status
First-class — add any MCP server at the app level
Built-in PR loop
Diff viewer + merge/PR flow inside the app
::pr / ::review / ::merge inline in the terminal
Cloud / SSH terminals
Local Mac execution only
Cloud terminals over SSH, same surface
Pricing
Free
Free
// §03 // WHY DEVS SWITCH

You switch when you realize you don't want another orchestrator app — you want a real terminal that runs your agents as panes, not the other way around. You switch when the Mac-only ceiling hits a Linux teammate or Windows reviewer. And you switch when you want the actual `claude` / `codex` CLIs running, not an SDK wrapper that's a few versions behind upstream.

// caveat · Conductor and HyperCoder share the worktree-per-task instinct and the same free price tag. The honest difference is category: Conductor is an orchestrator with a terminal panel, HyperCoder is a real terminal that runs agents — same difference as Ghostty or Warp vs. an IDE with a terminal panel. Plus HyperCoder is lighter, faster, runs the native CLIs (not SDK wrappers), and ships beyond macOS.

researched · 2026-05-01

STOP_JUGGLING.
START_SHIPPING.

↓ DOWNLOAD_FOR_MAC.dmg
FREE · MACOS · APPLE_SILICON
// OR COMPARE TO
HYPERCODER vs CURSORPowerful IDE. Heavy per-window footprint. Agents live in chat panels, not a pane grid.HYPERCODER vs WARPSlick block-based terminal. Tabs and windows, not Discord-style nav. AI metered by credits unless you BYO key.HYPERCODER vs CLAUDE DESKTOPOne vendor, one agent. Great for Claude — not for running Codex next to it.HYPERCODER vs CODEXOpenAI-only. Cloud-first. Your terminals still scattered across surfaces.