alternatives
cmux alternatives
TL;DR
cmux, by Manaflow (cmux.com), is a free, open-source Mac terminal built on Ghostty, a fast terminal engine, for running many coding agents at once. Its vertical tabs show each task's branch and pull request, and a blue ring lights up whichever agent is waiting for you.
People look elsewhere for two reasons. It only runs on macOS, and Windows and Linux are among its most-requested features. And its stable app doesn't give each task its own git worktree (a separate folder on its own branch, so agents don't overwrite each other's work). Parallel agents share one checkout unless you script it or let the agent do it.
Pane is the closest alternative that does both: every agent in its real terminal and its own worktree, with diffs and git, on Windows, WSL, macOS and Linux. Herdr keeps cmux's terminal-first feel, and Orca packs the most features into one app.
the alternatives
Every tool here runs several coding agents at once. The chips show where each one runs: green is native, amber has a catch, red is no.
1.Pane
Best for worktrees, diffs and git around real agent terminals, on every OS.
Each agent gets its own terminal and worktree, so they never step on each other. Review in the Changes view, commit, push and squash-merge on shortcuts, and let one agent start and steer the others. Free, AGPL-3.0, no account.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
2.Herdr
Best for the closest terminal-first feel to cmux, off the Mac.
A free, Apache-2.0 multiplexer that runs inside your terminal, with a sidebar showing which agent is working, waiting or done, and worktrees you create from that sidebar. Native on Windows, macOS and Linux; for WSL repos you run its Linux build inside WSL. No diff or commit tools.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
3.Orca
Best for an all-in-one with review, SSH hosts and a phone app.
A free, MIT desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux with worktrees, real terminals, a diff viewer, commit and PR buttons and a built-in browser. It can also run agents on repos inside WSL. Releases ship nearly every day.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
4.Emdash
Best for a desktop app that turns issue-tracker tickets into tasks.
A free, Apache-2.0 app for Mac, Windows and Linux. It runs about 35 agents, each in its own worktree, with a diff view, commit and pull request buttons, and tasks pulled from 12 issue trackers. It doesn't open repos inside WSL.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with cmux if
- → you're on a Mac and want a fast native terminal, especially if you use Ghostty, since cmux reads your Ghostty config
- → your main need is seeing which agent needs you, and jumping to it
- → you'd rather script your own workflow than have the app create worktrees
- → you want SSH workspaces with remote tmux mirroring, or cmux's paid cloud VMs
pick pane if
- → you work on Windows, in WSL or on Linux, or switch between machines and want one app on all of them
- → you want a worktree and branch per task without writing scripts
- → you want to review, commit, push and merge in the same app
pane vs cmux at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane9 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | cmux4 yes · 2 partly · 3 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | a desktop app | a native macOS terminal |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | no |
| repos inside WSL | yes, in the same app | no |
| macOS | yes | yes, macOS 14 or later |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | no app; a terminal-only version and a nightly browser build |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | any CLI |
| what needs you | status dots and notifications | rings, badges, a shortcut to the waiting agent |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes, by default | no in the stable app; in a preview build |
| review and git | Changes view, commit, push, squash-merge | diff viewer with comments; no commit or push buttons |
| safety and setup | ||
| license | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 app; source-available (BSL 1.1) server |
| account needed | no | no, except for cloud VMs, iPhone, CodeRouter and teams |
basics
what it is
pane
cmux
a native macOS terminalplatforms
Windows
pane
cmux
norepos inside WSL
pane
cmux
nomacOS
pane
cmux
yes, macOS 14 or laterLinux
pane
cmux
no app; a terminal-only version and a nightly browser buildagents
agents
pane
cmux
any CLIwhat needs you
pane
cmux
rings, badges, a shortcut to the waiting agenteveryday work
worktree per task
pane
cmux
no in the stable app; in a preview buildreview and git
pane
cmux
diff viewer with comments; no commit or push buttonssafety and setup
license
pane
cmux
GPL-3.0 app; source-available (BSL 1.1) serveraccount needed
pane
cmux
no, except for cloud VMs, iPhone, CodeRouter and teamscmux facts checked on November 5, 2026 (cmux 0.65.2.2); Pane facts from Pane v2.4.157.
why people look for a cmux alternative
It's Mac only, and the stable app leaves worktrees and git to you.
cmux is a native Mac app, and its README says it's "macOS only, for now." The Linux request (issue #330, about 220 reactions) and the Windows request (#1012, about 50) are both still open. cmux also makes a terminal-only version (the cmux TUI) and a separate Chromium-based browser. Both have Linux builds, but the main app doesn't. Nothing ships for Windows or WSL.
cmux also chose not to manage worktrees. Its June 2026 blog post says "We're not going to" add them. Agents in different tabs share one checkout. You can isolate them with scripts, or let the agent make its own worktrees. There's a diff viewer, and you can send its line comments to an agent, but committing and pushing happen outside it. A preview build, cmux NEXT, has gained a one-click worktree button, but it isn't in a stable release yet.
moving from cmux to pane
Your agents and logins carry over. Each cmux tab becomes a Pane with its own worktree.
cmux runs the agent CLIs you already have, and so does Pane. Open your repository in Pane and create one Pane per task. Each gets its own worktree and branch, with your .env and agent config copied in. Start Claude Code or Codex with a click (Cursor too on macOS, Linux and WSL), or Gemini CLI, Amp, OpenCode, Pi or any other CLI as a custom command.
Pane's status dots and notifications show which agent is working and which one needs you, like cmux's rings. When an agent finishes, review its changes in the Changes view and commit, push and squash-merge with shortcuts. The same app runs on Windows, inside WSL, on macOS and on Linux, so you keep one setup across machines.
our verdict
cmux is one of the best terminals for supervising agents on a Mac, it's free, and it ships fast. If you want each task in its own worktree with review and git built in, or you work on Windows, WSL or Linux, Pane is the most direct alternative. For cmux's terminal-first feel on any OS, Herdr. For the most features in one app, Orca. For tasks pulled from your issue tracker, Emdash.
how we checked
This page is mostly desk research. We read cmux's README, docs, pricing page, changelog, GitHub releases and issue tracker on October 3 and 4, 2026, and rechecked its platforms, latest release, license, pricing and worktree plans on November 5, 2026. We ran the cmux TUI in WSL2 Linux on October 3; we didn't run the Mac app.
Facts about Herdr, Orca and Emdash come from their own docs, releases and issue trackers, researched on October 3, 2026 and rechecked on October 4. Facts about Pane come from its source, docs and releases (v2.4.157).
- What we ran
- → Desk research: cmux's README, docs, pricing page, changelog, releases and issue tracker, checked October 3 and 4, 2026 and rechecked November 5, 2026
- → The cmux TUI (npm cmux 0.13.4) run in WSL2 Linux on October 3, 2026. The Mac app wasn't run.
- Who wrote this
- We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We checked every claim about cmux against its own site, docs, releases and issues on the dates above.
- Corrections
- If anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it and update the date at the top. Open an issue on GitHub
- Sources
frequently asked questions
more comparisons
By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. .