alternatives
Frame alternatives
TL;DR
Frame, by Kaan Ozhan and a small team (frame.cool), is a free, Apache-2.0 desktop app that puts up to nine agent terminals in a grid next to a spec-driven workflow. It's not one of the many other tools called Frame. In a spec-first workflow, you write down what a feature should do before an agent builds it. Frame keeps that in plain files in a .frame/ folder: rules, notes, tasks, and a spec, plan and outcome per feature. Every Claude Code or Codex session reads them, and git tracks them.
Frame is about project memory more than parallel agents. Its grid agents start in the same checkout unless you make worktrees by hand, and the Orchestrator that gives each one a worktree was hidden from the menus in September 2026. Current releases also run only on Apple Silicon Macs. The last Windows installer is v2.7.0 from September 1, and no Linux build has ever shipped, though the README and site list both.
Pane runs agents in parallel, each in its own terminal and worktree, on Windows, WSL, macOS and Linux. Orca bundles review, SSH hosts and phone apps in one app, and Agent Orchestrator and Emdash run agents from a board or your issue tracker.
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 parallel agents in real terminals and worktrees, on every OS.
Frame's grid puts agents in one checkout. In Pane, every agent gets its own worktree from the start, so parallel work is the default rather than a hidden mode. Your .frame/ files come along in the repo. Diffs, commit, push and merge live in the Changes panel. Free, AGPL-3.0, no account.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
2.Orca
Best for an all-in-one with review, SSH hosts and phone apps.
MIT. Gives 40 agents real terminals and worktrees, with a diff viewer, commit and PR buttons, a built-in browser and issue trackers. Handles repos inside WSL, and has iOS and Android apps.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
3.Emdash
Best for starting parallel agents from tickets in your issue tracker.
Apache-2.0. 35 agents in worktrees, tasks from 12 issue trackers, and SSH projects. No account needed. No WSL mode.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
Best for a board of parallel agents that handles the pull request loop.
An Apache-2.0 desktop app: a live Kanban board where each agent works in its own worktree, and failing checks and review comments flow back to the agent that wrote the code. It doesn't handle repos inside WSL.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with frame if
- → you use Claude Code or Codex on an Apple Silicon Mac, and your main pain is re-explaining the project every session
- → you like spec-first work, with plans and outcomes kept as markdown you can review in git
- → you want a tool that leaves your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md and .cursorrules alone, and removes itself cleanly
- → you want a few agent terminals in a grid more than many agents at once
pick pane if
- → you want several agents working at once, each in its own worktree, as a main feature rather than a command-palette-only one
- → you're on Windows, WSL, Linux or an Intel Mac
- → you want to see the diff, then commit, push and merge, in the app where the agent ran
pane vs frame at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane9 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | frame2 yes · 6 partly · 1 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | a desktop app | a desktop app: a terminal grid plus spec files |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | last build v2.7.0 (September 2026) |
| repos inside WSL | yes, in the same app | not documented |
| macOS | yes | Apple Silicon only |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | no build; source only |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | Claude Code and Codex (README also lists Gemini CLI); other CLIs not documented |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes, by default | only in the Orchestrator (command palette); by hand otherwise |
| review and git | Changes panel, diff tabs, commit, push, merge | GitHub issues and PRs panel; no diff viewer in its docs |
| safety and setup | ||
| license | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| account needed | no | no |
basics
what it is
pane
frame
a desktop app: a terminal grid plus spec filesplatforms
Windows
pane
frame
last build v2.7.0 (September 2026)repos inside WSL
pane
frame
not documentedmacOS
pane
frame
Apple Silicon onlyLinux
pane
frame
no build; source onlyagents
agents
pane
frame
Claude Code and Codex (README also lists Gemini CLI); other CLIs not documentedeveryday work
worktree per task
pane
frame
only in the Orchestrator (command palette); by hand otherwisereview and git
pane
frame
GitHub issues and PRs panel; no diff viewer in its docssafety and setup
license
pane
frame
Apache-2.0account needed
pane
frame
noFrame facts checked on November 5, 2026 (Frame v2.9.0); Pane facts from Pane v2.4.157.
why people look for a frame alternative
It's built for project memory, not parallel agents, and current builds are Apple Silicon only.
Frame's focus is durable context: spec, plan, task and outcome files that every session reads. In June 2026 it added an Orchestrator that ran several specs in parallel, each in its own worktree. In September a pull request hid it from the sidebar and menus because "that isn't where Frame creates value." The pull request left it reachable from the command palette. Without the Orchestrator, you create worktrees by hand from the Branches panel. Frame's docs don't describe a diff viewer.
Frame's README and site say it runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. The releases say otherwise. Every Mac build is Apple Silicon only. Only 8 of 22 releases included a Windows installer. The last was v2.7.0, on September 1, 2026. No release has ever included a Linux build. When a user asked for one in issue #159 (September 22), the maintainer said, "Sure, i will handle it this week." It's still open.
moving from frame to pane
Your agent CLIs and logins carry over, and your .frame/ files stay in the repo.
Your project memory doesn't move, because it never lived in Frame. The .frame/ files are plain files in your repo, so they're there when Pane opens it, and Frame's README says other CLIs read .frame/AGENTS.md when you point them at it. Pane runs the same Claude Code or Codex CLI you signed in to for Frame.
Instead of a grid of terminals in one checkout, make a Pane per task. Each is a git worktree (a separate folder on its own branch), so parallel agents can't overwrite each other's work, and Pane copies your .env and agent config in. Claude Code and Codex start with a click (Cursor too on macOS, Linux and WSL), and Gemini CLI, Amp, OpenCode or Pi run as custom commands. Status dots and notifications point to the agent that needs you. Finished work lands in the Changes panel for review, and shortcuts commit, push and merge it.
our verdict
Frame is a thoughtful way to give agents lasting project memory on an Apple Silicon Mac, and it's free and open source. For many agents at once in their own worktrees, or for Windows, WSL, Linux or an Intel Mac, Pane is the most direct alternative. Orca packs review, SSH hosts and phone apps into one app. Emdash turns your issue tracker into agent tasks. Agent Orchestrator gives you a board that handles the pull request loop.
how we checked
This is a reading of Frame's own material on November 5, 2026: its README, site, privacy policy, package config, GitHub releases, pull requests and issue tracker. We never ran Frame.
For Orca, Emdash and Agent Orchestrator we relied on their own docs and changelogs, checked on October 3 and 4, 2026.
- What we ran
- → Desk research: Frame's README, site, privacy policy, releases, pull requests and issue tracker, checked November 5, 2026. We didn't install or run it.
- Who wrote this
- We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We checked every claim about Frame 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
By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. .