alternatives
Frink alternatives
TL;DR
Frink (frink.dev) is a free, MIT-licensed desktop app by Benji Norval with two halves. One runs up to four coding agents side by side. The other runs Flows, automations that start on a schedule, a webhook, or an event in tools like Linear, Sentry and PostHog. Finished work and agent questions land in a Work Queue.
It's labeled Early Access, with three releases since early October 2026, and there's no Windows build yet. Sessions are chats with five agents, four at a time. A chat gets a git worktree (an isolated folder with its own branch) only when you switch it on. Commit and PR buttons ask the agent to do the work.
Pane gives every task a worktree by default, runs any CLI agent in its real terminal, and lets you run git yourself. It works on Windows, macOS, Linux and WSL, Windows' built-in Linux. For Frink's automation side, look at Kandev and Agent Orchestrator. Orca does a bit of both.
the alternatives
Two of these lean into automation, two into hands-on parallel work. The chips show platform support. Green is native. Amber has a catch. Red is unsupported.
1.Pane
Best for a worktree for every task, on Windows too, with git you run yourself.
Every task gets a worktree by default, with your .env files copied in. Agents run in real terminals, any CLI works, and commit, push and merge are shortcuts you press. Loops start an agent or a command on a cron schedule, and each run gets its own Pane and branch. Free, AGPL-3.0.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
2.Kandev
Best for Flows-style automations plus a board with approval gates.
Tasks move through plan, build, review and PR steps, and you approve before code ships. Automations can start from a schedule, an authenticated webhook or a GitHub PR event, though cron time zones are buggy. Self-hosted, with desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux. Free, AGPL-3.0.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
Best for a board that reacts to CI failures and PR comments on its own.
When a PR's tests fail or a reviewer comments, it sends that back to the agent that wrote the code. Scheduled automations run daily, weekly or on a custom schedule while your machine is awake. Installers for Windows x64, macOS and Linux x64, but no WSL repos. Free, Apache-2.0.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
4.Orca
Best for parallel agents and scheduled automations in one app, WSL included.
A free MIT app for Mac, Windows and Linux. Each agent gets a worktree and a real terminal, with a diff viewer and buttons to commit and open PRs. Automations run prompts on preset, cron or RRULE schedules, with a run history. It opens WSL repos too.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with Frink if
- → you want multi-step routines with approval steps, like a weekday test-and-fix run that waits for your OK before opening a PR
- → you want work to start from a Linear ticket, a Sentry error or a webhook
- → you want agents to ask before they do anything new, with rules per project
- → you're on a Mac or Linux and four agents at a time is plenty
pick pane if
- → you're on Windows or keep repos inside WSL
- → you want a worktree for every task without flipping a switch
- → you use Gemini CLI, Amp, Pi or another agent that Frink doesn't list
pane vs Frink at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane9 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | Frink4 yes · 3 partly · 1 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | a desktop app | a desktop app for agent chats and automated Flows |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | no, coming soon |
| repos inside WSL | yes, in the same app | not documented |
| macOS | yes | yes, macOS 13 or later |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | yes (AppImage, .deb, x64 and ARM64) |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | Claude Code, Codex; OpenCode, Copilot, Cursor in preview |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes, by default | optional, per chat |
| review and git | Changes panel, diff tabs, commit, push, merge | diff panel; asks the agent to commit or open a PR |
| safety and setup | ||
| license | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| account needed | no | no |
basics
what it is
pane
Frink
a desktop app for agent chats and automated Flowsplatforms
Windows
pane
Frink
no, coming soonrepos inside WSL
pane
Frink
not documentedmacOS
pane
Frink
yes, macOS 13 or laterLinux
pane
Frink
yes (AppImage, .deb, x64 and ARM64)agents
agents
pane
Frink
Claude Code, Codex; OpenCode, Copilot, Cursor in previeweveryday work
worktree per task
pane
Frink
optional, per chatreview and git
pane
Frink
diff panel; asks the agent to commit or open a PRsafety and setup
license
pane
Frink
MITaccount needed
pane
Frink
noFrink facts checked on November 5, 2026 (Frink 0.4.0); Pane facts from Pane v2.4.214 and its docs.
why people look for a Frink alternative
Half of it is automation, it's Early Access, and Windows isn't out.
Flows get as much space in Frink's pitch as parallel agents do. The repo started in September 2026, and 0.4.0 shipped October 16. Windows is "coming soon" with no build yet, and WSL isn't mentioned.
On the parallel side, you get four panes and five agents. Claude Code and Codex are full members. OpenCode, GitHub Copilot and Cursor are previews. Each session is a chat. Worktree mode is a per-chat switch. The Changes panel only shows diffs, and its commit and PR actions send the agent a request.
moving from Frink to pane
Your logins carry over. Each chat becomes a Pane, worktree included.
Frink works through agent CLIs you've already signed into, and so does Pane. Create a Pane for each task. It's like Frink's Worktree mode with the switch on by default: a fresh branch and folder, with .env and agent config copied in. Presets cover Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, plus Cursor on macOS, Linux and WSL. Anything else is a custom command. Status colors and desktop notifications tell you which agent is done or waiting, and you run git yourself. If Flows are the reason you use Frink, Pane's Loops handle the timed part. Frink's webhook triggers and events from Linear or Sentry have no match in Pane.
our verdict
Frink is a promising free mix of agents and automation, and it asks before agents act. Choose Pane for Windows or WSL, or for a worktree on every task with git in your hands. Kandev and Agent Orchestrator are closer if automations matter most. Orca covers both in one app.
how we checked
We didn't run Frink. On November 5, 2026 we read its README, user docs, 0.4.0 release notes and GitHub data, plus its home, pricing and download pages.
Kandev, Agent Orchestrator and Orca facts come from our October 3, 2026 profiles and an October 4 recheck of each.
- What we ran
- → Desk research: Frink's README, user docs, release notes and GitHub data, plus frink.dev, checked November 5, 2026. We didn't install or run Frink.
- Who wrote this
- We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We checked every claim about Frink 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. .