alternatives
Poracode alternatives
TL;DR
Poracode, by Porabuild (poracode.com), is a free, Apache-2.0 desktop app that puts terminal agents and chat agents side by side in any split layout. It goes wide: 15 named agents, plus any agent in the ACP registry. ACP, the Agent Client Protocol, is an open standard many coding agents speak. Agents can steer other agents, an AI judge can pick the best of several runs, and there are scheduled runs, SSH machines and a paired web app. It runs on Windows (x64 and ARM64), inside WSL, on macOS and on Linux.
The breadth has a cost. One developer wrote nearly all of it, and the repo's docs are design notes, not a user guide. Open bugs include typing in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, which sends messages before you've finished composing a character. Version 2.0 is landing in nightly builds most days, and it may reshape the app.
Pane is the focused alternative, with each agent in its real terminal and git worktree, plus diffs and git, on Windows, WSL, macOS and Linux. Orca is the other all-in-one, Herdr is the lightest, and Paseo puts agents on your phone.
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 one way of working: every agent in its real terminal, in its own worktree.
No chat threads to choose between. Claude Code, Codex and any other CLI each run in a real terminal. Every Pane gets a worktree with your .env and agent config copied in, plus diffs and git on shortcuts. Free, AGPL-3.0, no account.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
2.Orca
Best for staying all-in-one, with SSH hosts and phone apps.
MIT. 40 agents in real terminals and worktrees, plus commit and PR buttons, issue trackers, SSH hosts, and iOS and Android apps. Runs agents inside WSL. Heavy at about 1 GB installed.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
3.Herdr
Best for the lightest setup: a sidebar in the terminal you already use.
Free and Apache-2.0. It runs inside your terminal, shows which agent is working, waiting or done, and creates worktrees from its sidebar. Native on Windows, macOS and Linux; in WSL you run its Linux build. No diff or commit tools.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
4.Paseo
Best for agents that hand work to each other, from your desk or your phone.
Apache-2.0. A background service with desktop, phone, web and CLI clients for 40+ agents, which can delegate to each other. No account.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with poracode if
- → you mix many agents, including ACP ones like Qoder, and want chat and terminal threads side by side
- → you want to race one prompt across agents and let an AI judge pick the winner
- → you want scheduled runs, like a nightly review, or PR automation that fixes failures and merges
- → you need SSH remote machines or a paired web app
pick pane if
- → you want fewer features to learn, centered on real terminals, worktrees and git
- → you want every agent in its real terminal, not a choice between terminal and chat threads
- → you want a step-by-step user guide, like Pane's docs
- → you'd rather not track a 2.0 release landing in nightly builds
pane vs poracode at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane11 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | poracode11 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | a desktop app | a desktop app with a paired web app |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) |
| repos inside WSL | yes, in the same app | yes, routed automatically |
| macOS | yes | yes (Apple Silicon and Intel) |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | yes (x64 AppImage, .deb) |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | 15 named plus the ACP registry |
| how you see agents | each in its real terminal | terminal and chat threads side by side |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes, by default | yes, threads can run in their own worktree |
| review and git | Changes panel, diff tabs, commit, push, merge | diffs, staging, PR review, PR automation |
| remote and teams | ||
| remote machines | Remote Pane on your own server | SSH machines and a paired web app |
| safety and setup | ||
| license | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| account needed | no | no |
basics
what it is
pane
poracode
a desktop app with a paired web appplatforms
Windows
pane
poracode
yes, native (x64 and ARM64)repos inside WSL
pane
poracode
yes, routed automaticallymacOS
pane
poracode
yes (Apple Silicon and Intel)Linux
pane
poracode
yes (x64 AppImage, .deb)agents
agents
pane
poracode
15 named plus the ACP registryhow you see agents
pane
poracode
terminal and chat threads side by sideeveryday work
worktree per task
pane
poracode
yes, threads can run in their own worktreereview and git
pane
poracode
diffs, staging, PR review, PR automationremote and teams
remote machines
pane
poracode
SSH machines and a paired web appsafety and setup
license
pane
poracode
Apache-2.0account needed
pane
poracode
noPoracode facts checked on November 5, 2026 (Poracode v1.8.2); Pane facts from Pane v2.4.157.
why people look for a poracode alternative
It does a lot, and it's mostly one developer with thin docs.
Serhii Vecherenko has 2,340 commits in the repo. The next human contributor has 20. Outside users are active (42 of 47 issues came from other people), but the repo's docs folder holds internal design and release notes, not a guide to using the app.
Open bugs show the cost of breadth. Typing in Chinese, Japanese or Korean sends the message before you've finished a character (#778). On one customized build, the SSH helper can disconnect and crash on a database lock (#994). Resumed Pi threads can't be typed into (#781). Windows had its own fixes: Pi chat failed to start (#953), and the app didn't really exit on close (#579). The source has iOS and Android apps, but we found no App Store or Play Store listing. And 2.0 nightlies land several times a day, so a big change is coming.
moving from poracode to pane
Your agent logins carry over. Each worktree group becomes a Pane with the agent's own terminal.
Poracode's terminal threads already run the real CLIs, and in Pane every agent works that way. Add your repository and create one Pane per task. Pane sets up the worktree and branch and copies your .env and agent config into it. Start Claude Code or Codex in one click (Cursor too on macOS, Linux and WSL). Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Pi, Amp and the rest run as custom commands.
Status dots and notifications point you to the agent that's waiting. Check its work in the Changes panel, then commit, push and merge by shortcut. For Poracode-style delegation, a Sessions agent starts and steers agents in other Panes and hears about PR check results and conflicts. Remote Pane puts Pane's host on your own server.
our verdict
Poracode has one of the widest feature and agent lists we've seen, and it's free and open source. When you'd rather have less, with each agent in its real terminal and worktree, Pane is the most direct switch. Orca keeps the all-in-one approach with SSH hosts and phone apps. Herdr is the lightest option. Paseo covers delegation between agents and a phone client.
how we checked
This is desk research from November 5, 2026. We read Poracode's README, site, changelog, privacy policy, repo docs, GitHub releases and issue tracker. We didn't install or run Poracode.
Orca, Herdr and Paseo facts come from their docs and changelogs, plus our hands-on runs, on October 3 and 4, 2026.
- What we ran
- → Desk research: Poracode's README, site, changelog, privacy policy, repo docs, releases 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 Poracode 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. .