alternatives
super.engineering alternatives
TL;DR
super.engineering (formerly Superconductor) is a native Mac and Linux app written in Rust that runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and a dozen other agents side by side, each in its own worktree, with a GPU-drawn terminal, a one-button commit-to-merge flow and a lead agent that can direct the others. People look elsewhere because it doesn't run on Windows, it's closed source with no public issue tracker, only nightly builds exist, remote workspaces and shared context are still experimental, and paid licensing has been announced without details. Pane is the closest open-source alternative: the same agents in their real terminals and worktrees, with review, git and an orchestrator, on Windows, inside WSL, on Linux and on Mac. On a Mac only, Conductor and Agentastic are the polished picks.
the alternatives
Every tool here runs several coding agents at once in their own git worktrees. The chips show where each one runs: green is native, amber has a catch, red is no.
1.Pane
Best for the same workflow on every OS, open source.
Each agent runs in its own terminal UI and worktree, with a Changes panel, commit, push and merge on shortcuts, and an orchestrator chat that starts and steers other agents. Native on Windows (x64 and ARM64), inside WSL, macOS and Linux. Free, AGPL-3.0, no account.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
Best for the most polished review loop on a Mac.
A chat view over Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode with deep pull request review, cloud workspaces and team plans. Closed source and needs an account.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
Best for a feature-rich Mac app with a team plan.
Terminals, worktrees, a browser, a PR inbox and automations. MIT since November 2026, and Linux is experimental.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
4.Agentastic
Best for another native Mac editor, with sandboxes.
Runs 50+ agents with worktrees and Docker, SSH and cloud sandboxes. Mac-only and closed source.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
5.cmux
Best for a native Mac terminal that shows which agent needs you.
Open source, Ghostty-based, with a sidebar of agent status. No worktrees or review, and Mac-only.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with super.engineering if
- → you're on a Mac or Linux and want a native Rust app with GPU-drawn terminals
- → you want one button from commit to merge
- → you mix providers in a lead-and-specialists team
- → you're happy on nightly builds
pick pane if
- → you use Windows, or keep code inside WSL
- → you want open source and a public issue tracker
- → you want a released version rather than nightly builds
- → you want everything free, with no pricing to come
pane vs super.engineering at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane10 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | super.engineering5 yes · 2 partly · 3 no | |
|---|---|---|
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | no; planned |
| repos inside WSL | yes: agents, terminals and git run in the distro | no |
| macOS | yes, Apple Silicon and Intel | yes, macOS 14+, Apple Silicon and Intel |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | yes, nightly (x86_64 and ARM64) |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | 15 presets plus custom CLIs |
| agents that run agents | Sessions, in the release | lead agent, on by default |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes | yes |
| safety and setup | ||
| release channel | stable releases | nightly only |
| open source | yes, AGPL-3.0 | no, proprietary |
| price | free | free today; paid licensing announced |
| account needed | no | no |
platforms
Windows
pane
super.engineering
no; plannedrepos inside WSL
pane
super.engineering
nomacOS
pane
super.engineering
yes, macOS 14+, Apple Silicon and IntelLinux
pane
super.engineering
yes, nightly (x86_64 and ARM64)agents
agents
pane
super.engineering
15 presets plus custom CLIsagents that run agents
pane
super.engineering
lead agent, on by defaulteveryday work
worktree per task
pane
super.engineering
yessafety and setup
release channel
pane
super.engineering
nightly onlyopen source
pane
super.engineering
no, proprietaryprice
pane
super.engineering
free today; paid licensing announcedaccount needed
pane
super.engineering
noFacts checked on October 3 and 4, 2026 (super.engineering nightly c623b42b and Pane v2.4.157). Rechecked on November 5, 2026.
why people look for a super.engineering alternative
No Windows, closed and still nightly.
super.engineering runs on macOS 14 or newer and, since its Linux build shipped, on x86_64 and ARM64 Linux. Windows is listed as planned with no date, so a team with Windows machines can't share it. It's proprietary, with only a translations repo public and bug reports going through Discord.
There's no stable channel: its install docs say only nightly builds are available, and SSH remote workspaces, shared context and browser control sit behind Settings > Experimental. The app is free today, and a competitor page notes future paid licensing has been announced without details. It also has no scheduling, webhooks, API or MCP beyond its local CLI.
moving from super.engineering to pane
Your agents and logins carry over. The workflow, a worktree and an agent per task, is the same.
super.engineering runs the agent CLIs you've already signed into, and so does Pane. Open your repository in Pane and create a pane per task: each gets its own worktree and branch, and spare worktrees are kept ready so new panes open instantly. Start Claude Code, Codex or Cursor with a click, or Gemini, Grok, Copilot, OpenCode, Pi, Oh My Pi, Hermes or any other CLI as a custom command.
Review in the Changes panel and commit, push and merge with shortcuts. For lead-and-specialists work, Pane's orchestrator, Sessions, starts agents in other panes, sends them tasks and reads back their reports, and the runpane CLI lets any agent do the same. The same app runs on your teammates' Windows, Linux and Mac machines.
our verdict
super.engineering is a fast, carefully built Mac and Linux app. If you need the same agents-in-worktrees workflow on Windows or WSL, or want it open source and released, Pane is the most direct alternative. On a Mac only, Conductor is the polished option.
how we checked
super.engineering was Mac-only when we checked, so on October 3 and 4, 2026 we checked its download page, docs and privacy page and inspected its current nightly build (c623b42b) without running it. Pane ran on Windows 11 with WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04); Conductor, Superset, Agentastic and cmux facts come from their docs, source and pricing.
Facts about each product come from its own docs, release notes and, where public, source code, checked on the same dates.
- What we ran
- → Pane 2.4.155 on Windows 11, native and WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04) repos
- → super.engineering nightly c623b42b inspected without running it (Mac-only), October 3 and 4, 2026
- Who wrote this
- We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We tried to be fair: super.engineering's strengths are listed as plainly as Pane's, every claim was checked against the product itself or its docs and source, and the screenshots are unedited captures from our own runs.
- 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. .