alternatives
Vicoa alternatives
TL;DR
Vicoa (vicoa.ai) is an AGPL-3.0 agent manager that puts each coding agent on its own git worktree. Sessions sync through Vicoa's backend to desktop, web, CLI and native iOS and Android apps, across every machine you connect, a VPS included.
The hosted setup is the sticking point. You need an account even for agents on a single laptop, your agent conversations are stored on Vicoa's servers, and the free tier stops at one remote machine. Self-hosting removes the account, but the store phone apps won't connect to your server. Pane is the closest no-account option: each agent in its own terminal and worktree, with review and git. Paseo and Orca keep native phone apps, and Kandev is a server you host yourself.
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 a worktree per agent without signing in anywhere.
Like Vicoa, Pane gives each agent a worktree and branch, but it shows the agent's real terminal and needs no account. Remote Pane puts the host on your own machine or server, and you reach it from the desktop app or a phone browser.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
2.Paseo
Best for native phone apps with no account.
Paseo's daemon runs on your machine, and desktop, phone, web and CLI clients reach it through an end-to-end encrypted relay. Apache-2.0, 40+ agents, no telemetry.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
3.Orca
Best for iOS and Android apps plus SSH hosts, in one desktop app.
MIT, with about 40 agents in real terminals, and it runs agents in WSL repos. Expect about 1 GB on disk.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
4.Kandev
Best for a server you host yourself, reachable from any browser.
Kandev runs as your own server with a web UI that has a phone layout, needs no account, and can send agents to Docker, SSH hosts or Kubernetes. Its board moves each task through plan, build, review and PR. For WSL repos it needs a separate install inside WSL.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with Vicoa if
- → you want native iOS and Android apps that push a notification when an agent needs you
- → one list should cover agents on your Mac, a Linux box and a VPS
- → you want Vicoa's catalog of 30+ extra ACP agents, such as Amp, goose or Qwen Code
- → you'll run Docker and Postgres yourself to get open source end to end
pick pane if
- → an account just to run agents on your own laptop feels like too much
- → you'd rather your agent conversations never sit on someone else's sync server
- → you want the agent's own terminal, not a chat view of it
pane vs Vicoa at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane9 yes · 1 partly · 0 no | Vicoa7 yes · 2 partly · 0 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | a desktop app | desktop, web, phone and CLI clients over a hosted backend |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | yes |
| repos inside WSL | yes, in the same app | not documented |
| macOS | yes | yes (Apple Silicon and Intel) |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | yes (x64 AppImage) |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | 11 built in, plus 30+ through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes, by default | yes |
| remote and teams | ||
| phone | Remote Pane in a phone browser | iOS and Android apps with push |
| safety and setup | ||
| price | free | free for 1 remote machine; Pro $12 per user a month |
| license | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| account needed | no | yes for the hosted service; no when self-hosted |
basics
what it is
pane
Vicoa
desktop, web, phone and CLI clients over a hosted backendplatforms
Windows
pane
Vicoa
yesrepos inside WSL
pane
Vicoa
not documentedmacOS
pane
Vicoa
yes (Apple Silicon and Intel)Linux
pane
Vicoa
yes (x64 AppImage)agents
agents
pane
Vicoa
11 built in, plus 30+ through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP)everyday work
worktree per task
pane
Vicoa
yesremote and teams
phone
pane
Vicoa
iOS and Android apps with pushsafety and setup
price
pane
Vicoa
free for 1 remote machine; Pro $12 per user a monthlicense
pane
Vicoa
AGPL-3.0account needed
pane
Vicoa
yes for the hosted service; no when self-hostedVicoa facts checked on November 5, 2026 (Vicoa v0.1.42); Pane facts from Pane v2.4.157, with its agent presets rechecked on v2.4.214.
why people look for a Vicoa alternative
Hosted Vicoa wants an account and keeps your chats, and self-hosting has gaps of its own.
On first run, Vicoa asks you to sign up or sign in, even if every agent runs locally. A Linux user asked why in issue #97, which is still open. The maintainer said sign-in lets the phone app control sessions. The privacy policy says agent conversations are stored on Vicoa's side to sync between devices.
The free tier covers one remote machine and 10 automations; Pro is $12 per user a month, or $9 billed yearly. Self-hosting lifts those limits and the vicoa.ai account, but the published phone apps only talk to Vicoa's backend, so you'd build your own. Issue #141, also open, reports that desktop sign-in still redirects to vicoa.ai on a self-hosted server.
It's early. The repo dates from August 28, 2026, and releases are at 0.1.x.
moving from Vicoa to pane
Vicoa already drives your installed CLIs, so their logins work in Pane unchanged.
Vicoa launches the agent CLIs you've signed in to, and Pane runs those same CLIs. A Vicoa session on its own worktree maps directly to a pane: a worktree, a branch and the agent's terminal, with .env and agent config copied in. Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Cursor are one click (Cursor on macOS, Linux and WSL). Other agents you used through Vicoa, such as Gemini or Amp, run as custom commands.
For the phone side, Remote Pane runs Pane's host on a machine you own, and runpane.com/app opens it in your phone's browser. It's a browser app, not a native one; a native phone app is in internal TestFlight testing. On the desktop, status dots and notifications flag the agent that needs you.
our verdict
Vicoa is a good fit if native phone apps and one session list across several machines matter most, and you accept an account or run your own stack. If you want no account and your conversations kept on your machines, with worktrees, review and git, Pane is the most direct alternative. Pane's product analytics are on by default and opt-out in Settings. Paseo is the pick for native phone apps with no account, Orca for an all-in-one desktop app, and Kandev for a server you host.
how we checked
We didn't install Vicoa. On November 5, 2026 we read its README, docs, self-hosting guide, privacy policy, pricing, releases and issues.
Facts about Paseo, Orca and Kandev come from their own docs, releases and issue trackers, researched on October 3, 2026 and rechecked on October 4.
- What we ran
- → Desk research: Vicoa's README, docs, releases, issue tracker, site and pricing, 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 Vicoa 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. .