alternatives
Xum alternatives
TL;DR
Xum (xum.coder.com) is Coder's free, AGPL-3.0 desktop app for running many coding agents at once. Each one works in its own workspace: a local folder, a git worktree, an SSH host, a Coder workspace, Docker or a Dev Container. It was called Mux until Mux.com raised a trademark concern.
The catch is the agent. Xum runs its own coding agent, inspired by Claude Code. You connect model providers to it, mostly with API keys. So you never run Claude Code itself. Its Windows build is alpha, and its install docs say "WSL is not supported."
Pane runs the official CLIs on the logins you already have, natively on Windows and inside WSL. Emdash and Agent Orchestrator also run the real CLIs, and Orca adds a phone app.
the alternatives
All four run the agent CLIs their makers ship, signed in the way you already are. Chip colors: green runs natively, amber has a catch, red doesn't run.
1.Pane
Best for Claude Code and Codex themselves, on the plans you already pay for.
Pane starts the official CLIs, so a Claude or ChatGPT plan works the way it does in your shell, with no API key. Each pane has its own terminal and worktree. The Windows build is native on x64 and ARM64, with WSL repos in the same window. Free, AGPL-3.0.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
2.Emdash
Best for the official CLIs on SSH hosts, close to Xum's SSH runtime.
Emdash runs your existing Claude Code or Codex login in a real terminal, or a chat view if you like. SSH remote projects keep the repo, worktrees and agents on the host. It supports about 35 agents and pulls tasks from 12 issue trackers. Apache-2.0. No WSL mode.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
3.Orca
Best for your own subscriptions, WSL repos and a phone app in one.
Orca launches each CLI in a real terminal with your own subscription. In our October 2026 Windows test it ran Claude Code inside a WSL repo, signed in with the distro's own login. It also reaches SSH hosts and has iOS and Android apps. MIT.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
Best for a Kanban of real CLIs that feeds CI failures back to the agent.
It reuses each CLI's own login, so Claude and ChatGPT plans work as they do in the terminal. A live Kanban follows every agent to a merged pull request, and failing CI or review comments go back automatically. Apache-2.0. No WSL repos.
WindowsWSLmacOSLinux
which one should you pick?
stay with xum if
- → your team runs Coder, or you want agents in Docker, Dev Container or SSH workspaces
- → you'd rather pay per token and choose among many providers, local Ollama models included
- → you like one agent with Plan and Exec modes on any model
- → you use forked workspaces, side chats and Best of N
pick pane if
- → you want to use your Claude subscription through Claude Code
- → you want Codex, Cursor or another agent CLI exactly as its maker ships it
- → you need a Windows build past alpha, or keep repos inside WSL
pane vs xum at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane9 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | xum5 yes · 2 partly · 1 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | a desktop app | a desktop app with its own agent, plus a browser server mode |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes, native (x64 and ARM64) | alpha installer |
| repos inside WSL | yes, in the same app | no, not supported |
| macOS | yes, Intel and Apple Silicon | yes, Intel and Apple Silicon |
| Linux | yes (AppImage, .deb) | yes (AppImage) |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | Xum's own agent, many model providers |
| how agents run | the agent's own terminal | Xum's chat, on provider API keys |
| use your Claude subscription | yes, through Claude Code | not documented |
| everyday work | ||
| isolated workspace per task | worktree | worktree, SSH, Coder, Docker or Dev Container |
| safety and setup | ||
| license | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| account needed | no | no |
basics
what it is
pane
xum
a desktop app with its own agent, plus a browser server modeplatforms
Windows
pane
xum
alpha installerrepos inside WSL
pane
xum
no, not supportedmacOS
pane
xum
yes, Intel and Apple SiliconLinux
pane
xum
yes (AppImage)agents
agents
pane
xum
Xum's own agent, many model providershow agents run
pane
xum
Xum's chat, on provider API keysuse your Claude subscription
pane
xum
not documentedeveryday work
isolated workspace per task
pane
xum
worktree, SSH, Coder, Docker or Dev Containersafety and setup
license
pane
xum
AGPL-3.0account needed
pane
xum
noXum facts checked on November 5, 2026 (v0.32.1), from its docs and releases.
why people look for a xum alternative
You get Xum's agent on API keys, not your own CLIs on your plans, and Windows is alpha.
Xum doesn't wrap Claude Code or Codex. It talks straight to providers like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Bedrock and Ollama, and its docs say "most providers only need an API key". OpenAI also works through Codex OAuth, which signs in with your ChatGPT account. The provider docs list no Claude subscription login, and a request to use existing subscriptions instead of keys (#687) was closed.
On Windows, the installer is labeled alpha and needs Git for Windows. WSL isn't supported, so repos that live inside a Linux distro on your Windows machine are out of reach.
moving from xum to pane
Each Xum workspace becomes a pane, and Xum's agent becomes the CLI you choose.
Each Xum workspace becomes a pane (one task: its own terminal, worktree and branch). Xum's agent becomes whichever CLI you start there. Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode start with a click. So does Cursor on macOS, Linux and WSL. Any other CLI runs as a custom command. Xum's review view maps to the Changes panel, where you commit, push and merge.
Xum's SSH runtime maps to Remote Pane, which runs Pane's host on a machine you own. Pane has no container runtime, so Docker, Dev Container and Coder workspaces have no match. Before you start, install the CLIs you want and sign in to each once.
our verdict
Xum is well documented and offers six kinds of workspace, from a local folder to a Dev Container. It's the right tool if you want Coder's agent on many models. If you want Claude Code or Codex themselves on your own plans, or a solid Windows and WSL setup, pick Pane. Emdash keeps an SSH workflow with the official CLIs, Orca bundles WSL support and phone apps, and Agent Orchestrator feeds CI failures back to the agent.
how we checked
Xum's docs are thorough, so this page leans on them: install, providers, runtimes and telemetry pages, read on November 5, 2026, plus its README, v0.32.1 release files and issues. We didn't run it.
Our notes on Emdash, Orca and Agent Orchestrator date from October 3 and 4, 2026. Orca running agents in WSL is from installing its Windows build that week.
- What we ran
- → Desk research on November 5, 2026: Xum's README, docs, releases and issue tracker. Nothing was installed for this page.
- Who wrote this
- We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We checked every claim about Xum 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. .