What's the difference between Pane and bb?

bb runs agents as chat threads from a scriptable local server with plugins. Pane runs each agent's own terminal in its own worktree, with git controls and an orchestrator.

Does bb work on Windows?

Yes, two ways: inside WSL with a browser, which is its documented path, or with a native Windows app that's been an alpha since October 2, 2026 and can't open WSL repos. Pane is a native Windows app that also handles WSL repos.

Can bb run any CLI agent?

No. bb runs Claude Code, Codex, Pi and agents that speak ACP. Pane runs any command as an agent.

Does bb or Pane have a phone app?

bb has a TestFlight iOS app and an Android APK. Pane's phone app is coming soon, and Remote Pane works in a phone browser today.

Are bb and Pane open source?

Yes. bb is MIT and Pane is AGPL-3.0. Neither needs an account for local use.

Can I use my Claude or ChatGPT subscription with both?

Yes. Both use the agents' existing logins.

comparison · hands-on

Pane vs bb

TL;DR

bb (getbb.app) is a free, MIT-licensed local server with desktop, browser and phone clients that runs Claude Code, Codex, Pi, Cursor and ACP agents as chat threads, and lets you extend it with plugins, script it, schedule agents and send work to other machines. Pane is a free, AGPL-3.0 desktop app that runs any CLI agent in its own real terminal and worktree, with a Changes panel, git shortcuts and an orchestrator. bb is the more hackable workbench, especially on an Apple Silicon Mac, Linux or inside WSL. Pane is the better pick if you want each agent's own terminal UI, a native Windows app that also handles WSL repos, or an Intel Mac build.

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Windows SmartScreen warningDirect downloads can show a SmartScreen warning while Pane is unsigned. Pane is fully open source, so you can audit the code and build from source yourself.1. Click More info2. Click Run anyway3. Continue the installerThe PowerShell install downloads the official release directly and avoids most browser download friction.npm global install

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which one should you pick?

pick bb if

→ you want to shape your workbench with plugins, a CLI, an SDK and an API
→ you run manager and worker agents across Claude, Codex and others
→ you spread threads across several machines and check on them from a phone
→ you like a calm chat timeline more than a terminal

pick pane if

→ you want each agent's own terminal UI, with its exact commands and shortcuts
→ you want a native Windows app that runs agents inside WSL
→ you're on an Intel Mac or Windows ARM64
→ you want a worktree for every task by default

at a glance

yespartly, or with a catchno

	pane12 yes · 2 partly · 1 no	bb7 yes · 8 partly · 0 no
basics
what it is	desktop app: real terminals for agents, side by side	local server with desktop, browser, phone and CLI clients
license	AGPL-3.0, free	MIT, free
maturity	v2.4	v0.45, fast-moving
platforms
Windows	yes (x64 and ARM64)	alpha since Oct 2, 2026 (x64)
repos inside WSL	yes, from the Windows app	yes, if you run bb inside WSL
macOS	yes, Apple Silicon and Intel	Apple Silicon (Intel via npx)
Linux	yes (AppImage, .deb)	alpha AppImage (x64)
agents
agents	any CLI; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor built in	Claude Code, Codex, Pi built in, plus ACP agents
how agents run	the agent's own terminal UI	a chat timeline over each agent's protocol
agents that run agents	Sessions and the runpane CLI	manager and worker threads
everyday work
worktree per task	yes, on by default	yes, optional
review and git	Changes panel, commit, push, merge	diff panel; Commit button off by default; PR status and merge via bundled plugins
scheduled runs	through runpane and your own cron	built in
plugins	no plugin system	plugins agents can write and hot-load
remote and teams
other machines	Remote Pane host over SSH, Tailscale or HTTPS	enroll execution machines on macOS, Linux and Windows
phone	iOS and Android app coming soon; browser app via Remote Pane today	TestFlight and Android APK
safety and setup
account needed	no	no (yes for bb connect)

basics

what it is

pane

desktop app: real terminals for agents, side by side

local server with desktop, browser, phone and CLI clients

license

pane

AGPL-3.0, free

MIT, free

maturity

pane

v2.4

v0.45, fast-moving

platforms

Windows

pane

yes (x64 and ARM64)

alpha since Oct 2, 2026 (x64)

repos inside WSL

pane

yes, from the Windows app

yes, if you run bb inside WSL

macOS

pane

yes, Apple Silicon and Intel

Apple Silicon (Intel via npx)

Linux

pane

yes (AppImage, .deb)

alpha AppImage (x64)

agents

pane

any CLI; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor built in

Claude Code, Codex, Pi built in, plus ACP agents

how agents run

pane

the agent's own terminal UI

a chat timeline over each agent's protocol

agents that run agents

pane

Sessions and the runpane CLI

manager and worker threads

everyday work

worktree per task

pane

yes, on by default

yes, optional

review and git

pane

Changes panel, commit, push, merge

diff panel; Commit button off by default; PR status and merge via bundled plugins

scheduled runs

pane

through runpane and your own cron

built in

plugins

pane

no plugin system

plugins agents can write and hot-load

remote and teams

other machines

pane

Remote Pane host over SSH, Tailscale or HTTPS

enroll execution machines on macOS, Linux and Windows

phone

pane

iOS and Android app coming soon; browser app via Remote Pane today

TestFlight and Android APK

safety and setup

account needed

pane

no (yes for bb connect)

Facts checked on October 3 and 4, 2026: bb v0.45.0 and Pane v2.4.157. Rechecked against bb's site, docs and releases on November 5, 2026: bb v0.48.1.

what it's like to use

We gave both apps the same small job in a test repo: add a --version flag to a CLI, then review the change. Here's what you see. Green notes work well, blue ones are nice touches, amber ones are confusing, and red ones are missing or broken.

1.agents at work

Pane

bb with two threads split side by side, each showing an agent's chat transcript and a worktree branch chip — bb: threads as a calm chatEach agent run is a thread, shown as a chat timeline. Two threads side by side in a split, each on its own worktree branch.
1.Split threads: Two threads side by side, but split view is only on a right-click menu.
2.Chat, not a terminal: bb draws each agent's output as a timeline; you don't see the agent's own UI.
3.Worktree chip: The environment and branch sit under the composer.
4.Thread list: Auto-titled threads with status icons.
bb 0.45.0 web UI, server in WSL2, October 3, 2026

2.reviewing the change

Pane

the real difference: threads or terminals

bb drives agents through their protocols and shows chat. Pane runs each agent's own terminal.

bb talks to Claude Code through its SDK, Codex through its app-server and others through ACP, and renders everything as one consistent chat timeline. That makes threads easy to script, fork and watch from a phone, but slash commands only work as far as bb maps them, and agents that don't speak ACP, like Aider, don't run.

Pane starts the agent's own command line in a real terminal and shows it exactly as its makers built it. Every command and shortcut works, any new agent works the day it ships, and each pane also has plain terminals for your dev server and tests.

windows, wsl and macs

bb is strongest inside WSL or on Apple Silicon. Pane is native on every OS and architecture.

bb's documented Windows path was running it inside WSL and opening it in a browser, and that works well. Its native Windows app arrived as an alpha on October 2, 2026; it's x64 only, unsigned, and refuses UNC paths, so it can't open a repo inside WSL. Its Mac desktop app is Apple Silicon only.

Pane ships native x64 and ARM64 Windows builds, opens WSL repos from the Windows app with agents, terminals and git running in the distro, and has signed builds for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

extending and automating

bb is built to be extended. Pane is built to be operated by agents.

bb has a plugin system that agents can write and hot-load, scheduled runs, and execution machines you enroll from Settings. Pane has no plugin system; instead its runpane CLI and MCP server let agents create panes, start other agents, watch their status and read their results, which is how Sessions coordinates work and how loops run with your own cron.

our verdict

bb is the most hackable agent workbench around, ideal if you live in WSL, Linux or an Apple Silicon Mac and want to build your own setup. If you want each agent's real terminal and a native app on every OS, including Windows with WSL and Intel Macs, Pane is the better fit.

how we checked

On October 3 and 4, 2026 we ran bb 0.45.0 inside WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04) with its web UI, natively through npx and as the new Windows desktop app, with real Claude Code and Codex tasks, and ran Pane 2.4.155 on the same Windows 11 PC.

Facts about each product come from its own docs, changelog, issue tracker and source code, checked on the same dates.

What we ran

→ Pane 2.4.155 on Windows 11, native and WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04) repos
→ bb 0.45.0 inside WSL2, natively through npx and as the Windows desktop app
→ The same small task in both

Who wrote this

We make Pane, so we have a stake in this. We tried to be fair: bb'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

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By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. Last reviewed November 5, 2026.