Does cmux work on Windows or Linux?

The app doesn't: it's macOS only, and Windows and Linux are open requests. There's a separate cross-platform TUI and a nightly Linux browser build. Pane runs natively on Windows x64 and ARM64, inside WSL, on macOS and on Linux.

The terminal is free and open source under GPL-3.0. Cloud VMs and the iOS app are paid, from $50 a month. Pane is free with no paid tier.

Does cmux create git worktrees?

No, by design. Parallel agents share a checkout unless you script isolation yourself. Pane creates a worktree and branch for every pane.

What is cmux good at?

Being a fast native Mac terminal that shows which agent needs you, with a scriptable browser, SSH workspaces and deep hook integrations for many agents.

Yes, on a Mac. You can run cmux as your terminal and Pane for worktree-based agent work.

comparison

Pane vs cmux

TL;DR

cmux is a fast, native Mac terminal built on Ghostty for people running many coding agents at once: every task is a sidebar tab, and a blue ring and a shortcut take you to whichever agent is waiting. It deliberately leaves out worktrees and git, so parallel agents share a checkout unless you script isolation, and the app is Mac-only. Pane gives every agent a real terminal too, but adds a worktree per task, diffs, commit, push and merge, and runs natively on Windows, inside WSL, on macOS and on Linux. If you're a Mac terminal person who wants attention management and a scriptable browser, cmux is great; if you want isolation and review built in, or you're not on a Mac, pick Pane.

which one should you pick?

pick cmux if

→ you're on a Mac and want a native, Ghostty-fast terminal
→ attention management is your main need: rings, badges, jump to the next waiting agent
→ you want a scriptable embedded browser your agents can drive
→ you want SSH workspaces, or paid cloud VMs that keep agents running

pick pane if

→ you're on Windows or Linux, or keep code inside WSL
→ you want each task in its own worktree without scripting it
→ you want to review diffs and commit, push and merge from the app
→ you want an orchestrator that hands out work across panes
→ you'd rather not have a free tool that leads into a paid cloud

at a glance

yespartly, or with a catchno

	pane14 yes · 2 partly · 0 no	cmux7 yes · 3 partly · 6 no
basics
what it is	desktop app: real terminals for agents, with worktrees and git	native Mac terminal for supervising agents
made by	Dcouple	Manaflow
license	AGPL-3.0, open source	GPL-3.0 app; cloud server under BSL 1.1
price	free	free terminal; cloud Pro $50, Max $200 a month
platforms
native Windows	yes (x64 and ARM64)	no (most-requested open issue)
repos inside WSL	yes: agents, terminals and git run in the distro	no
macOS	yes (Apple Silicon and Intel, signed)	yes, native Swift app on Ghostty's engine
Linux	yes (AppImage, .deb)	no app; a nightly browser build and a TUI
agents
agents	any CLI; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor built in	any CLI; status hooks and resume for about 15 agents
what needs you	status dots and notifications	blue rings, unread badges, one shortcut to the latest
agents that run agents	Sessions, plus the runpane CLI and an MCP server	a CLI and socket API you script yourself
everyday work
worktree per task	yes, on by default	no, by design
review changes	Changes panel and diff tabs	no
commit, push, merge	buttons and shortcuts	no; shows branch and PR status
built-in browser	opens your PR in a browser tab	scriptable browser panes agents can drive
remote and teams
run on another machine	Remote Pane host over SSH, Tailscale or HTTPS	SSH workspaces; paid cloud VMs
phone	iOS and Android app coming soon; browser app via Remote Pane today	iOS companion (paid)
account needed	no	no for the terminal; yes for cloud

basics

what it is

pane

desktop app: real terminals for agents, with worktrees and git

cmux

native Mac terminal for supervising agents

made by

pane

Dcouple

cmux

Manaflow

license

pane

AGPL-3.0, open source

cmux

GPL-3.0 app; cloud server under BSL 1.1

price

pane

free

cmux

free terminal; cloud Pro $50, Max $200 a month

platforms

native Windows

pane

yes (x64 and ARM64)

cmux

no (most-requested open issue)

repos inside WSL

pane

yes: agents, terminals and git run in the distro

cmux

macOS

pane

yes (Apple Silicon and Intel, signed)

cmux

yes, native Swift app on Ghostty's engine

Linux

pane

yes (AppImage, .deb)

cmux

no app; a nightly browser build and a TUI

agents

pane

any CLI; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor built in

cmux

any CLI; status hooks and resume for about 15 agents

what needs you

pane

status dots and notifications

cmux

blue rings, unread badges, one shortcut to the latest

agents that run agents

pane

Sessions, plus the runpane CLI and an MCP server

cmux

a CLI and socket API you script yourself

everyday work

worktree per task

pane

yes, on by default

cmux

no, by design

review changes

pane

Changes panel and diff tabs

cmux

commit, push, merge

pane

buttons and shortcuts

cmux

no; shows branch and PR status

built-in browser

pane

opens your PR in a browser tab

cmux

scriptable browser panes agents can drive

remote and teams

run on another machine

pane

Remote Pane host over SSH, Tailscale or HTTPS

cmux

SSH workspaces; paid cloud VMs

phone

pane

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

cmux

iOS companion (paid)

account needed

pane

cmux

no for the terminal; yes for cloud

Facts checked on October 3 and 4, 2026: cmux Mac app 0.64.25 and Pane v2.4.157. cmux's app is Mac-only, so this comparison comes from its docs, source, release DMG and a test of its separate cross-platform TUI, not a hands-on run of the Mac app.

the real difference: a terminal or a workflow

cmux is a superb terminal for watching agents. Pane is a workspace that also isolates, reviews and ships their work.

cmux is a native Swift app built on libghostty, so it's fast and picks up your Ghostty theme and fonts on first launch. Its core idea is attention: when an agent needs you, its pane gets a blue ring and its tab a badge, and one shortcut jumps to the latest one. Everything is scriptable through a CLI and a socket, including an embedded browser your agents can click through.

What cmux leaves out on purpose is the git side. It doesn't create worktrees, so parallel agents share one checkout unless you script isolation, and there's no diff, commit, push or merge UI. Pane builds those in: every pane gets its own worktree and branch, and review and git sit next to the agent.

windows, wsl and linux

cmux's app is Mac-only; Linux and Windows are its most-requested open issues. Pane runs everywhere.

cmux's README says macOS only, for now. Linux and Windows support are the two most-reacted issues and both are open. Linux users get a nightly Chromium-based browser and a separate cross-platform TUI, not the app.

Pane installs as a native Windows app on x64 and ARM64, runs agents, terminals and git inside WSL for repos you keep there, and ships signed macOS builds and Linux packages.

cloud and business model

cmux's free terminal now leads into paid cloud VMs, and its server code moved to a source-available licence.

cmux Pro ($50 a month) and Max ($200) add cloud VMs that keep agents running with your laptop closed, plus an iOS companion that mirrors live terminals and browser panes. In September 2026 its server software moved to the Business Source License, so self-hosting it in production needs a commercial licence; the Mac app stays GPL. Its telemetry is on by default and can be turned off.

Pane has no paid tier and no cloud of its own: Remote Pane runs on machines you own, and Pane's own iOS and Android app is coming soon.

reliability

cmux ships extremely fast, and its tracker shows the cost: open memory, CPU and status bugs.

cmux merged around 6,600 commits in 30 days and ships nightlies daily. Open issues include memory growth past 70 GB on a 16 GB Mac, idle CPU use per process, and status indicators the cofounder himself called flaky. A recent version also launched Codex with a flag that bypassed review of all enabled hooks, not just its own.

our verdict

If you're on a Mac, love Ghostty and mostly want a fast terminal that tells you which agent needs you, cmux is a great choice, and you can add worktrees with your own scripts.

If you want isolation, review and git built in, an orchestrator, or you're on Windows, WSL or Linux, pick Pane.

how we checked

cmux's app only runs on macOS and our test machine is Windows 11, so we didn't run the Mac app hands-on. On October 3, 2026 we downloaded its 0.64.25 DMG and analysed it, read its docs, changelog, pricing, licences and issue tracker, and ran its separate cross-platform TUI headless inside WSL2. We ran Pane 2.4.155 on the same PC. We'll add side-by-side screenshots after a Mac run.

Facts about each product come from its own docs, release notes, pricing 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
→ cmux Mac app 0.64.25 analysed from its release DMG, docs and source (Mac-only); its cross-platform TUI run headless in WSL2

Who wrote this

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

Pane vs Claude Squad Pane vs claude-tmux Pane vs recon

Download*

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

Paste that in PowerShell.Linux

By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. Last reviewed October 4, 2026.