comparison
Pane vs super.engineering
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 more agents side by side in their own worktrees, with GPU-drawn terminals, a chat view, a one-button commit-to-merge flow and an experimental lead agent. Pane does the same core job, agents in worktrees with review and git and an orchestrator, as an open-source desktop app for Windows, WSL, Linux and Mac. Pick super.engineering if you're on a Mac or Linux and want the fastest native feel and don't mind nightly builds; pick Pane if your team uses Windows or WSL, or you want open source and stable releases.
which one should you pick?
pick 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 released versions rather than nightly builds
at a glance
yespartly, or with a catchno
| pane12 yes · 0 partly · 0 no | super.engineering5 yes · 4 partly · 3 no | |
|---|---|---|
| basics | ||
| what it is | desktop app: real terminals for agents, side by side | native Rust app for Mac and Linux: agents in worktrees |
| made by | Dcouple | a two-founder team |
| license | AGPL-3.0, open source | proprietary |
| price | free | free; optional sponsorship |
| release channel | stable releases | nightly only |
| platforms | ||
| Windows | yes (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, x86_64 and ARM64, nightly; no built-in browser |
| agents | ||
| agents | any CLI | 15 presets plus custom CLIs |
| how agents run | the agent's own terminal UI | chat view or the native terminal |
| agents that run agents | Sessions, in the release | lead agent, experimental |
| automation | runpane CLI and MCP server | a local CLI; no API, webhooks or MCP |
| everyday work | ||
| worktree per task | yes | yes |
| review and git | Changes panel, commit, push, merge | one-button commit to merge |
| safety and setup | ||
| account needed | no | no |
basics
what it is
pane
super.engineering
native Rust app for Mac and Linux: agents in worktreesmade by
pane
super.engineering
a two-founder teamlicense
pane
super.engineering
proprietaryprice
pane
super.engineering
free; optional sponsorshiprelease channel
pane
super.engineering
nightly onlyplatforms
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, x86_64 and ARM64, nightly; no built-in browseragents
agents
pane
super.engineering
15 presets plus custom CLIshow agents run
pane
super.engineering
chat view or the native terminalagents that run agents
pane
super.engineering
lead agent, experimentalautomation
pane
super.engineering
a local CLI; no API, webhooks or MCPeveryday work
worktree per task
pane
super.engineering
yesreview and git
pane
super.engineering
one-button commit to mergesafety and setup
account needed
pane
super.engineering
noFacts checked on October 3 and 4, 2026: super.engineering nightly c623b42b and Pane v2.4.157. Rechecked against super.engineering's site, docs and releases on November 5, 2026: super.engineering nightly.
the real difference: Mac and Linux, or every OS
super.engineering runs on Mac and Linux. Pane also runs on Windows and inside WSL.
super.engineering runs on macOS 14 or newer and on x86_64 and ARM64 Linux desktops, both on nightly builds. The Linux app has no embedded browser. Windows is planned with no date. If you're on a Mac or Linux that's fine, and the native Rust build is fast.
Pane ships native builds for Windows x64 and ARM64, signed and notarized Macs (Apple Silicon and Intel), and Linux x64 and ARM64, and runs agents inside WSL for repos that live there. The same app works across a mixed team.
licence and maturity
super.engineering is closed and nightly-only. Pane is open source with stable releases.
super.engineering is proprietary, with bugs reported through Discord rather than a public tracker, and its install docs say only nightly builds exist. Orchestration, SSH remote workspaces, shared context and browser control sit behind Settings > Experimental. It's free; the only payment is optional sponsorship. Pane is AGPL-3.0, free, with a public issue tracker and releases most days.
orchestration and automation
Both have a lead agent. Pane's is in the stable release and scriptable.
super.engineering's lead agent directs specialists through its local sc CLI and is prompt-driven, behind an experimental flag; there's no API, webhooks or MCP. Pane's orchestrator, Sessions, is in the stable release, and the runpane CLI and Pane's MCP server let any agent create panes, start other agents, watch their status and read results.
our verdict
super.engineering is a fast, carefully built Mac app for running agents in worktrees. If you need the same workflow on Windows or WSL, or want it open source and released, Pane is the better fit.
how we checked
Our test PC runs Windows, which super.engineering doesn't support, so on October 3 and 4, 2026 we checked its download page, docs and privacy page and inspected its current Mac nightly build (c623b42b) without running it. Pane 2.4.155 ran on Windows 11 with WSL2 (Ubuntu 24.04).
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 Mac nightly c623b42b inspected without running it
- 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. .