Vibe Kanban (by Bloop AI, ~22k GitHub stars) is a Kanban board for orchestrating AI coding agents — each card is a task, each agent gets its own git worktree. Pane is a keyboard-first terminal cockpit. Different UX metaphors for the same core problem.
| pane | vibe kanban | |
|---|---|---|
| platform | windows + mac + linux | mac + linux |
| UX metaphor | terminal panes — keyboard-first cockpit | kanban board — drag cards between columns |
| agents | any CLI agent — zero integration | claude code, codex, cursor CLI, copilot, gemini, amp, opencode, qwen, factory droid |
| agent support model | universal terminal — if it has a CLI, it works | per-agent integration required |
| diff viewer | built-in, syntax-highlighted | built-in |
| git workflow | commit, push, rebase, squash, merge — all keyboard | worktrees + merge |
| keyboard-first | every action has a shortcut | mouse-first (kanban drag-and-drop) |
| task management | none — pane manages terminals, not tasks | built-in kanban with columns and cards |
| team use | individual developer | team-oriented with shared boards |
| open source | yes (AGPL-3.0) | yes |
windows support
Vibe Kanban runs on Mac and Linux. Pane runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. 70% of developers use Windows.
keyboard-first vs mouse-first
Vibe Kanban's metaphor is drag-and-drop cards on a board. Pane's metaphor is keyboard shortcuts and terminal panes. If you want to manage agents without touching the mouse, Pane is built for that.
universal agent support
Pane gives every agent a real terminal — no per-agent integration needed. Vibe Kanban has a list of supported agents. A new agent ships tomorrow? In Pane, you just run it. In Vibe Kanban, you wait for support.
simplicity
Pane is terminals + git. No kanban board, no task columns, no project management layer. Less to learn, less to configure, less that can break.
task management built in
If you want to organize agent work visually as kanban cards and track task progress across columns, Vibe Kanban does that natively. Pane doesn't impose a workflow metaphor.
team-oriented
Vibe Kanban is built for teams sharing boards and coordinating agent work. Pane is an individual developer tool.
Different tools for different workflows. If you think in kanban columns and want visual task management for agent work, Vibe Kanban is built for that. If you think in terminal panes and want keyboard-first speed with zero overhead — Pane is built for that. Pane also supports Windows and works with any CLI agent universally.
Does Vibe Kanban work on Windows?
No. Vibe Kanban runs on macOS and Linux. Pane runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux with identical features on all platforms.
Is Vibe Kanban a kanban board or an agent manager?
Both. Vibe Kanban uses a kanban board as the UX metaphor — each card is a task, each agent gets its own git worktree. Pane uses terminal panes as the metaphor — each pane is a feature, with tabs for agents, diffs, files, and git.
Is Pane keyboard-first or mouse-first?
Pane is keyboard-first. Every action has a shortcut — switch panes with up/down, switch tabs with left/right, command palette with ⌘K. Vibe Kanban is mouse-first with drag-and-drop cards on a board.
Can teams use Pane?
Pane is currently an individual developer tool. Vibe Kanban is built for teams with shared boards. Pane may add team features in the future, but the core product will always be free.
Does Vibe Kanban support any CLI agent?
Vibe Kanban supports a list of specific agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor CLI, Copilot, Gemini, etc.) through per-agent integrations. Pane gives every agent a real terminal — if it has a CLI, it works instantly with zero integration.