Best tools to run multiple AI coding agents in parallel (2026)

The best tool to run multiple AI coding agents in parallel depends on your operating system, your agents and where you want the code to run. As of 10 November 2026: with one provider, start with its own features (Claude Code's --worktree and agent view, or worktree chats for Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app); for a free, open-source desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux, pick Orca, Emdash Classic, Pane, Paseo or Nimbalyst; in the terminal, use Claude Squad; for hosted cloud sandboxes, look at Tembo or Cursor's cloud agents. If you want one task queue with a review step for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, that is VibeiDE, which we build.

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Every fact about the other tools comes from that tool's own site, documentation or repository, checked on 10 November 2026. Where another tool fits a situation better, we say so.

Quick answer:

• Only Claude Code: claude --worktree <name> in separate terminals, or claude --bg and agent view, or the Claude desktop app.
• Only Codex: worktree chats in the ChatGPT desktop app, included from the ChatGPT Free plan.
• Free and open source, all three systems: Orca (MIT), Emdash Classic (Apache-2.0), Pane (AGPL-3.0), Paseo (Apache-2.0), Nimbalyst (MIT).
• Terminal only: Claude Squad (AGPL-3.0, uses tmux).
• Cloud sandboxes: Tembo, Cursor cloud agents, or Paradev cloud workspaces.
• Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode in one queue with review: VibeiDE.
• No new tool: Git worktrees plus your usual terminals.

Which tools run multiple AI coding agents in parallel?

Seventeen options are worth a look in November 2026, and the table compares them on the five things that decide most choices.

"Not stated" means the vendor's own pages did not say on 10 November 2026, not that the tool fails there. Prices are monthly list prices in USD unless marked EUR.

What changed in 2026?

Several tools changed name, status or shape in 2026, so older roundups may be out of date.

• Conductor is winding down. Its announcement says Conductor is joining Meta, new users could no longer sign up or download the app from 4 November 2026, Conductor Cloud is scheduled to go read-only on 13 November and shut down on 20 November, and local Conductor gets new models and critical bug fixes until early 2027.
• Superset is now Paradev. superset.sh redirects to paradev.com, and the site says Paradev is MIT licensed.
• Emdash has two products. emdash.com leads with Emdash 2.0 (early access, pricing not stated). The open-source desktop app is now called Emdash Classic.
• Crystal was replaced by Nimbalyst. The Crystal repository says it was deprecated in February 2026 in favour of Nimbalyst.
• Vibe Kanban is sunsetting. The Vibe Kanban repository says the project will continue as open source and community maintained.

If you came here for a Conductor replacement, our Conductor alternatives post compares tools against Conductor itself. This page is organised by your situation instead.

What is the best tool to run Claude Code and Codex together?

Every multi-agent tool in the table except Cursor runs Claude Code and Codex side by side; the official Claude and Codex apps run only their own agent. The choice comes down to platform and workflow.

• Orca names 27 agents, including Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, runs each agent in its own worktree, and has iOS and Android companion apps (repository).
• Emdash Classic detects installed provider CLIs, runs each task in its own Git worktree and branch, and ships MSI, DMG, AppImage, DEB and RPM builds (repository).
• Paseo runs Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, OpenCode and more from desktop, web, CLI and native mobile apps (repository).
• AgentsRoom (agentsroom.dev) supports 19 providers and offers a Git worktree for every agent. As of November 2026, its free plan allows 2 projects and 6 agents in parallel.
• VibeiDE runs Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode from one project queue, and Plan council has one agent draft a plan and the other review it (Plan council).

If OpenCode matters too, Orca, Emdash Classic, Paseo, Pane, Paradev, CodeAgentSwarm, Claude Squad and VibeiDE all name it.

Which tools work on Windows?

Most desktop options now run on Windows; Conductor and Paradev do not. As of 10 November 2026:

• Official apps: the Claude desktop app has x64 and ARM64 Windows builds, and the ChatGPT desktop app with Codex lists macOS, Windows and Linux.
• OpenCode only: the official OpenCode desktop app has .exe installers for Windows x64 and ARM64; see our OpenCode desktop app download guide.
• Open source: Orca, Emdash Classic, Pane, Paseo and Nimbalyst list Windows builds. Pane also handles WSL distributions.
• Commercial: AgentsRoom, CodeAgentSwarm (Windows 10 and 11), Cursor and VibeiDE.
• Not on Windows: Conductor is a Mac app, and Paradev says "Windows is not yet available."
• Unclear: Claude Squad's README names no operating system. It needs tmux, and the tmux install page lists only Linux and macOS.

Which are free and open source?

Six of these tools are free and publish their source: Orca (MIT), Nimbalyst (MIT), Emdash Classic (Apache-2.0), Paseo (Apache-2.0), Pane (AGPL-3.0) and Claude Squad (AGPL-3.0).

• Pane states it has no paid plan, seat fee or usage fee.
• Nimbalyst says its app is free for individuals with no feature limits; only its Wiki Teams plan is paid.
• Claude Squad installs with brew install claude-squad and needs tmux and the GitHub CLI.
• Paradev is MIT licensed with a free tier for one user and local workspaces; remote access and cloud workspaces are paid.

For the agent itself, OpenAI's pricing page says Codex is included in ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise. Every local orchestrator here still needs your own agent accounts.

Can I run parallel agents in the cloud instead of my machine?

Yes. Several tools can run agents on remote machines, mostly on paid plans, so the work keeps going when your laptop is closed. As of November 2026:

• Tembo (tembo.io) runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Amp, OpenCode and Pi in isolated Docker or VM environments. Pro costs $60 a month with $90 of usage included, and Max costs $200 a month with $400 included; a 7-day free trial of Max is offered.
• Cursor (cursor.com) can run long tasks on their own virtual machine from its Agents Window. Its pricing page lists cloud agents on Premium ($30 a month) and higher.
• Paradev includes cloud workspaces from its Team plan at $60 per user a month, with 150 hours per seat.
• AgentsRoom includes 1,200 minutes a month of cloud agents in Pro (EUR 7.99 a month).
• Codex Cloud runs coding tasks in parallel cloud environments, per the ChatGPT desktop app page.
• Claude Code cloud sessions run on Anthropic-managed infrastructure and continue after you close the desktop app, per the desktop docs.
• Orca can give a worktree its own cloud VM, and Emdash 2.0 (early access) runs on your infrastructure or in Emdash's cloud.
• Conductor Cloud is scheduled to shut down on 20 November 2026, so do not start there.

VibeiDE has no cloud sandboxes: it runs agents only on your own computer.

Terminal or desktop app: which should I use?

Use a terminal tool if you already live in tmux; use a desktop app if you want to see every agent, diff and finished task in one window.

• Terminal: Claude Squad gives each agent a tmux session and a Git worktree. Claude Code's agent view (claude agents) shows all background sessions on one screen. Our VibeiDE vs tmux page covers the trade-off.
• Desktop: Orca, Emdash Classic, Pane, Paseo, Nimbalyst, AgentsRoom, CodeAgentSwarm and VibeiDE show agents side by side with diffs.

Do I need a tool at all?

Not for two or three agents. Claude Code and Codex now handle parallel sessions on their own, and Git worktrees work with any CLI.

• Claude Code: claude --worktree feature-auth starts an isolated session; run it with another name in a second terminal (docs). claude --bg "task" starts a background session, and agent view moves each one into a worktree under .claude/worktrees/ before it edits files. Agent view is a research preview.
• Codex: in the ChatGPT desktop app, chats use a Codex-managed worktree by default, and the app keeps the 15 most recent ones (worktree docs).
• Any agent: a git worktree gives each agent its own folder and branch.

git worktree add ../app-auth -b auth
cd ../app-auth && codex
git -C ../app-auth diff main
git merge auth && git worktree remove ../app-auth

The manual approach breaks down when you lose track of which terminal holds which request. Our guides on Claude Code worktrees, Codex worktrees and running several Claude Code sessions go deeper.

Where does VibeiDE fit?

VibeiDE is a desktop app by Crowie s.r.o. for macOS, Windows and Linux that runs the Codex, Claude Code and OpenCode CLIs installed on your computer, signed in to your own accounts. Each project has a task queue with a parallel limit per provider, tasks run side by side, every finished task waits in Ready for review, and saved conversations can be resumed. An optional "New worktree per task" mode gives each task its own Git worktree; it is not automatic, and without it tasks share the project folder. A paired phone can control the computer if you want it. VibeiDE has no cloud sandboxes. A 14-day trial needs no card; then a licence costs $7.99 a month, $79 a year or $249 once, and Team seats cost $14.99 per seat a month. These are launch prices for purchases before 1 January 2027, and the one-time lifetime licence is sold only until then (product facts). Provider usage is billed by the provider.

• Choose VibeiDE if you use two or three of Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode across several projects and want a queue plus a review step.
• Choose something else if you need cloud sandboxes (Tembo), a free open-source app (Orca, Pane, Emdash Classic), another agent such as Gemini, Grok or Cursor (Orca), or only one provider (its official app).
• More: parallel AI coding agents, VibeiDE vs Claude Squad, VibeiDE vs Conductor and the feature tour.

How to choose

1. Start with your operating system. On Windows, rule out Conductor and Paradev; check Claude Squad yourself.
2. Count your providers. With one, use its own features first. With two or more, pick a multi-agent tool.
3. Decide where code runs. Local tools keep code on your machine; hosted options such as Tembo, Cursor cloud agents and Paradev cloud workspaces run it remotely, mostly on paid plans.
4. Check the isolation. A worktree per agent stops edits colliding. Conductor's docs put it well: workspace isolation "is development isolation, not a security boundary."
5. Decide how you review. Most tools show a diff per worktree; VibeiDE also holds each finished task in Ready for review.
6. Check price and licence on the vendor's page before a team depends on it. Several tools in this list changed in the last month.

FAQ

What is the best free tool to run multiple AI coding agents in parallel?

Orca, Emdash Classic, Pane, Paseo and Nimbalyst are free open-source desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux as of 10 November 2026. Claude Squad is a free terminal option, and plain Git worktrees cost nothing.

Is there a Conductor alternative for Windows?

Yes. Orca, Emdash Classic, Pane, Paseo, Nimbalyst, AgentsRoom, CodeAgentSwarm, VibeiDE and the official Claude and ChatGPT desktop apps all list Windows. Conductor itself stopped taking new users on 4 November 2026.

Can I run Claude Code and Codex at the same time?

Yes. Run each in its own Git worktree so their edits do not collide, either by hand or with a tool such as Orca, Emdash Classic, Paseo, Pane, AgentsRoom, CodeAgentSwarm or VibeiDE.

Does running agents in parallel raise my usage limits?

No. Claude Code's docs say each background session uses your subscription quota independently, so parallel agents spend the same allowance faster. See what Claude Code costs.

Do these tools stop agents from editing the same files?

Only when each agent has its own worktree or folder. A shared folder still lets two agents overwrite each other, whatever the orchestrator.

Which tools run agents in the cloud?

As of 10 November 2026, Tembo, Cursor cloud agents, Paradev cloud workspaces, AgentsRoom Pro cloud agents, Codex Cloud and Claude Code cloud sessions can run agents remotely, and Orca can put a worktree on a cloud VM. Conductor Cloud is scheduled to shut down on 20 November 2026.