Orca vs Conductor
Orca and Conductor are desktop apps for running several coding agents in parallel, one git worktree per task, with diff review and pull requests. Orca is MIT-licensed, runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and launches a long list of agent CLIs. Conductor is closed source and macOS only, bundles Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, and sells cloud workspaces.
Facts side by side
| Fact | Orca | Conductor |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Orchestrator | Platform |
| Languages / SDKs | TypeScript | Not applicable (hosted product) |
| License | MIT | Proprietary |
| Pricing model | Open source, free | Hosted, paid |
| Orchestration pattern | Other | Other |
| GitHub stars | 82,020 (as of 2026-09-30) | — |
| GitHub forks | 5,324 | — |
| Last push | 2026-09-30 | — |
| Latest release | v1.4.217 | — |
| Repository | stablyai/orca | No public repository (closed source) |
| Website | www.onorca.dev | www.conductor.build |
| Documentation | www.onorca.dev | www.conductor.build |
| Last verified | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-30 |
| MCP support | Partial (checked 2026-09-30) | Yes (checked 2026-09-30) |
| A2A support | Unknown (checked 2026-09-30) | Unknown (checked 2026-09-30) |
| AG-UI support | Unknown (checked 2026-09-30) | Unknown (checked 2026-09-30) |
| Install verified | Not yet | Not yet |
Choose Orca if
- You need Windows or Linux, or an open-source license you can audit and fork.
- You use agents beyond the big three: Orca's supported-agents page also lists OpenClaw, Hermes and many other CLIs.
- You want the runtime on a machine you control (local, SSH host or your own remote server) with no managed hosting sold to you.
Choose Conductor if
- You are on a Mac and want Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode bundled without separate installs.
- You want hosted cloud workspaces, a mobile app and an HTTP API or MCP server for managing workspaces, and accept the $50 per month Pro plan for them.
- You want documented guidance on when to put agents in one workspace versus many.
Migration notes
Both keep work in ordinary git worktrees and branches, so nothing is locked in: finish or push open branches in one tool and recreate the tasks in the other. Agent credentials stay with the agent CLIs in both cases, since neither resells model usage. Differences to check before switching: Orca pre-fills each agent's permission-bypass flag for new launches unless you switch Agent Permissions to Manual, while Conductor's agents can ask for approval of some tool calls; Conductor stores chat messages from cloud workspaces on its servers, Orca's packaged builds send anonymous usage telemetry unless DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or ORCA_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 is set. Both projects' docs say a worktree is not a security boundary.
FAQ
Is Conductor free?
It has a Free plan for local workspaces and parallel agents. Pro is $50 per month and adds cloud workspaces, the API and a mobile app; Teams is $60 per user per month (pricing page read 2026-09-30).
Is Orca free?
Yes. It is MIT-licensed and its record lists no paid plan; the docs say it does not sell managed hosting.
Do they work with my existing Claude or ChatGPT subscription?
Both launch the agents' own CLIs with your accounts. Orca's docs say it does not proxy model calls, and Conductor's docs say it does not bill or resell model usage.
Can agents coordinate with each other?
By default the person coordinates in both. Orca has an optional orchestration feature labelled experimental; Conductor's docs describe no automatic task routing.