Agentastic vs Conductor
Conductor and Agentastic are direct overlaps: both run coding agents in parallel git worktrees on macOS. The overlap ends at the surface. Conductor is chat-first and built around Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. Agentastic is terminal-first and native Swift end to end — every agent runs in a real GPU-accelerated Ghostty terminal, with 40 built-in definitions, a chat surface when you want it, a built-in editor, and an agent-drivable browser. Their remote models differ too: Conductor Cloud is currently in early access, while Agentastic connects your own Modal, Fly.io, Vercel Sandbox, or remote-SSH environment from the free app.
Why Agentastic exists
A personal note from the author: I started running parallel agents in Conductor in the summer of 2025. It's a good product from a great team — but I live in the terminal, and web-rendered terminals never felt right. So I built Agentastic: fully native macOS, where every agent runs in a real GPU-accelerated Ghostty terminal.
If you want a chat interface over a few agents, Conductor is a genuinely good choice. If you want more control and agency — a more performant, native, scalable, controllable IDE — that's the job Agentastic was built for.
Who should choose each option
Agentastic
Choose Agentastic if you want a fully native app with real GPU-accelerated terminals, any terminal agent, an agent-drivable browser, and free cloud / remote-SSH workspaces.
Conductor
Choose Conductor if you want a chat-first app focused on Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor.
Feature comparison
| Agentastic | Conductor | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Native macOS app (Swift), ~25 MB | Web UI in a native shell (React / Tauri) |
| Interface | Terminal-first, with chat when you want it | Chat-first |
| Terminal | Native, GPU-accelerated (Ghostty) | Web-rendered (xterm.js) |
| Supported agents | 40 built-in definitions + any terminal agent | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor |
| Worktree-per-agent | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in editor | Yes | No (open in external) |
| Built-in browser | Full browser — agents drive it via the dev browser CLI (navigate, click, fill, read console) | Preview pane |
| React Grab (design mode) | Yes — click a component to get its file and line for the agent | No |
| Share preview via tunnel | Yes — share localhost with teammates before deploying | No |
| Built-in code review | Yes — Claude / Codex / CodeRabbit | Yes |
| Cloud agents | Free — Modal, Fly.io, Vercel Sandbox with your own account | Conductor Cloud (invite-only early access) |
| Remote SSH agents | Yes — any dev server; sessions keep running 24/7 | No |
| Issue tracking | Free — Linear and Sentry issues become agent runs | Linear / GitHub integration |
| Container isolation | Yes — Docker or Apple Container | Worktrees only |
| Automation CLI | Yes — launch, list, tail, send, focus, browser, and tasks via dev | No public CLI |
| Skills | Built-in skills library; plugins coming soon | Via agent config |
Pricing
Agentastic
Free — everything ships in the free app: cloud agents, remote SSH, Linear / Sentry issue tracking, browser automation, and code review. BYO agent subscriptions.
Conductor
The desktop app is available to download. Conductor Cloud is currently labeled early access and requires joining the access list.
Using them together
You can run both, but most teams pick one — they cover the same surface. Agentastic is the broader, terminal-first workspace; Conductor is the chat-first option.
Frequently asked questions
Is Agentastic a fork of Conductor?
No. They are independent projects that converged on the worktree-per-agent pattern.
Is Agentastic chat-first like Conductor?
No — Agentastic is terminal-first. Every agent runs in a real GPU-accelerated Ghostty terminal, so you see exactly what the CLI is doing and can type into it at any time. A chat-style surface (Agent Home) is there when you prefer prompting over typing into a terminal.
Is Conductor a native Mac app?
Conductor ships in a native shell, but its interface is web tech — a React UI rendered in the system webview, with xterm.js terminals. Agentastic is native Swift end to end, and its terminals are GPU-accelerated Ghostty — a difference you feel in long agent sessions with heavy terminal output.
Does Agentastic have an equivalent of Conductor Cloud?
Yes, and it's free: connect your own Modal, Fly.io, or Vercel Sandbox account — or any dev server over SSH — and agents keep running 24/7, even after your Mac sleeps. Conductor Cloud is currently invite-only early access.
What's free in Agentastic that's gated in Conductor?
The premium layer. Conductor Cloud — hosted workspaces — is invite-only early access, and Conductor has said collaboration features will be paid. Agentastic ships its entire premium surface in the free app: cloud agents on Modal, Fly.io, or Vercel Sandbox, remote SSH agents on any dev server, Linear / Sentry issue tracking, browser automation, and multi-provider code review — plus features Conductor doesn't have at any tier, like the built-in editor and container isolation.
What makes Agentastic's built-in browser different?
Agents can drive it from the terminal via the dev browser CLI — navigate, click, fill forms, screenshot, and read the console. React Grab turns a click on any React component into a file-and-line reference you can hand to the agent, and the Share button tunnels your localhost preview to teammates without deploying first.
Which one supports more agents?
Conductor supports Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. Agentastic ships 40 built-in definitions plus custom connections for anything that runs in a terminal.
See also
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