Conductor alternative: running coding agents without a branch per task

By Meffysto · updated October 4, 2026

Conductor is one of the best-known tools for running several coding agents on a Mac. If you're looking for an alternative, it's usually because its model doesn't quite match how you work. Here's what Conductor does, what Fauconnier does, and how to tell which one fits.

What Conductor does

Conductor is a Mac app that runs coding agents in parallel, each in an isolated workspace. According to its docs, every task gets its own workspace, branch, files, terminal, diff and review path. It runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode, and lets you review changes, then merge them or open a pull request from inside the app.

On pricing, at the time of writing, the free plan covers local workspaces with your own subscriptions and keys. Cloud workspaces and collaboration are in Pro at $50 a month, and the team plan is $60 per user per month. Check their pricing page before deciding: these numbers move.

It's a good tool, and the "one task, one branch, one review" model has real advantages. Two agents can't step on each other, since they never work in the same files. And every change goes through a reviewed diff before it reaches main.

Where that model pinches

It pinches when your work doesn't split into independent tasks. A lot of days look more like this: one agent reworks the frontend, another adjusts the API that goes with it, a third updates the docs, and all three need to see each other's changes as they happen. Isolating each one on its own branch means merging constantly.

It also pinches when the unit of your attention isn't the task but the agent. The question you ask yourself every two minutes is "which one is waiting for me?", not "which PR is ready?". And it pinches when you want to mix lots of different CLIs, or run agents on a server that keeps going after you close the laptop.

The other approach: a cockpit

Fauconnier starts from the other end. The unit is the agent in its real terminal, tiled on a canvas with the others. You see them all at once, each one carries a status dot (working, needs you, done), and you direct them by voice or keyboard.

We don't build buttons to commit, open a pull request or create a worktree. That's a choice, not an oversight: agents already know how to do those things, you just have to ask. If you want an agent working in a worktree, tell it. What we build is what an agent can't do for itself: see the others, hand work to the next one when it's done, remember yesterday, be watched while you sleep.

The differences, point by point

Information about Conductor comes from its website and documentation, checked on October 4, 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we'll fix it.

Which one to pick

• You work in a team, every task ends in a reviewed pull request, and two agents must never touch the same files: Conductor is built for that.
• You want hosted cloud workspaces without running a server: Conductor Pro offers them.
• You're one person with several agents on the same project, and your problem is knowing who's waiting for you: Fauconnier.
• You mix lots of different CLIs, or you'd rather talk to your agents than click: Fauconnier.
• Your agents run on your own servers and you want to follow them from your phone: Fauconnier, with SSH, tmux and Perchoir.

They can also live side by side. Nothing stops you from keeping Conductor for tasks that deserve their own branch and opening Fauconnier on the days five agents work together in one folder. Both use your own subscriptions, so trying one costs nothing more than the other.

Trying Fauconnier in ten minutes

There's nothing to migrate. Your branches and worktrees stay in Git, and your CLIs stay installed with your accounts.

1. Download the app and open it. No account to create, no key to paste.
2. Create a scene on your project folder: "new scene on the site", or ⌘K.
3. Open two or three agents from different CLIs: "open a claude agent and a codex". They tile themselves.
4. Name them, give each one part of the work, and watch the status dots instead of the terminals.
5. Try a handoff: "when Merlin's done, let me know".

After a day you'll know whether the cockpit model suits you better than a branch per task. There's no wrong answer, just the way you work.

What Fauconnier doesn't do

No cloud workspaces: your agents run on your Mac or your own servers. No team features, no shared accounts, no task board. No merge or pull-request button, since the agent handles that. No Windows or Linux version. If you need any of those, Conductor or another tool in the same family will serve you better.

Frequently asked questions

Does Fauconnier create a worktree per agent like Conductor?

No, not on its own. Agents work in the project folder. If you want one in a worktree, ask it: Claude Code and Codex can create one themselves.

Can I use my Claude Pro or Max subscription with Fauconnier?

Yes. Fauconnier runs the real claude CLI with your account. It doesn't resell credits and doesn't route anything through a server of ours.

Does Fauconnier run on Windows or Linux?

No, it's a native macOS app (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon). Your agents can still run on Linux servers through SSH and tmux.

Can Conductor and Fauconnier run at the same time?

Yes. Both launch the same CLIs. Just watch your quotas: two agents on the same subscription share one window.

Read next

• CNVS alternative
• Running several coding agents at once
• Remote coding agents with SSH and tmux