Tarmac vs Claude Desktop
The Code tab of Anthropic's Claude desktop app runs several Claude Code sessions in parallel, with worktrees, a diff view and a live preview. Tarmac is a free local dashboard for every project on your machine, with Claude Code and Codex sessions, ports, logs, Docker and Supabase. They overlap less than it seems.
- Claude Desktop is the better place to work with Claude: parallel sessions, worktrees, diff review, a browser preview Claude can check itself, SSH, Windows and Linux.
- Tarmac is the better place to see and run all your projects: every repository in your code folders, free ports that stay the same, logs, Docker, local Supabase and a Git menu, whether or not an agent works on it today.
- Tarmac also shows Codex sessions and your ChatGPT plan usage next to Claude's; Claude Desktop runs Claude Code only.
- They work side by side: Claude Code sessions running in Claude Desktop show up in Tarmac, so many people keep both open.
Feature by feature
Facts about the other tool checked on 6 November 2026, from its official pages. Tools change fast: tell us if something is out of date.
| Feature | Tarmac | Claude Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Codustel (independent) | Anthropic |
| Coding agents | Claude Code and Codex | Claude Code |
| Parallel sessions | Yes, listed per project, including sessions started in a terminal or an IDE | Yes: session sidebar, split view, separate windows |
| Git worktrees per session | No (sessions run in the project folder) | Yes, optional (.claude/worktrees/) |
| Diff review of an agent's changes | Built-in editor and source control view | Yes, a diff pane per session |
| Live preview of the app | Built-in browser view of the app, with device sizes | Yes: a browser pane that Claude can inspect, set in .claude/launch.json |
| All local projects, with or without an agent | Yes: found in your code folders, monorepos included | No: the folders you open in a session |
| Ports | Free port per app, kept between runs; apps started elsewhere adopted; "Free the ports" | autoPort for the preview server |
| Logs, Docker, local Supabase | Yes | Not mentioned in its documentation |
| Plan usage on screen | Claude and ChatGPT plans, live in the sidebar | Claude plan, on claude.ai (Settings → Usage) |
| SSH and remote machines | No | Yes |
| Platforms | macOS; Windows through WSL 2 (native Windows installer with Pro) | macOS, Windows, Linux (beta) |
| Price | Free and open source (MIT); Pro €49 one-time | Free app; Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan |
What Claude Desktop does well
The Code tab is the most integrated way to work with Claude Code. Sessions sit in a sidebar, can be split side by side and each one can get its own Git worktree, so parallel sessions do not edit the same checkout. Each session has panes for the diff, a terminal, files, the plan and tasks.
Its preview is a real strength: Claude starts your dev server in a browser pane and can take screenshots and read the page to check its own work. It also connects to remote machines over SSH and runs on Windows and Linux. Being Anthropic's own app, it follows Claude Code's features first.
What Tarmac adds
Tarmac starts from your projects rather than from your sessions. It scans your code folders and lists every project, the ones nobody touched this month included, with a Start button, a port that stays the same from one run to the next, live logs, a console and a Git menu that explains about thirty everyday commands.
Around that, it shows what Claude Desktop's documentation does not mention: Docker containers grouped by project, local Supabase instances with Studio and Mailpit, GitHub repositories not cloned yet, and Codex, OpenAI's agent, with its sessions and your ChatGPT plan usage next to Claude's. A task list per project is kept up to date by the agent, and a ▶ button hands the next task to an idle session.
When Claude Desktop is the better choice
Choose Claude Desktop alone if:
- you only use Claude Code and want worktrees, diff review and a preview Claude can check itself;
- you work on remote machines over SSH, or on Linux;
- you rarely run more than one or two local projects, so a project launcher would add little.
When Tarmac is the better choice
Add Tarmac if:
- you keep many projects on your machine and want to see what exists, what runs and on which port;
- you use Codex as well as Claude Code, or switch between them when a plan runs out;
- your projects depend on Docker or a local Supabase stack;
- you want a free, open source tool that also helps when no agent is involved.
Using both
They do not compete: Claude Desktop is where you talk to Claude, Tarmac is where you see your projects. A common setup: Claude Desktop for long sessions on one project, Tarmac open on the side for the other projects, their ports and logs, and the Codex sessions. Sessions started in Claude Desktop show up in Tarmac as running outside Tarmac.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tarmac replace the Claude desktop app?
No. Tarmac runs the official claude command and lists its sessions; it does not have Claude Desktop's worktrees per session, diff pane or self-checking preview. It adds the project side: every local project, ports, logs, Docker, Supabase and Codex.
Do sessions from Claude Desktop appear in Tarmac?
Sessions running on your machine are detected and shown as running outside Tarmac, with an activity light. Cloud sessions started on claude.ai/code do not run on your machine and do not appear.
Do I need a Claude plan for Tarmac?
Only for the Claude features. The project launcher, ports, logs, console, Git, Docker and Supabase work without any subscription. Codex works with a ChatGPT plan instead.
Does Tarmac work on Windows like Claude Desktop?
The free version runs inside WSL 2 on Windows, started by hand. Tarmac Pro comes with a native installer for macOS and Windows.
Try Tarmac for free
Free and open source, for macOS and Windows (WSL 2). It works next to the tools on this page, not instead of them.
Sources
Claude Desktop is a trademark of its owner. Tarmac is not affiliated with it, nor with Anthropic or OpenAI.