Tarmac vs Conductor
Conductor and Tarmac both put Claude Code and Codex in one window, but they answer different questions. Conductor is built to run several agents in parallel, each in its own workspace, then review and merge their work. Tarmac is built to see and run every local project, with the agents' sessions next to the apps they build.
- Conductor is the better tool to orchestrate parallel agents: one isolated workspace per agent, review and merge of their changes, Cursor agents too.
- Tarmac is the better tool to run your projects: every repository in your code folders, free ports that stay the same, logs, Docker, local Supabase, Git explained.
- Both are Mac-first; Tarmac also runs on Windows through WSL 2.
- Tarmac is free and open source (MIT).
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 Tools change fast: tell us if something is out of date.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 | Conductor |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | See and run every local project, with its agent sessions | Run parallel coding agents and merge their work |
| Coding agents | Claude Code and Codex | Claude Code, Codex and Cursor |
| Isolation between agents | No (sessions run in the project folder) | Yes, one isolated workspace per agent |
| Review and merge an agent's changes | Built-in editor, source control view and Git menu | Yes, built in |
| Projects without an agent | Yes: every project of your code folders | Not its focus |
| Ports and dev server logs | Free port per app, kept between runs; live logs; "Free the ports" | Not mentioned on its site |
| Docker, local Supabase | Yes | Not mentioned on its site |
| Plan usage on screen | Claude and ChatGPT plans, live | Not mentioned on its site |
| Platforms | macOS; Windows through WSL 2 | Mac |
| Price | Free and open source (MIT); Pro €49 one-time | See conductor.build |
What Conductor does well
Conductor's promise is in its tagline: run parallel coding agents on your Mac. You create several Claude Code, Codex or Cursor agents, each in an isolated workspace, let them work at the same time, then review and merge their changes. If your day is "five tasks, five agents, then review", that is exactly its job, and it does it with less setup than isolating each agent yourself.
What Tarmac does differently
Tarmac does not orchestrate agents. It lists every project of your code folders and runs them: Start with a free port that stays the same, live logs, a console per project, a Git menu with about thirty commands explained, Docker containers grouped by project and local Supabase instances. The Claude Code and Codex sessions of each project sit next to all that, with your two plans' usage in the sidebar and a task list the agent keeps up to date.
When Conductor is the better choice
Choose Conductor if:
- you regularly run several agents at once on the same repository and want each isolated;
- reviewing and merging agents' work is the bottleneck of your day;
- you use Cursor agents as well.
When Tarmac is the better choice
Choose Tarmac if:
- you juggle many projects and lose time on ports, logs and "which app is running";
- your projects need Docker or a local Supabase stack;
- you want to see both your Claude and ChatGPT plan usage;
- you want a free, open source tool, or need Windows (WSL 2).
Using both
The two do not conflict: agents running in Conductor's workspaces are processes on your Mac, and the apps they start still need ports. Tarmac keeps the project side in order while Conductor runs the agents.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tarmac a Conductor alternative?
Partly. Both show Claude Code and Codex in one app, but Conductor focuses on running agents in parallel in isolated workspaces, while Tarmac focuses on running your local projects (ports, logs, Docker, Supabase) with the agents' sessions alongside.
Does Tarmac create a worktree per agent?
No. Sessions started from Tarmac run in the project folder. For isolated parallel sessions, Claude Code's claude --worktree or a tool like Conductor fits better.
Does Tarmac support Cursor?
Tarmac runs Claude Code and Codex sessions. It can open any project in Cursor, VS Code, Zed or WebStorm, but it does not run Cursor agents.
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
Conductor is a trademark of its owner. Tarmac is not affiliated with it, nor with Anthropic or OpenAI.