Local dev dashboards for Mac: Tarmac and the alternatives
A handful of Mac tools now promise to tame local dev servers: stable addresses, port conflicts, logs, one place to start everything. Here is what Localdock, CMDHub, Port Pilot and Launch Station each do, how they compare with Tarmac, and which one fits which way of working.
- Localdock: stable
project.localhostnames, phone access over Wi-Fi and a bug report sent from your phone to your agent. $19 one-time. - CMDHub: a menu bar service manager with dependencies, health checks, a local reverse proxy with SSL and
*.testdomains. Free. - Port Pilot: a precise view of what listens on which port, as a CLI, a terminal dashboard and a menu bar app. $20 one-time.
- Launch Station: a native app for project stacks with managed ports, health checks and a skill for Claude Code and Codex. Free.
- Tarmac: every project of your code folders with ports, logs, console, Git, Docker and Supabase, plus the Claude Code and Codex sessions of each. Free and open source; Pro €49 one-time, optional.
At a glance
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 Tools change fast: tell us if something is out of date.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 | Local launchers |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Web app on tarmac.localhost, installable (PWA); native app with Pro | Localdock, CMDHub, Port Pilot: menu bar apps; Port Pilot also a CLI; Launch Station: native app and CLI |
| Finds projects on its own | Yes, in your code folders, monorepos included | Localdock and Port Pilot detect running servers; CMDHub and Launch Station use services or stacks you define |
| Ports | Free port per app, kept between runs (4100-4999) | Localdock: stable name whatever the port; Launch Station: managed ports; Port Pilot and CMDHub: ports detected |
| Logs | Live, per app | CMDHub: per service; Launch Station: per action; Port Pilot: not mentioned |
| Docker | Containers grouped by compose project, start / stop | Port Pilot: container and image per port; others: not mentioned |
| Local Supabase | Instances, Studio, Mailpit, Postgres URL | Not mentioned on their sites |
| Coding agents | Claude Code and Codex sessions per project, plan usage, task list | Localdock: hands bug reports to Claude Code or Codex, MCP server; Launch Station: skill for both; Port Pilot: JSON output for agents |
| Local domains and HTTPS | tarmac.localhost for the dashboard | CMDHub: reverse proxy with SSL and *.test; Localdock: .localhost names and a temporary public HTTPS link |
| Platforms | macOS; Windows through WSL 2 | macOS 13 or 14 and later; Port Pilot CLI also on Linux |
| Price | Free and open source (MIT); Pro €49 one-time | Localdock $19 one-time; Port Pilot $20 one-time; CMDHub free; Launch Station free (MIT) |
Localdock
Localdock gives each project a stable name such as dashboard.localhost, which follows the newest server when a framework moves to another port, and the same project appears as dashboard.local on your phone over Wi-Fi. Its standout feature, Tap to Fix, sends a report from your phone or browser (screenshot, failed requests, console errors) back to your Mac and can hand it to Claude Code or Codex. It also ships an MCP server with list_ports, get_free_port and cleanup. macOS 14 and later, $19 one-time for one device.
CMDHub
CMDHub is a free menu bar app to start, stop and restart local services with dependencies between them, CPU and memory, HTTP or TCP health checks, a log per service, and a local reverse proxy with SSL and *.test domains. It suits stacks of several services you define once. macOS 14 and later.
Port Pilot
Port Pilot, by Flavio Copes, answers "what is on this port" in detail: port, project, framework, process, memory, uptime, HTTP health and, for Docker, the container and image. It comes as a ports CLI, a terminal dashboard and a menu bar app, with JSON output that coding agents can read. $20 one-time, with the source code.
Launch Station
Launch Station is a free, MIT-licensed native Mac app for projects and ordered stacks, with managed ports, health checks, logs per action, a launch CLI and a built-in skill for Codex and Claude Code. It is the closest to Tarmac on the launcher side; it is also a young project. macOS 13 and later.
Where Tarmac is different
Tarmac is the only one of these tools that puts the agents' work at the same level as the projects: every Claude Code and Codex session of each project, new or resumed in a built-in console, your Claude and ChatGPT plan usage, and a task list the agent keeps up to date. Around the projects themselves it adds a console, a Git menu with plain explanations, GitHub repositories to clone, Docker containers grouped by project and local Supabase instances.
Which one to choose for your setup
An honest summary:
- test on your phone and send bugs to your agent: Localdock;
- a stack of services with dependencies, local HTTPS and
.testdomains: CMDHub; - understand precisely what holds a port, from the terminal: Port Pilot;
- a light native launcher for a few stacks: Launch Station;
- many projects, Docker or Supabase, and Claude Code or Codex sessions in the same place: Tarmac.
Frequently asked questions
Which local dev dashboards work with Claude Code and Codex?
Tarmac lists and runs the sessions of both agents per project. Localdock can hand bug reports to either agent and has an MCP server; Launch Station ships a skill for both; Port Pilot gives agents JSON output.
Is there a free local dev dashboard for Mac?
Tarmac and Launch Station are free and open source (MIT), and CMDHub is free. Localdock and Port Pilot are paid once.
Do these tools replace Docker Desktop?
No. Tarmac and Port Pilot read Docker's containers and their ports; Tarmac can start and stop them. Docker Desktop, OrbStack or Colima still run the containers.
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
Local launchers is a trademark of its owner. Tarmac is not affiliated with it, nor with Anthropic or OpenAI.