Compare·Parallel agent orchestrator
Continuum
Multi-agent workbench
VS
Conductor
Parallel agent orchestrator

Continuum vs Conductor

Both spin agent fleets in worktrees. Continuum also runs the fleet from your pocket and shows the bill.

Conductor (Melty Labs) is a focused macOS orchestrator: Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor agents in isolated git worktrees with a team-board mental model. Continuum is the free multi-provider workbench around the same class of agents - Mac, web, iPhone, Watch, live quota gauges, multi-account isolation, and a local $ ledger Conductor does not ship. Conductor’s board is excellent when every junior agent lives on the Mac desk. Continuum’s bet is the same isolation model plus Continuum clients, multi-account Max stacking, spawn grid, and a LiteLLM-priced local ledger so fleet cost is visible before the weekly window collapses.

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Workflow Monday path Matrix Decide Money FAQ

Updated 2026-08-03 · Mac stable · Win/Linux desktop beta

Choose Continuum when

Pick Continuum when you need mobile plan approve, multi-provider sessions (Claude + Codex + more), live 5h/weekly gauges, multi-account Max stacking, and spend-by-repo analytics - not only a desktop fleet board.

Choose Conductor when

Pick Conductor when you live on macOS only and want a pure parallel-worktree cockpit with a team-board UX for junior-agent fleets, without Continuum’s multi-device or cost surface.

Snapshot direct alternative
Dimension Continuum Conductor
Worktree isolation Yes · per-session worktree mode Yes · core product
Board / fleet UX Sessions sidebar + spawn grid Team-board junior fleet
Multi-provider Claude PTY · Codex ACP · Cursor · Grok · OpenCode… CLI agents you attach
Mobile Native iPhone + Watch · QR/Tailscale pair macOS desktop only
Gauges Menu-bar 5h + weekly gauges No live quota gauges
Cost ledger Local JSONL → $ by repo/provider/day Minimal / none
Mac stable · web · iPhone · Watch · Win/Linux desktop beta · free app
01 · Board at the desk vs fleet in your pocket
In Continuum

Fleet day with cost and phone

09:12

Spawn three worktree sessions - Claude Max on auth, Codex on the API path, Cursor agent on the third. Sidebar lists all three under the same repo key.

11:40

Plan lands mid-standup. Approve from iPhone over the paired host; Mac keeps the PTY session. Watch glance shows the turn is live.

17:05

Usage tab shows which repo burned the weekly Claude window. Pin the secondary account for the evening batch without re-login gymnastics. Continuum’s managed sidebar keeps only Continuum-spawned sessions first-class; you are not hunting foreign rollouts for the ticket at hand.

In Conductor

Desktop fleet board

09:12

Open Conductor on the Mac. Attach agents into isolated worktrees and treat the board like a junior engineering squad.

11:40

Stay at the desk. Mid-run plan and status live on the desktop board - no Continuum phone control plane.

17:05

Close the day with worktrees landed. Cost and multi-lab quota truth stay outside the product. Conductor remains the specialist when the entire day is “babysit N worktrees on one Mac screen.”

02 · Monday path

Monday with both worktree tools in play

Install, connect, first session - steps you can run the same day.

01

Download Continuum (Mac). Pair iPhone via QR / Tailscale so plan-ready can leave the desk.

02

Open Code tab → spawn a worktree session on Claude for ticket A; second worktree on Codex for ticket B.

03

If you still like Conductor’s board, leave it open for dense multi-tile babysitting - Continuum owns gauges + mobile.

04

At standup, approve a plan from iPhone; Mac keeps the PTY/harness session live.

05

Evening: Usage tab → which repo burned the weekly window; pin secondary Claude account for night batch.

06

Optional: spawn grid (4/6/8 tiles) when you want multi-agent CLIs in one pane without the Conductor board.

07

Before lunch, open Diff pane on the hottest worktree and stage only the hunks you want - Continuum’s review surface is not “trust the agent blind.”

How Continuum actually runs the fleet

How Continuum actually runs parallel agents

  • Worktree mode creates an isolated git worktree per session; Code panes attach: chat, plan, diff, PR, terminal, artifacts.
  • Claude Code spawns over PTY; Codex uses the ACP harness / app-server path - same official engines, Continuum-owned store.
  • Multi-account uses CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR / CODEX_HOME isolation (not a HOME swap) so secondary Max/Pro never clobber primary Keychain.
  • The session fleet projects into the sidebar; iPhone/Watch pair over Tailscale / MagicDNS-style remote control.
  • Local analytics price session JSONL with LiteLLM rates → $ by repo, provider, day beside live 5h/weekly gauges.
  • PR pane + gh flows close the loop from plan-approve to open PR without leaving the Code tab.
03 · Worktree fleet matrix

Cells use product nouns on both sides. Continuum is the multi-provider workbench; they win where their loop is the product.

Capability Continuum Conductor
Parallel agents in worktreesIsolated branches without dirtying main Worktree sessions + spawn grid Core product focus
Vendor-neutral multi-providerClaude, Codex, Cursor, Grok, OpenCode… Claude PTY · Codex ACP · Cursor · Grok · OpenCode… Depends on attached CLIs
iPhone + Apple Watch controlApprove, steer, glance Native iPhone + Watch · QR/Tailscale pair Desktop only
Usage analytics & $ costBy repo, provider, day Local JSONL → $ by repo/provider/day Not a cost product
Live quota gauges5h / weekly windows Per provider + multi-account No gauges
Web + Windows + Linux clients Mac stable · web · Win/Linux desktop beta macOS focused
Issue → agent backlog board Sessions sidebar + PR flow Strong team-board UX
Multi-account Claude / Codex CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR / CODEX_HOME isolation Not a multi-account product
Code tab panesChat, plan, diff, PR, terminal, artifacts Chat · plan · diff · PR · terminal · artifacts Board + agent surfaces
Free app · BYOK Free app · optional Plus/Max/Ultra hosted Uses your CLI credentials · own terms
04 · Where the products actually diverge
01 · Surfaces

Conductor is a desk. Continuum is every screen.

Conductor optimizes the multi-agent macOS desktop. Continuum treats Mac, web, and iPhone as equal doors into the same session - Watch glances for plan-ready moments. Leave the keyboard mid-run and Continuum still has a control surface in your pocket. Continuum’s sessions registry and worktree mode are built for multi-client projection - the same session id on Mac, web, and iPhone - not only a dense desktop board.

02 · Economics

Agents are expensive. Only one shows the bill.

Continuum prices local JSONL and DB usage with LiteLLM rates and shows spend by repo and provider. Conductor coordinates worktrees; it is not a cost instrument. If “which repo burned my weekly window?” matters, Continuum answers it. Menu-bar 5h/weekly gauges are Continuum product. Conductor does not try to be a rate-limit instrument; Continuum does.

03 · Providers

One fleet, many labs.

Continuum runs Claude, Codex, Cursor, Grok, OpenCode, Antigravity, Z.ai, and OpenRouter side by side - pin a provider per session, run two agents in parallel worktrees, keep the better branch. Conductor can attach CLIs; Continuum is built as the neutral harness around them.

04 · Worktrees

Both take isolation seriously.

If your whole job is “spin five worktrees and babysit a junior fleet,” Conductor’s board is purpose-built. Continuum also spawns isolated worktrees and multi-tile spawn grids - then adds mobile, multi-account, analytics, and multi-provider depth around them.

05 · Coexistence
Stack recipe

How people run both.

Stack recipe: keep Conductor as the specialty desktop board for dense multi-worktree babysitting on the Mac; pair Continuum for iPhone plan approve, multi-account gauges, spawn grid, and cross-provider Code. Neither requires uninstalling the other - worktrees are complementary loops.

Download Continuum Providers
06 · Pick for the job, not the category
Continuum

Choose Continuum when ops leave the desk

  • Run the fleet from Mac, web, and iPhone - not only the desktop board. Continuum Code panes stay first-class: chat, plan, diff, PR, terminal, artifacts.
  • See live 5h/weekly gauges and multi-account Claude/Codex isolation.
  • Read spend by repo, provider, and day from a local ledger.
  • Keep Claude, Codex, Cursor, and peers in one Code tab with full panes.
  • Stay free with your existing subscriptions (optional hosted inference).
Conductor

Choose Conductor when the board is the product

  • Live only on macOS and want a pure parallel-worktree cockpit. Continuum will not pretend to win that job with marketing wording alone.
  • Prefer a team-board mental model for junior-agent fleets.
  • Do not need mobile approve or a cost ledger product.
  • Already happy attaching a small set of CLIs without multi-lab analytics.
  • Want the lightest product chrome around worktree isolation.
07 · What you pay
Continuum

App + your labs

Free app with BYOK / your subscriptions. Optional Continuum-hosted inference: Plus $25/mo, Max 100, Max 200, Ultra.

Conductor

Their bill

Runs on your own Claude / Codex / Cursor credentials and agent subscriptions; the Mac app itself has been offered free. Terms can change - verify conductor.build as of 2026.

How to compare

Total cost of work

As of 2026 - verify on continuumcode.ai/pricing and the vendor site. Continuum does not mark up BYOK or subscription sessions it drives under your login. Neither product replaces Claude Max or ChatGPT billing.

Continuum ladder: Free app · Plus $25/mo · Max 100 · Max 200 · Ultra - full pricing. Also analytics, multi-account, devices.

08 · Questions

Continuum vs Conductor.

Deep dives: docs, providers, sessions.

No. Both coordinate parallel agents and worktrees, but Continuum is a multi-device, multi-provider control plane with live usage analytics. Conductor is a focused macOS multi-agent workbench. Overlap on worktrees; different product shape beyond that.

Yes. Some people keep a specialty desktop board and use Continuum for mobile approvals, multi-account gauges, and cross-provider Code. Continuum does not require you to uninstall anything.

Yes. Sessions can run in isolated worktrees with branch-aware UI, diffs, and PR flows. The product is the full Code tab workbench (chat, plan, diff, terminal, PR, artifacts) across devices - not only the worktree manager.

If you already get isolated worktrees from Conductor or the CLI, Continuum still adds native iPhone/Watch control, multi-account Claude/Codex isolation, live 5h/weekly gauges, and a local $ ledger by repo - without uninstalling Conductor.

No. Continuum drives official CLIs under your login. Claude Code and Codex remain the engines; Continuum is the cockpit. Tokens for those sessions hit your provider plans, not a Continuum markup.

Spawn grid is a multi-tile agent-CLI grid (4/6/8) cwd’d for interactive TUI work - ephemeral groups, Mac-side. Conductor’s board is a durable junior-fleet / worktree orchestration UX. Different mental models; some people use both.

Pairing is built around reachable hosts - QR flows and Tailscale/MagicDNS-style remote control are first-class so iPhone can hit the Mac daemon without port-forward theater. Local loopback still works on the Mac itself.

Begin

Run your agents
in Continuum.

Free app. Your subscriptions. Optional hosted inference. Mac stable - Windows and Linux desktop are beta.

Download for Mac See pricing

vendor-neutral · local-first · multi-device