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Forkbench vs Conductor
Conductor (by Melty Labs) is a native macOS app for running AI coding agents in parallel across git-worktree workspaces.
Forkbench and Conductor are both native macOS apps for running AI coding agents in parallel with git-worktree isolation. They overlap on the basics that became table stakes in 2026, worktrees, a diff panel, parallel sessions. Where they part ways is what happens around the agents: secrets, multiple machines, and remote control.
| Forkbench | Conductor | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Native macOS | Native macOS |
| Git worktree isolation | Yes | Yes |
| Agent support | Any terminal CLI + your shell tooling | Claude Code / Codex / Cursor |
| Secrets handling | Vault (Pro), sealed on your Mac | No secrets handling |
| Multi-Mac coordination | Yes (Pro) | Single machine |
| Remote / mobile control | Yes, web + phone (Pro) | No |
| Persistent notes for agents | Notebooks, end-to-end encrypted (free) | No |
| Price | Free; Pro €30/mo; Team $30/seat, dropping to $20 at scale | Free |
Where Conductor is strong
- Polished, focused native app with a clean parallel-agents UX.
- Free today, and well-funded (a $22M Series A), so it is not going anywhere.
- Tight integration with Claude Code / Codex / Cursor logins.
Where Forkbench differs
- A key you put in Vault reaches the command that needs it and never the agent's prompt, command line or transcript. Vault is part of Pro.
- Folders the macOS kernel enforces. A Thread can be locked to the folders the job is about, applied as each shell starts and inherited by every process it spawns, so an agent cannot read or write outside them. Builds still run and the network is untouched.
- A real terminal underneath: run ANY CLI agent or tool (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, custom scripts) plus tmux/vim/lazygit, not a fixed set of integrations.
- Coordination across multiple Macs paired to your account, and remote control from the web or your phone (Talk).
- Notebooks: end-to-end encrypted briefs and conventions, free on every plan with no passphrase, handed to agents so you stop re-pasting context.
The bottom line
If you want the cleanest single-machine parallel-agents app and you live in Claude Code / Codex / Cursor, Conductor is excellent. If you run a mix of CLI agents, care that your secrets never touch the agent, or coordinate work across more than one Mac and want to answer a blocked agent from your phone, that is what Forkbench is built for.
Keep reading
- Conductor Alternative for Coding Agents
- How keys, notes and boards are actually protected, including where each defence stops.
- Keeping API keys away from AI coding agents
- Every comparison
Comparison based on publicly available information as of mid-2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us.