Orca
Officially listedAn open-source ADE that orchestrates around 30 CLI coding agents in parallel.
Orca
Orca is an ADE (Agent Development Environment) from Stably AI that lets developers conduct a "parallel fleet of coding agents". It gives every task an isolated git worktree, orchestrates about 30 CLI coding agents in parallel, and touches no model layer itself — bring your own subscriptions.
Core Capabilities
- Multi-agent parallelism: One isolated git worktree per task, agents working in parallel with their own diffs merged by merit
- Prompt bidding: Throw the same requirement at multiple agents simultaneously and pick the best, like a bid
- BYO subscriptions: Only invokes CLI agents already signed in on your machine — no commissions, no token resale
- Full-stack workbench: Ghostty-grade terminal splits, built-in browser with Design Mode, line-level diff comments
- Ecosystem integration: Native GitHub/Linear/Jira integration opens a worktree straight from a task, with SSH remote support
- Mobile companion: iOS/Android remote status checks and commands, with the Orca CLI driving in reverse
Use Cases Best for developers and small teams already using CLI coding agents heavily and needing to advance multiple tasks in parallel or run bid-style implementations; a poor fit for those who occasionally use one agent, want no-code, or work in strict-compliance repos.
Unique Advantages The most complete form in its class — cross-platform + MIT open source + mobile + SSH remote, and model-neutral with no lock-in; versus the closed-source, Mac-only Conductor, it is the most direct open-source alternative.
Editor's Verdict
The mechanics are solid (built on git worktree primitives), and the license and 72k stars check out — the most complete open-source option in the multi-agent orchestration race. Know before use: the official defaults pre-fill permission-bypass flags (Claude --dangerously-skip-permissions, Codex --bypass-approvals-and-sandbox), and migration overwrites existing user settings — worktrees isolate the filesystem but not the shell, so sensitive repos must be switched to Manual manually. The product is young and updated daily; pin a version if you want stability.
Pricing
### 💰 定价模式：免费 + 开源（MIT） **起步价**：免费（$0） #### 主要方案 - **Core（桌面 + 移动 + CLI）**：$0 - 全部功能免费，MIT 开源，无订阅、无按人头收费、无功能阉割 - **Enterprise（企业版）**：Contact Sales（无公开价目）- 定向商务，提供 rollout 指导、组织级默认值、版本自托管、审计；**SOC 2 仅标注 "Readiness"（未认证）** #### 试用/其他信息 无独立定价页（`/pricing` → 404）。个人 / 中小企业完全免费，真实成本仅来自用户自有的 Agent 订阅（Claude Code、Codex 等）。企业版价格与功能均未公开，属商务谈判范畴。
FAQ
Is Orca free?
Yes. Orca Personal (desktop + mobile + CLI) is completely free and MIT-licensed open source, with no subscription, no per-seat fees, and no feature cripples; real costs come only from your own agent subscriptions (such as Claude Code or Codex). Only Enterprise requires contacting sales, with no public pricing.
What can Orca do?
Orca is an ADE (agent development environment) that isolates work in independent git worktrees and orchestrates about 30 CLI coding agents in parallel, letting multiple agents write code at once and merging the best diffs, while providing a terminal, browser, diff annotations, and mobile monitoring.
Which coding agents does Orca support?
The official README lists about 30 preconfigured agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Gemini, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Amp, Antigravity, Goose, Cline, Devin, Kimi, and Qwen Code, and claims any CLI agent in a terminal can connect.
Is Orca the same kind of tool as Cursor or VS Code?
No. Orca explicitly ships no models and does not replace Cursor/VS Code; it is an orchestration and review control layer on top of multiple CLI agents, leaving the coding to the CLI agents you install and sign into while it handles scheduling and merging.
Does Orca bypass permissions by default? Is it safe?
Official docs disclose that Orca pre-fills permission-bypass flags for supported CLIs (Claude `--dangerously-skip-permissions`, Codex `--bypass-approvals-and-sandbox`, `--yolo`, etc.), and migration overwrites existing users' settings. Worktrees isolate only the filesystem, not the shell — repos containing production keys must be switched to Manual manually.
Can Orca's git worktree isolation guard against all risks?
No. Worktrees isolate the filesystem only, not semantic context or the shell, and cannot block harmful commands, dependency install scripts, key access, or outbound requests, so "technically mergeable but logically conflicting" can happen. Security-sensitive scenarios should pilot with least privilege.
How does Orca differ from Conductor?
Conductor is macOS-only and closed source, connecting only Claude, Codex, and Cursor; Orca spans Mac/Win/Linux with mobile included, is MIT open source, supports about 30 agents and SSH remote worktrees — a more complete, more open alternative.
Which developers is Orca for?
Best for professional developers and small teams already using one or more CLI coding agents heavily, needing parallel multi-task progress or competitive implementations, and valuing cross-platform and mobile monitoring; a poor fit for occasional single-agent users or those wanting no-code or strict-compliance repos.