Orchestrator.inc vs Superset (2026): open source vs source-available agent workspaces

Short answer

Orchestrator.inc (formerly Agent Orchestrator) and Superset both run CLI coding agents in Git worktrees and show many sessions at once. The deciding differences are platform and license: Orchestrator is Apache-2.0 and ships for macOS, Windows and Linux, while Superset is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0 and macOS-first, as of October 2026. Choose Superset if your team is all on Macs and wants a CLI, SDK, MCP server and Slack or Linear integrations around its agents. Choose Orchestrator if anyone on the team uses Windows or Linux, or you want CI failures and review comments sent back to the agent that owns the pull request.

At a glance

Superset details are as of October 2026.

	Orchestrator.inc	Superset
Best for	Supervising many agents to a merged PR, on any desktop OS	A macOS workspace with CLI, SDK, MCP, Slack, Linear and team features
Platforms	macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows x64, Linux (AppImage, .deb, .rpm), plus iOS and Android companion	macOS (Apple silicon and Intel); Linux AppImage labelled experimental; no Windows support; iPhone and iPad app on Pro
License / price	Apache-2.0, free locally with no account; optional Cloud plans from $20/month	Elastic License 2.0 (source-available); Free tier, Pro $20/user/mo
Coding agents	38 coding agent harnesses (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Aider, Amp, Droid, Kiro and more)	Claude Code, Codex, Cursor Agent, Gemini CLI, Copilot, OpenCode and other CLI agents
Isolation	Git worktree and branch per session; multi-repo workspaces	Git worktree per workspace under `~/.superset/worktrees/`
Where it runs	Locally, on your own servers or VMs running the Orchestrator host (several hosts in one app), or Orchestrator Cloud	Locally by default; Remote Access to your own hosts on Pro; cloud workspaces
Overview of many sessions	Kanban board driven by session, PR, CI and review facts	Tasks view with list and kanban by status; sidebar status strips
PR, CI and review	Failing checks, review comments and merge conflicts sent to the owning session; reviewer agents	PR page with checks, review threads and merge; send selected diff lines to an agent
Interface	Structured Chat or the agent's native terminal UI	Built-in persistent terminals
Browser	Agent-controllable browser per worker	Yes, per-workspace port detection and Design Mode
Mobile	iOS and Android app with push notifications	iPhone and iPad app on Pro
Planner agent	Project orchestrator that breaks a plan into tasks and spawns workers	No built-in planner; an orchestrate skill fans out work through its CLI and MCP server

The problem in practice

Your team runs Claude Code and Codex across a few repositories. Two people are on MacBooks, one is on a Windows desktop, and CI runs on every PR. On a busy day there are six agent PRs open at once.

Two things start to hurt. The Windows teammate needs the same tool as everyone else. And every red check or review comment has to be noticed, copied and handed to the right agent by a person. Which of those you feel more decides this comparison.

How each tool handles it

Task: a PR's test suite fails on CI and the PR needs to reach merge.

In Orchestrator.inc

The session that opened the PR is linked to it automatically.
A check fails. Orchestrator polls GitHub or GitLab with no webhooks needed and sends the failing check names, links and the end of each failed job's log to that session.
The agent fixes the test and pushes. The card moves on the board by itself as CI and review state change.
The card reaches Ready to merge. You read the diff and click Merge. By hand: the merge decision.

In Superset

Open the workspace's PR page and see the failed check.
Re-dispatch the agent with the failure context, or paste log lines into the terminal.
Select diff lines and send a comment to the agent for anything else.
Merge (squash, merge or rebase) from the PR page. By hand: noticing the failure, re-dispatching, and the merge.

Where Superset is a good fit

Programmable surfaces. A CLI, a TypeScript SDK and an MCP server let you script workspaces from your own tooling. Orchestrator has the ao CLI but no SDK or MCP server.
Slack and Linear. Both integrations come with Pro. Orchestrator reads GitHub and GitLab issues only.
Team and enterprise features. SSO, SCIM and audit logs on its Enterprise plan.
An all-Mac team that wants agents in persistent built-in terminals with a browser and Design Mode next to them.

Where Orchestrator fits better

Teams on Windows or Linux. Orchestrator ships Windows x64 with a native ConPTY terminal host (no WSL or tmux) and Linux AppImage, .deb and .rpm builds. A mixed-OS team can use one tool. See platforms.
People who want an OSI open source license. Orchestrator is Apache-2.0, so you can fork it, embed it and ship it inside a commercial product. Superset describes the Elastic License 2.0 as not OSI-approved, and ELv2 restricts offering the software as a managed service, a question legal teams ask.
Workflows where review and CI feedback should reach the agent on its own. Failing checks, requested changes and merge conflicts go to the session that owns the PR, de-duplicated. Merge stays explicit.
Reviewer and planner agents. A separate harness can review a worker's PR, for example Codex reviewing a Claude Code branch, with autoReview per project. The project orchestrator breaks a plan into tasks, spawns workers and follows their progress.
Remote hosts on your own machines. Install the Orchestrator host on your own server or cloud VM and drive sessions there from your desktop, with several hosts in one app, linked through your Orchestrator account or an HTTPS tunnel.
Android users and people who skip accounts. The mobile app is on iOS and Android, and no account is needed to run locally.

Pricing

Running Orchestrator on your own machines is free and open source (Apache-2.0), with no account needed; you bring your own agent subscriptions or API keys. Optional Orchestrator Cloud plans, for agents that keep working while your laptop is closed, are Starter at $20/month and Pro at $40/month, with Enterprise pricing on request.

As of October 2026, Superset has a free tier for one user with local workspaces. Remote access, integrations and mobile need Pro at $20 per user per month.

Who should pick which

Pick Orchestrator if

You or your team work on Windows or Linux.
You want Apache-2.0 with no restrictions on commercial use.
You want CI failures and review comments sent to the owning agent without a person relaying them.
You want a planner agent, reviewer agents, and Android as well as iOS.

Pick Superset if

You are all-Mac and want a macOS-first experience.
You need a CLI, SDK or MCP server to drive agent workspaces from other systems.
You need Linear or Slack integrations.
You need SSO, SCIM or audit logs.

If you are weighing Superset against Conductor too, see Conductor vs Superset and the Superset alternatives roundup.

Try it

Set up the CI and review routing on one repository with the review loop guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Superset open source?

Superset is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0, as of October 2026. Its own site states this is not OSI-approved open source. Orchestrator.inc is Apache-2.0, which is OSI-approved and permits commercial use and redistribution.

Does Superset work on Windows?

No. Superset does not support Windows, as of October 2026. Orchestrator.inc ships a native Windows x64 build with a ConPTY terminal host.

Does Superset work on Linux?

Superset publishes a Linux AppImage that it labels experimental. Orchestrator.inc ships AppImage, .deb and .rpm packages for Linux as supported platforms.

Does Orchestrator.inc have a CLI, SDK or MCP server like Superset?

Orchestrator.inc has the ao CLI for spawning and managing sessions. It does not ship an SDK or an MCP server, which is an area where Superset is ahead.

What is a good Superset alternative for Windows?

Orchestrator.inc runs natively on Windows x64, macOS and Linux, with the same worktree-per-session model, a live board, and CI and review feedback sent to the owning agent. It is free to run on your own machines, so you can install it next to your current setup and try it on one repository.