# Superset vs Conductor vs Shuriken (2026) > Superset, Conductor and Shuriken all run coding agents in parallel. A fair three-way look at platforms, accounts, phone and price, cited. Source: https://shuriken.sh/compare/superset-vs-conductor Conductor is the Mac app with managed cloud workspaces, Multiplayer and an iOS app on Pro; Superset is the source-available Mac app with a CLI, SDK, MCP server and cheap seats. Shuriken has Windows and stable Linux builds, adds your own servers, and moves running chats between your accounts when one runs out. By Shuriken Updated 27 October 2026 5 min read **Contents** We make Shuriken, so this is not a neutral page. We tried to be fair to all three; corrections welcome at office@shuriken.sh. ## Quick answer # Conductor is the Mac app with managed cloud workspaces, Multiplayer and an iOS app on Pro. Superset is the source-available Mac app (Linux experimental) with a CLI, SDK and MCP server, cheap seats and an iPhone app. Shuriken is the one with Windows and stable Linux builds, adds your own servers, and moves running chats between your accounts when one runs out. All three run several coding agents at once, each in its own isolated copy of your repo, on your own plans and keys. On 12 October 2026 Superset announced it is changing its name ([their post](https://superset.sh/blog/a-new-name)); we'll update the name here when it's out. ## At a glance # Read on 2026-10-22. Every Conductor and Superset cell links to that company's own page. Where a company's pages don't mention something, we say so rather than guess. | | Conductor | Superset | Shuriken | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Desktop platforms | macOS ([home](https://www.conductor.build/)) | macOS; Linux AppImage experimental; no Windows yet ([install](https://docs.superset.sh/install)) | macOS 13+ (Apple silicon), Windows 10/11 x64, Linux x64 and Arm | | Agents | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode ([docs](https://www.conductor.build/docs)) | Any CLI agent; 14 in its picker ([home](https://superset.sh/)) | 67, from Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI to Aider and goose | | Where agents run | Your Mac, or Conductor's cloud on Pro ([pricing](https://www.conductor.build/pricing)) | Your machine, connected hosts, or cloud workspaces ([Superset's comparison](https://superset.sh/compare/superset-vs-conductor)) | Your computers and servers; the cloud only relays | | Isolation | An isolated workspace per agent ([docs](https://www.conductor.build/docs)) | A git worktree per agent ([home](https://superset.sh/)) | A git worktree and branch per chat if you want one, plus a Main chat | | Several accounts per provider | Not mentioned ([pricing](https://www.conductor.build/pricing), [docs](https://www.conductor.build/docs)) | Claude Code and Codex logins per host; you pick the default ([usage](https://docs.superset.sh/usage)) | Any provider; each sign-in or key is a source | | Running chat moves at a limit | Not documented ([docs](https://www.conductor.build/docs)) | No: keeps its account until relaunched ([usage](https://docs.superset.sh/usage)) | Yes, automatically, on every device | | Team work | Multiplayer, up to 5 on Pro; Teams any size ([pricing](https://www.conductor.build/pricing)) | Unlimited users on Pro ([pricing](https://superset.sh/pricing)) | Shared projects, an opt-in beta in 5.1; sharing needs Pro | | Phone | iOS app since 2026-10-02 ([0.90.0](https://www.conductor.build/changelog/0.90.0-conductor-for-ios)) | iPhone and iPad app ([home](https://superset.sh/)) | Web app now; native iOS and Android due November 2026 | | Programmatic control | Conductor API on Pro ([pricing](https://www.conductor.build/pricing)) | CLI, SDK, MCP server ([home](https://superset.sh/)) | No public API or SDK | | Source | Not described as open ([home](https://www.conductor.build/)) | ELv2, source-available ([home](https://superset.sh/)) | Not described as open | | Paid plan | Pro $50/mo; Teams $60/user/mo ([pricing](https://www.conductor.build/pricing)) | Pro $20/user/mo, $15 yearly ([pricing](https://superset.sh/pricing)) | Pro €49/mo or €490/yr (2 months free) | ## Pick Conductor if… # - Everyone who'll use it is on a Mac. - You want agents to keep running in a managed cloud while your laptop sleeps, and you'd rather not own a server. Conductor's cloud workspaces come with Pro; the pricing page says there's no extra fee today and usage-based pricing for cloud compute is planned. - Live collaboration matters now. Multiplayer ships on Pro for up to five people, and Teams has an admin portal and central billing. - You want a native iOS app today. More in [Shuriken vs Conductor](https://shuriken.sh/compare/conductor). ## Pick Superset if… # - You're on a Mac (or happy with an experimental Linux AppImage). - You want to drive your agents from scripts: a CLI, a TypeScript SDK, or an MCP server another agent can call. - Your buyer asks for SOC 2. Superset says it completed a SOC 2 Type II audit, with the report on Enterprise. - Price per seat matters most. $15–$20 per user is the lowest paid tier of the three. - You like being able to read the source (ELv2). More in [Shuriken vs Superset](https://shuriken.sh/compare/superset). In Shuriken a chat can work on its own branch in its own worktree, and Finish merges it after your checks. [Download](https://shuriken.sh/download) ## Pick Shuriken if… # - Anyone on the team uses Windows or Linux, or you want agents on a headless server you own (Linux, macOS or Windows), installed from the app with the agent CLIs set up for you. - You run several Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini accounts and you're tired of logging in and out. Add each as a source; when one reaches your switch point (99% by default) or hits a limit, your chats move to the account with the most room, and a card in the chat says so. Claude Code chats move on their next request, subagents included. See [source switching](https://shuriken.sh/features/source-switching). - You want limits to come back sooner. With [session limits](https://shuriken.sh/features/session-clock), Shuriken starts an idle Claude account's 5-hour window with one tiny background request, so it resets hours earlier than if it waited for you. - You want one MCP sign-in for everything. [Global MCPs](https://shuriken.sh/features/global-mcps) work in any project, on any account and any device. - You talk to your agents. [Voice](https://shuriken.sh/features/voice) turns your speech into text on your own computer by default, and text you paste mid-sentence lands where you were. - You use agents beyond the big three. Shuriken runs 67 of them, each with the sign-ins you already have. Only add accounts you own and are entitled to use. Providers' terms may not allow sharing a subscription sign-in. ## Where your agents actually run # This is the question that splits the three most clearly, so it's worth a closer look. Conductor runs agents in local workspaces on your Mac, or, on Pro and up, in Conductor's own cloud workspaces. Its routines run in the cloud too. If you want work to continue with your laptop shut and you don't want to look after a machine, that's the simplest option of the three. The trade-off is that the work runs on someone else's computer, and Conductor says usage-based pricing for cloud compute is coming. Superset says code runs "on your machine" by default: repos, worktrees and agent sessions stay local, and its cloud sync covers account and organisation metadata only ([pricing FAQ](https://superset.sh/pricing)). You can add any machine as a host, so work keeps running when your laptop sleeps, and Superset's own comparison also lists cloud workspaces ([comparison](https://superset.sh/compare/superset-vs-conductor)). Shuriken runs agents only on computers and servers you own. A server can be Linux, macOS or Windows; the installer sets up the agent CLIs and GitHub sign-in and keeps itself updated to signed releases. Shuriken's cloud signs you in, links your devices and relays end-to-end encrypted messages. It runs no agents and stores no code. And on a MacBook, Cocaine mode keeps the machine working with the lid closed, which is exactly as dramatic as it sounds and much less illegal. ## What none of them does for you # None of the three sells model usage. You bring your Claude, ChatGPT or other plans and API keys, and the limits are the provider's. A harness can make those limits easier to live with, but it can't raise them. If limits are the problem you're solving, our guide to [Claude's 5-hour limit](https://shuriken.sh/guides/claude-5-hour-limit-explained) explains how the windows really work. ## How we'd test them # Spend an afternoon, not a week: - Open the same repository in each and start three agents on three small tasks. - Close your laptop lid for ten minutes. Note which agents kept going, and where they ran. - Run one long Claude Code task on an account that's nearly out. Note what happens at the limit. - Check each one from your phone. - Merge one change and count the clicks. If you want more options than these three, see [the best parallel coding agent tools](https://shuriken.sh/compare/best-parallel-coding-agent-tools). If Shuriken fits, [download it](https://shuriken.sh/download): the free plan needs no card. Share [X](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshuriken.sh%2Fcompare%2Fsuperset-vs-conductor&text=Superset%20vs%20Conductor%20vs%20Shuriken%20(2026))[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshuriken.sh%2Fcompare%2Fsuperset-vs-conductor)[Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/submitlink?u=https%3A%2F%2Fshuriken.sh%2Fcompare%2Fsuperset-vs-conductor&t=Superset%20vs%20Conductor%20vs%20Shuriken%20(2026))[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshuriken.sh%2Fcompare%2Fsuperset-vs-conductor&title=Superset%20vs%20Conductor%20vs%20Shuriken%20(2026))[E-mail](mailto:?subject=Superset%20vs%20Conductor%20vs%20Shuriken%20(2026)&body=https%3A%2F%2Fshuriken.sh%2Fcompare%2Fsuperset-vs-conductor) ## Sources - [Conductor home page](https://www.conductor.build/) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Conductor pricing](https://www.conductor.build/pricing) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Conductor docs](https://www.conductor.build/docs) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Conductor 0.90.0: Conductor for iOS](https://www.conductor.build/changelog/0.90.0-conductor-for-ios) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Conductor 0.85.0: Sections, routines, and a new model picker](https://www.conductor.build/changelog/0.85.0-sections-routines-and-a-new-model-picker) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Superset home page](https://superset.sh/) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Superset pricing](https://superset.sh/pricing) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Superset docs: Install](https://docs.superset.sh/install) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Superset docs: Usage (multiple accounts)](https://docs.superset.sh/usage) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Superset vs Conductor (Superset's own comparison)](https://superset.sh/compare/superset-vs-conductor) (accessed 22 October 2026) - [Superset will have a new name later this month](https://superset.sh/blog/a-new-name) (accessed 22 October 2026) ## Frequently asked questions **Which of the three runs on Windows?** Shuriken, as a desktop app for Windows 10 and 11 (x64). Conductor describes a Mac app, and Superset's docs say Windows is not yet available (both read 2026-10-22). **Which is cheapest?** All three have a free plan. Paid: Superset Pro is $20 per user a month ($15 billed yearly), Shuriken Pro is €49 a month or €490 a year (2 months free), and Conductor Pro is $50 a month, with Teams at $60 per user. **Are any of them open source?** Superset publishes its source under the Elastic License 2.0, which it calls source-available rather than open source. Conductor's site doesn't describe it as open source, and neither do we for Shuriken. **Do they bill for model usage?** No. All three run agents on your own Claude, ChatGPT and other plans or API keys. Conductor says it plans usage-based pricing for its cloud compute in the future. Parallel agents Agents side by side, each on its own branch if you want. A new chat gets its own branch and worktree unless you pick the project folder, so agents don't step on each other. Finish runs your checks and merges each one back. [Download](https://shuriken.sh/download) [Other platforms](https://shuriken.sh/download#main) ## Keep reading - [Claude Code on its own vs Claude Code in Shuriken: Comparison 27 Oct 2026 3 min read Shuriken runs the real Claude Code CLI, so this isn't either-or. What the CLI does well alone, what Shuriken adds around it, and when you don't need it.](https://shuriken.sh/compare/claude-code-vs-shuriken) - [Shuriken vs Claude Squad (2026): Comparison 27 Oct 2026 5 min read Claude Squad is a free terminal tool that runs agents in tmux and git worktrees. Shuriken is a desktop app with accounts, phone and MCPs. Compared.](https://shuriken.sh/compare/claude-squad) - [Shuriken vs Nimbalyst (formerly Crystal): Comparison 27 Oct 2026 5 min read Crystal was deprecated in February 2026 in favour of Nimbalyst. How Nimbalyst and Shuriken compare if you ran Claude Code sessions in Crystal.](https://shuriken.sh/compare/nimbalyst) - [How Shuriken started: a tool we built for ourselves: Story 27 Oct 2026 4 min read We build software for clients and ourselves. No harness fit how heavily we use AI, so we built our own. Then a programmer asked: why don't we sell this?](https://shuriken.sh/blog/how-shuriken-started) - [Best Claude Code apps and GUIs (2026): Comparison 27 Oct 2026 7 min read The Claude Code apps worth trying in 2026, picked by need: official, Mac-first, free and open source, terminal, many accounts. Platforms and prices, cited.](https://shuriken.sh/compare/best-claude-code-apps) - [Vibe Kanban alternatives (2026): Comparison 27 Oct 2026 6 min read Vibe Kanban still runs locally after its maker shut down in April 2026. If you move, Emdash is closest in spirit; Orca and Superset are strong too.](https://shuriken.sh/compare/vibe-kanban-alternatives) - [Shuriken vs Warp (2026): Comparison 27 Oct 2026 5 min read Warp is an open-source terminal plus cloud infrastructure for team software factories. Shuriken is a personal harness for your own agents and accounts.](https://shuriken.sh/compare/warp) ## Free tools - [Claude limit reset tracker](https://shuriken.sh/tools/limit-resets/claude) - [Codex limit reset tracker](https://shuriken.sh/tools/limit-resets/codex)