Styx vs Conductor
Styx and Conductor are both agentic development environments (ADEs): Mac apps for running several coding agents at once, each on its own branch, without them tripping over each other or you. If that is all you need, either will do it well. They differ in what surrounds the agents.
Side by side
| Styx | Conductor | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Mac (Apple silicon); Windows 10 and 11 and Linux (beta) | Mac |
| Agents | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, Goose | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode |
| Price | Free and open source (Apache 2.0) | Free locally; Pro $50/month, Teams $60/user/month |
| Each agent isolated | Own git worktree and branch | Own workspace, worktree and branch |
| Scope of one window | Every project you work on | Workspaces across the repositories you add |
| Review | Changes turn by turn; undo a turn, revert a hunk or ask for changes; runs your checks before landing once it has learned them | Diff viewer, pull requests, merge, checks |
| Your editor | Imports recents, keybindings and theme; opens files back in it | Not part of its docs |
| Secrets | In the OS keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Linux Secret Service); agents get scoped, expiring access | Env vars and a .env in the project, readable by agents |
| Production access | Agents ask; you approve for a set time; Touch ID, Windows Hello or your system password on Linux for live systems | Not part of its docs |
| Audit log | Every request, approval and use, append-only | Not part of its docs |
| Deploy targets | Vercel, Supabase, AWS, Google Cloud, Fly.io, Railway, Render, GitHub, SSH | Not part of its docs |
| Cloud workspaces | No: everything runs on your computer | Yes, on Pro and above |
| Team collaboration | No | Multiplayer on Pro; Teams plan |
| Issue tracker | No | Starts work from Linear issues |
“Not part of its docs” means we could not find it in Conductor's own material on 29 September 2026, not that it can never be done with it. Tell us at hello@heystyx.com if something here is wrong and we will fix it.
Where Conductor is ahead
- Cloud workspaces. Agents can run on Conductor’s machines, so work carries on with your laptop closed. Styx runs everything on your computer.
- Teams. Conductor has live collaboration and an admin portal. Styx is for one person today.
- Linear. Conductor can start a workspace straight from a Linear issue.
Where Styx is different
Every project, one window
Styx is built around switching between everything you work on: each project, its agents and the ones waiting on you, one keystroke apart. Nothing is organised around a single repository.
Agents never hold your keys
Useful agents need real things: a deploy, a database, a server. In Styx the credentials stay in your system’s keychain. When an agent wants production, it stops and asks; you approve it for a set time, with Touch ID, Windows Hello or your password for anything live, and the access ends on its own. Every request, approval and use goes into a log nobody can edit.
On top of your editor
Styx brings in your editor’s recent projects, keybindings and theme, and opens any file back in it with one key. It is not trying to be the place you write code.
One honest limit: this is a guardrail, not a sandbox. Agents run as you, on your computer, and an agent that deliberately goes around Styx’s tools is not stopped by them.
Which to choose
Choose Conductor if you want agents running in the cloud, work as a team, or start tasks from Linear. Choose Styx if you work across several projects and want your agents near production without handing them the keys.
Download Styx. It is free and open source. See every comparison.
Questions
Is Styx a Conductor alternative?
Yes. Both are Mac apps that run coding agents like Claude Code and Codex in parallel, each in its own git worktree. Styx adds every project in one window and a gate on production access; Conductor adds cloud workspaces and team collaboration.
Do I need new subscriptions to use either?
No. Both use the agent logins you already have, such as a Claude or ChatGPT subscription. Styx is free; Conductor is free for local use, with paid plans for cloud workspaces and teams.
Can I use both?
Yes. Both work on ordinary git worktrees and branches in your own repositories, so neither locks your work in.
What is an agentic development environment (ADE)?
An app for managing AI agents that write code, rather than for writing code yourself: several agents in parallel, each isolated on its own branch, with a place to see who needs you and to review what they did. Warp coined the term in June 2025.