Treq vs Conductor
Both run agents in isolated workspaces. Treq bets on stacked review. Conductor bets on a polished Mac workflow.
Treq and Conductor solve the same first problem. Each coding agent gets its own workspace, branch, files, terminal, and review path. Their models diverge when tasks depend on one another.
Treq is a Stacking ADE built around dependent workspaces, human review, and automatic rebasing. Conductor focuses on a Mac-native interface for running Claude, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode agents as a team.
At a Glance
| Treq | Conductor | |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Stacking ADE, open-source Graphite alternative | Human interface to AI organizations on your Mac |
| Platform | Desktop app, currently marketed for macOS | Mac-first desktop app |
| Isolation model | Jujutsu workspaces over a colocated Git repo | Per-task workspace, branch, files, terminal, and diff |
| Review surface | PR-style diffs with comments sent back to the agent | Diff and review path per task |
| Stacked changes | Core workflow | Not emphasized publicly |
| Auto-rebase | Core workflow | Not emphasized publicly |
| Agent support | Claude, Codex, and Cursor shown today | Claude, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode |
| Cloud | Not public on the site today | Cloud early access |
| Open source | Apache 2.0 | No public OSS repo surfaced |
| Pricing | Free and open source | Download-first, public self-serve pricing not disclosed |
What Each Product Does
Treq manages parallel workspaces for coding agents and keeps the merge path under human control. You inspect changes, leave line comments, and send that feedback back into the agent loop. Dependent workspaces can target each other as a stack. When a lower layer moves, Treq rebases higher layers and surfaces conflicts.
Conductor is a Mac app for running a team of coding agents. Each task gets an isolated workspace with its own branch, files, terminal, diff, and review path. Public materials highlight Linear integration, multiple run scripts, and a download-first path that uses your existing Claude login. The product story centers on a polished human interface for AI teams. Stacked PR mechanics are not the public focus.
Both products assume agents need isolation. Both assume developers still need a review step before merge. Neither is a general AI code editor. Both sit above the agents as a control layer.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Treq | Conductor |
|---|---|---|
| Local-first desktop app | Yes | Yes, Mac-first |
| Parallel agent sessions | Yes | Yes |
| Workspace isolation | Yes | Yes |
| Review and diff UI | Strong emphasis | Yes |
| Comments sent back to the agent | Yes | Review path exists, agent-loop comments are not the public center |
| Stacked PR or stacked workspace support | Yes | Not emphasized publicly |
| Auto-rebase and conflict handling | Yes | Not emphasized publicly |
| Issue tracker integration | Not public on the site today | Linear integration |
| Cloud workspaces | Not public on the site today | Cloud early access |
| Open source | Apache 2.0 | Closed source in public materials |
Where They Differ
Conductor's public strength is commercial and product momentum. It presents a clear Mac-native workflow, strong growth signals, and team-facing motion. If your team already lives in Claude, Codex, Cursor, or OpenCode on macOS, that focus can reduce setup cost.
Treq's workflow starts with the stack. A workspace can target another workspace, so dependent changes retain their merge order while agents work. Review comments return to the agent, and automatic rebasing keeps higher layers current when a lower layer changes.
Platform scope also differs. Conductor's Mac-first story narrows the audience and sharpens the experience. Treq's open-source packaging makes inspection and contribution part of the adoption path. Cloud workspaces exist as early access in Conductor's public materials. They are not a public Treq offering today.
Pricing and Licensing
Treq is free and open source under Apache 2.0. There is no public paid plan today.
Conductor's site is download-first. Launch copy has described free use with an existing Claude login. Team and commercial terms also exist. Public self-serve pricing is not a clear bottom-funnel page in the same way as products with published Pro tiers.
Model and agent usage fees remain separate in both cases.
Who Should Choose Which
Choose Treq if you:
- Need stacked workspaces and automatic rebasing for dependent AI changes.
- Want PR-style review comments to drive the next agent turn.
- Prefer Apache 2.0 open source and local review data.
- Care more about branch hygiene and safe shipping than about Mac-native polish alone.
Choose Conductor if you:
- Want a polished Mac app centered on Claude, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode.
- Prefer a download-first product with Linear integration and cloud early access.
- Care more about team orchestration narrative and commercial packaging than stacked PR tooling.
- Are less concerned about open-source licensing for the orchestrator itself.
Next Steps
- Treq vs Superset: breadth and packaging versus review-focused orchestration.
- Treq vs Orca: broad ADE features versus a stack-native workflow.
- Changes and reviews: how Treq turns diffs into agent feedback.
- Workspaces: how stacked workspaces and rebases work.
- Installation: install Treq and open a repository.