splash

SplashCompareAgent Orchestrator

Splash and Agent Orchestrator, compared.

Splash and Agent Orchestrator are desktop apps that run coding agents in parallel, each session able to use its own git worktree. Agent Orchestrator runs agents in their own terminal interfaces, or in Chat for some, adds a planning agent per project and follows pull requests through CI and review. Splash drives every agent over the Agent Client Protocol and renders a transcript.

Checked 10 October 202657 sourcesNot affiliated with Orchestrator.inc

Splash

Helge Sverre

A desktop app for running several coding agents at once, each session in its project folder or its own git worktree. It drives agents over the Agent Client Protocol.12

splash.computer

Agent Orchestrator

Orchestrator.inc

A desktop app, built around a local Go daemon, for supervising third-party coding agents in their own worktrees, with a planning agent per project and pull requests followed through CI, review and merge.3456

orchestrator.inc

Side by side

SplashAgent Orchestrator
The basics
What it is Desktop app, plus a headless server you open in a browser17 Electron app over a local Go daemon, plus an optional ao CLI, iOS and Android companions and a waitlisted hosted Cloud48910
Release status v0.2.1, early development111 v0.13.6 (9 October 2026), plus early-access Nightly builds that come out often; the docs are checked against v0.13.312133
License Open source (MIT)14 Open source (Apache 2.0); the hosted Cloud’s web app is not in the public repository61516
Price Free17 Free desktop app, CLI and phone apps; Cloud pricing is unpublished; a design-partner pilot for companies costs $500–2,000 a month5131819
Platforms macOS 14+ (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 11 x64, Ubuntu 24.04 x6420 macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows x64, Linux x64 (AppImage, .deb, .rpm); companions for iOS/iPadOS 16.4+ and Android2113122223
Agents
Agents Ships launch commands for 20 agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Goose, OpenCode2425 35 harnesses in the docs catalog, 23 to 25 on the site, among them Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Copilot and Cursor26519
How it runs agents Agent Client Protocol over stdio, natively or through a pinned adapter for the vendor’s CLI242 Agents’ own terminal UIs in a PTY the app hosts; 13 harnesses have Chat, mostly over ACP, Codex over its app-server26427
Agent sign-in Who pays for the model You install and sign in to each agent’s CLI yourself; Splash runs it with that login25 Uses the agent CLIs and logins already on your computer; each provider bills usage, and no API calls pass through Orchestrator9155
Account required Splash has no accounts; splash-server asks for a token it keeps in its data folder287 None for the local app; Cloud and remote hosts need sign-in to an Orchestrator account5182930
Permission requests When an agent asks before it acts Yes: Shown in the transcript and answered with the 1–9 keys; pending ones wait in Needs attention31 Yes: Chat shows approvals and structured questions, and a waiting session is marked Blocked; projects can store permission defaults, bypass included323334
Working in parallel
Isolation per session Yes: The project folder, or a git worktree on its own branch per session31 Yes: A git worktree and branch per Git-backed session, kept under ~/.ao; multi-repo projects add child repos; Scratch sessions use plain folders353637
Setup scripts and dev servers No: A worktree is a plain git checkout; Splash runs no setup scripts or dev servers3138 Yes: Per-project Setup and Cleanup steps, env vars and symlinked files like .env; ao preview start runs one command from .ao/launch.json and shows it in the session browser33832
What needs you Yes: One queue for permission requests, connection failures and finished turns, kept across restarts3139 Yes: Board columns for Working, Needs you, In review and Ready to merge, plus a notification center, desktop alerts and phone pushes5632
Agents handing off work One agent launching or messaging another No: Each session is one agent in one folder; sessions don’t hand work to each other131 Yes: Each project has an orchestrator agent that breaks a plan into tasks, starts or redirects workers and follows their progress65
Scheduled tasks Agents that start without a prompt from you No: No scheduler; an agent starts when you create, continue or prompt a session40 Yes: Automations on cron or RRULE schedules, with run history; they run while the app is open and the computer awake41
Built-in browser No: No built-in browser; the workbench holds git changes, a file tree, diff and file tabs, and a terminal31 Yes: A per-session browser agents can drive, with DevTools, annotations sent to Chat and profile import from Chrome, Firefox or Safari32
Review and shipping
Review changes Yes: Latest response, failed tools and every changed file as a diff, with a box to send feedback31 Yes: Files inspector for workspace or PR diffs; line comments go to the agent, batched since v0.13.5; reviewer agents add findings324243
Files and diffs Partly: File tree, git changes and diff tabs; files open read-only, with no editor3144 Yes: Files browses the whole workspace tree beside local and PR diffs; workspaces and files open in IDEs like Cursor through deep links45325
Create pull requests No: Shows the PR for a session’s branch and starts worktrees from PR heads; does not create PRs3146 Partly: Worker agents open PRs, and sessions can claim existing ones; Orchestrator tracks them and has a merge action but no auto-merge setting351541
GitHub Yes: Issues, pull requests and Actions runs across repositories, through the gh CLI3146 Yes: GitHub PRs and GitLab MRs: checks, reviewers, open comments and mergeability, with failing CI and review feedback routed to the agent474835
Issue trackers Partly: GitHub (github.com), through the gh CLI; no Linear or Jira3146 Partly: Opt-in GitHub and GitLab issue intake, off by default, that doesn’t write back to issues; Linear isn’t supported, Jira isn’t documented4950
Where it runs
Cloud execution No: Agents run as child processes on your computer, or on your own server with splash-server17 Partly: Waitlisted Cloud runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode in hosted sandboxes, Coder-backed ones included; pricing is unpublished18105112
Remote access Yes: splash-server runs on the machine with your code; you use it in a browser over an SSH tunnel. Single user.7 Partly: Experimental: the desktop connects to several self-hosted Linux or macOS hosts, with account sign-in; SSH workspaces aren’t documented302952
Mobile app No: No mobile app; builds cover macOS, Windows, Ubuntu and a headless server20 Yes: Free iOS/iPadOS and Android companions connect to your desktop over LAN, Tailscale (not currently on iPhone) or a Cloudflare tunnel; agents run there29222313
Auto-update No: Download new versions from GitHub Releases; the app does not update itself2053 Yes: Desktop builds look for updates at launch and periodically while running5421
History and search
Existing agent history Conversations started outside the app Yes: Browse, preview and import conversations agents list over ACP, including ones started outside Splash3139 Not documented: Not documented; ao import covers legacy Orchestrator projects, and a stopped agent can be resumed in its session5433
Fork a conversation Partly: Experimental: fork the current conversation when the agent supports it, not from an earlier message3139 Partly: Claude Code Chat lets you edit a message and carry on in a conversation branch, keeping the original path45
Search transcripts Yes: Search titles, folders and saved transcript text, archived sessions included31 Not documented: Not documented; the command palette finds actions, projects, sessions by title, PRs and, since v0.13.4, workspace files555256

Where they differ

How agents connect

Agent Orchestrator runs harnesses’ own terminal interfaces in a PTY it hosts. Thirteen offer Chat, most over ACP (Claude Code through a bundled claude-agent-acp adapter), Codex over its app-server. Adapters are compiled into the app, so adding an agent means writing a Go adapter; there is no plugin install. Splash speaks the Agent Client Protocol with every agent, natively or through a pinned adapter.26427857242

Where agents run

Agent Orchestrator’s daemon runs on your computer and listens on loopback. Phones pair with it over LAN, Tailscale or a Cloudflare tunnel, experimental remote hosts run it on another Linux or macOS machine, and a waitlisted Cloud runs agents in hosted sandboxes. Splash runs agents on your computer, or under splash-server on a machine you reach through an SSH tunnel.42129301817

Price, accounts and license

Agent Orchestrator is Apache-2.0 licensed and free to use locally with no account. Cloud and remote hosts need an Orchestrator sign-in, Cloud pricing is not published, the Cloud web app is not in the public repository, and companies can join a paid design-partner pilot. Splash is free, MIT-licensed and has no accounts.15518301619141728

Around the session

Agent Orchestrator centers on the path to a merged pull request: a planning agent per project, a board of session states, reviewer agents, CI failures and review comments sent back to the worker, automations and a browser per session. Splash centers on the conversation: a transcript, a Needs attention queue, a review screen, transcript search and importing sessions started elsewhere.65434841323139

Platforms and updates

Agent Orchestrator ships desktop builds for macOS, Windows x64 and Linux x64 that check for updates themselves, plus iOS/iPadOS and Android companion apps. Splash builds for macOS 14+, Windows 11 x64 and Ubuntu 24.04 x64 plus a headless server, has no phone app, and is updated by downloading a new release from GitHub.21135422232053

Which one fits

Splash may suit you if

  • You want every agent driven over the Agent Client Protocol, with its work shown as one transcript.
  • You want to import conversations your agents started outside the app and search their text with the rest.
  • You want to run sessions on your own server and use them from a browser over an SSH tunnel.
  • You want a GitHub view of issues, pull requests and Actions runs across many repositories.

Agent Orchestrator may suit you if

  • You want a planning agent per project that splits goals into tasks and directs worker agents.
  • You want pull requests followed through CI, reviewer agents and merge, with failures sent back to the agent.
  • You want iPhone and Android companions, a browser per session and scheduled automations.
  • You want setup and cleanup steps, env vars and dev-server previews per project, in an app that updates itself.

Sources

Facts about Agent Orchestrator come from its public website, documentation and repositories as they read on 10 October 2026; we haven't confirmed each one by running Agent Orchestrator. Facts about Splash link to its source. Products change, so check the linked pages before deciding. Something wrong or out of date? Open an issue.

  1. 1 Splash README Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  2. 2 Agent Client Protocol agentclientprotocol.com · agentclientprotocol.com · checked 2026-10-09
  3. 3 Introduction Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  4. 4 Architecture Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  5. 5 Run Coding Agents in Parallel Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  6. 6 OrchestratorInc/agent-orchestrator OrchestratorInc/agent-orchestrator on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  7. 7 Splash README: Run as a web app over SSH Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  8. 8 CLI reference Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  9. 9 Installation Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  10. 10 Orchestrator.inc Cloud: coding agents that run in the cloud Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  11. 11 Splash releases Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  12. 12 Release v0.13.6 OrchestratorInc/agent-orchestrator on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  13. 13 Download Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  14. 14 LICENSE Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  15. 15 FAQ Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  16. 16 AO Cloud README OrchestratorInc/agent-orchestrator on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  17. 17 Download Splash splash.computer · splash.computer · checked 2026-10-09
  18. 18 Cloud sessions Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  19. 19 Design Partner Program Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  20. 20 Splash README: Download the app Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  21. 21 Platforms Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  22. 22 AO - Mobile Apple App Store · apps.apple.com · checked 2026-10-10
  23. 23 AO - Mobile Google Play · play.google.com · checked 2026-10-10
  24. 24 src/agents/registry.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  25. 25 Splash README: Agents Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  26. 26 Agent adapters Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  27. 27 backend/internal/adapters/chatdriver/claudeacp/driver.go OrchestratorInc/agent-orchestrator on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  28. 28 Splash README: Build from source Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  29. 29 Connect Mobile Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  30. 30 Self-hosted remote hosts (experimental) OrchestratorInc/agent-orchestrator on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  31. 31 Splash README: Features Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  32. 32 Dashboard Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  33. 33 Projects Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  34. 34 Account switching, browser profiles, and permission defaults Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  35. 35 Quickstart Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  36. 36 Parallel work Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  37. 37 Workspaces Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  38. 38 src/worktree.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  39. 39 Splash README: Existing sessions and review Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  40. 40 Splash README: How it works Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  41. 41 Automation reference Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  42. 42 v0.13.5 Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  43. 43 Review loop Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  44. 44 app/src/components/FileTab.svelte Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  45. 45 Cost estimates, editable chat, and full workspace files Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  46. 46 Splash README: GitHub view Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  47. 47 Source control and pull requests Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  48. 48 CI recovery Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  49. 49 Issue tracking Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  50. 50 GitHub issue intake Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  51. 51 AO Mobile v2.0.0, scheduled automations, and visible context limits Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  52. 52 v0.13.4 Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  53. 53 app/src/components/settings/About.svelte Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  54. 54 Migration Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  55. 55 Mobile alerts, standalone terminals, and a more capable browser Orchestrator.inc · orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10
  56. 56 frontend/src/renderer/lib/command-palette.ts OrchestratorInc/agent-orchestrator on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  57. 57 Adapter development Orchestrator.inc · docs.orchestrator.inc · checked 2026-10-10