splash

SplashComparecmux

Splash and cmux, compared.

Splash and cmux are both desktop apps for running several coding agents at once. cmux, a native macOS terminal that embeds Ghostty, runs each agent’s own command-line interface in a pane. Splash, for macOS, Windows and Ubuntu, drives agents over the Agent Client Protocol and shows each session as a transcript.

Checked 10 October 202653 sourcesNot affiliated with Manaflow

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

cmux

Manaflow

A native macOS terminal that embeds Ghostty, adding vertical tabs, splits, a scriptable browser and notification rings for coding agents, which run as their own CLIs. Paid plans add cloud VMs and an iOS app.345

cmux.com

Side by side

Splashcmux
The basics
What it is Desktop app, plus a headless server you open in a browser16 Native macOS terminal app for coding agents; Manaflow also ships a cross-platform cmux TUI and a Linux nightly of cmux Browser3478
Release status v0.2.1, early development19 v0.65.0 (5 October 2026), plus nightlies. The iOS app, tmux mirroring and Conversations sidebar are beta1031112
License Open source (MIT)13 GPL-3.0-or-later for the app, CLI and TUI; BUSL-1.1 for server code. The site’s EULA and terms forbid modifying the app14151617
Price Free18 Free for local use; Pro $50 a month ($480 a year), Max $200 a month, Team $60 per user a month, Enterprise custom5
Platforms macOS 14+ (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 11 x64, Ubuntu 24.04 x6419 Desktop app: macOS 14+ on Apple silicon or Intel. Beta app for iPhone and iPad. cmux TUI: macOS, Linux and Windows2011217
Built with Rust, with a Svelte 5 frontend in a webview, built on the Elyra framework22 Swift and AppKit with libghostty for terminal rendering, not Electron; cmux TUI is written in Rust347
Agents
Agents Ships launch commands for 20 agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Goose, OpenCode2324 Any terminal agent CLI; cmux.com has pages for about 35, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and Cursor CLI425
How it runs agents Agent Client Protocol over stdio, natively or through a pinned adapter for the vendor’s CLI232 Each agent’s CLI in a Ghostty pane, tracked via escape sequences, hooks and wrappers; an Agent Chat MVP uses ACP for some263272829
Agent sign-in Who pays for the model You install and sign in to each agent’s CLI yourself; Splash runs it with that login24 Local agents use your own CLI logins and API keys at no charge from cmux; optional CodeRouter pools a team’s subscriptions530
Account required Splash has no accounts; splash-server asks for a token it keeps in its data folder316 Not for the terminal; Cloud, iOS pairing and CodeRouter need a cmux account (Apple, Google, GitHub or emailed-code sign-in)3233113034
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 attention35 Partly: A beta Feed, off by default, shows requests from agent hooks such as Claude Code’s, with Allow Once and Deny buttons1028
Working in parallel
Isolation per session Yes: The project folder, or a git worktree on its own branch per session35 Partly: No built-in worktree manager, by design; a documented custom command creates a worktree and starts agents in it3637
Setup scripts and dev servers No: A worktree is a plain git checkout; Splash runs no setup scripts or dev servers3538 Yes: cmux.json sets a setup command, per-terminal commands and env vars; the Dock runs dev servers, and the sidebar lists ports3739103
Terminal Yes: A terminal in the session folder35 Yes: The core of the app: GPU-accelerated Ghostty terminals with splits and tabs that read your existing Ghostty config3
What needs you Yes: One queue for permission requests, connection failures and finished turns, kept across restarts3540 Yes: Pane rings, sidebar unread badges and agent status, a notification panel and macOS notifications; ⌘⇧U jumps to the newest unread4310
Built-in browser No: No built-in browser; the workbench holds git changes, a file tree, diff and file tabs, and a terminal35 Yes: A browser split beside the terminal that agents script: DOM snapshots, clicks, JavaScript, console and network; it imports cookies from other browsers43
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 other135 Partly: Claude Code teammates, Codex subagents and oh-my-* orchestrator workers open as native cmux splits through a tmux shim411042
Review and shipping
Review changes Yes: Latest response, failed tools and every changed file as a diff, with a box to send feedback35 Yes: cmux diff opens a diff viewer; line comments, saved per repo, can go to an agent through a terminal TextBox1043
GitHub Yes: Issues, pull requests and Actions runs across repositories, through the gh CLI3544 Partly: The sidebar shows each workspace’s git branch and linked PR status and number; cmux pr sets or clears the link310
Where it runs
Cloud execution No: Agents run as child processes on your computer, or on your own server with splash-server16 Partly: Persistent Ubuntu microVMs on paid plans, opened as cmux workspaces with Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Pi installed; docs say early access, 0.65.0 notes say open to all3345464710
Remote access Yes: splash-server runs on the machine with your code; you use it in a browser over an SSH tunnel. Single user.6 Yes: Remote workspaces through cmux ssh, beta tmux mirroring, and stopped Claude Code sessions that move between the Mac and an SSH host481210
Mobile app No: No mobile app; builds cover macOS, Windows, Ubuntu and a headless server19 Partly: Beta iPhone and iPad app on TestFlight, on paid plans: it mirrors Mac terminals and forwards agent notifications11215
Auto-update No: Download new versions from GitHub Releases; the app does not update itself1949 Yes: Updates itself through Sparkle; an MDM policy lets admins turn this off2050
History and search
Existing agent history Yes: Browse, preview and import conversations agents list over ACP, including ones started outside Splash3540 Yes: Vault indexes on-disk sessions from Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Pi and others; drag one into a workspace to resume it5110
Search transcripts Yes: Search titles, folders and saved transcript text, archived sessions included35 Yes: Vault searches agent transcripts; the opt-in beta Conversations sidebar adds live sessions and history from several providers, with provider filters5110
Fork a conversation Partly: Experimental: fork the current conversation when the agent supports it, not from an earlier message3540 Yes: Fork Conversation copies a session, with its history and folder, into another split, tab or workspace; Vault also forks from checkpoints5210

Where they differ

How agents connect

cmux is a terminal: each agent runs its own CLI in a Ghostty pane, and cmux follows it through OSC 9/99/777 escape sequences, hooks that call cmux notify and wrapper scripts. An Agent Chat MVP in the repository uses ACP for some agents. Splash speaks the Agent Client Protocol with every agent and draws the conversation itself.26327291232

Where agents run

The cmux app needs macOS 14 or later. Agents run in its local terminals, on SSH hosts through cmux ssh, or, on paid plans, in cmux Cloud microVMs; a beta iOS app mirrors the Mac’s terminals. Splash runs on macOS, Windows and Ubuntu, or as splash-server on a machine you reach in a browser through an SSH tunnel.2048334611196

Price, accounts and license

The cmux repository is GPL-3.0-or-later, with server code under BUSL-1.1, while the EULA and terms on cmux.com, dated before the March 2026 switch to GPL, forbid modifying the app. Local use is free and needs no account; Cloud, iOS pairing and CodeRouter need one, and Pro costs $50 a month or $480 a year. Splash is free, MIT-licensed and has no accounts.14151617323311305131831

What each is built around

cmux calls itself a primitive: terminals, a browser, notifications, splits, and a CLI and socket API to script them, leaving worktrees and checkouts to your scripts and agents. It adds Vault, a diff viewer and a computer-use MCP server. Splash manages the sessions: an optional worktree each, a rendered transcript, a Needs attention queue and a GitHub view.34365110533544

Which one fits

Splash may suit you if

  • You want the same app on Windows and Ubuntu as well as macOS, or on your own server through a browser.
  • You want the app to create a git worktree on its own branch for each session.
  • You want every agent’s conversation drawn as a transcript over the Agent Client Protocol, with permission requests answered in one queue.
  • You want a free, MIT-licensed app with no accounts and a GitHub view of issues, pull requests and Actions runs.

cmux may suit you if

  • You want each agent’s own terminal interface in a native macOS terminal, with any CLI agent.
  • You want to script workspaces, splits and a built-in browser from a CLI and socket API.
  • You want setup commands, env vars and dev servers defined in project config files.
  • You want agents on SSH hosts or managed cloud VMs, plus an iPhone and iPad app that mirrors your Mac’s terminals.

Sources

Facts about cmux come from its public website, documentation and repositories as they read on 10 October 2026; we haven't confirmed each one by running cmux. 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 README.md manaflow-ai/cmux on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  4. 4 cmux - The terminal built for multitasking Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  5. 5 Pricing Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  6. 6 Splash README: Run as a web app over SSH Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  7. 7 cmux TUI documentation Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  8. 8 cmux Browser Nightly Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  9. 9 Splash releases Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  10. 10 Changelog Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  11. 11 iOS App Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  12. 12 Mirror Remote tmux Sessions over SSH (Beta) Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  13. 13 LICENSE Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  14. 14 LICENSE manaflow-ai/cmux on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  15. 15 cmux is now GPL Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  16. 16 EULA Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  17. 17 Terms of Service Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  18. 18 Download Splash splash.computer · splash.computer · checked 2026-10-09
  19. 19 Splash README: Download the app Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  20. 20 Getting Started Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  21. 21 cmux iOS Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  22. 22 Splash README: How it works Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  23. 23 src/agents/registry.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  24. 24 Splash README: Agents Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  25. 25 A terminal for coding agents Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  26. 26 Concepts Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  27. 27 Resources/bin/cmux-claude-wrapper manaflow-ai/cmux on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  28. 28 Session Restore Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  29. 29 agent-chat/README.md manaflow-ai/cmux on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  30. 30 CodeRouter model routing Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  31. 31 Splash README: Build from source Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  32. 32 llms.txt (documentation index) Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  33. 33 cmux Cloud Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  34. 34 Privacy Policy Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  35. 35 Splash README: Features Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  36. 36 cmux home Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  37. 37 Custom Commands and Actions Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  38. 38 src/worktree.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  39. 39 Dock Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  40. 40 Splash README: Existing sessions and review Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  41. 41 Claude Code Teams Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  42. 42 oh-my-codex Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  43. 43 Keyboard Shortcuts Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  44. 44 Splash README: GitHub view Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  45. 45 Cloud Machines Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  46. 46 cmux Cloud security Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  47. 47 Cloud Workspaces and Agents Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  48. 48 SSH Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  49. 49 app/src/components/settings/About.svelte Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  50. 50 Managed device policies (MDM) Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  51. 51 Vault Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  52. 52 Introducing cmux Fork Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10
  53. 53 Computer Use setup and agent tools Manaflow · cmux.com · checked 2026-10-10