splash

SplashCompareDelta

Splash and Delta, compared.

Splash and Delta both run coding agents and can give each its own checkout. Delta, from the makers of Zed, runs its own agent on models you connect or Zed hosts, and syncs threads through Zed’s servers so teammates can join in. Splash, a free, open-source desktop app, drives agents such as Claude Code and Codex over the Agent Client Protocol.

Checked 10 October 202649 sourcesNot affiliated with Zed Industries

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

Delta

Zed Industries

A desktop and web app where each thread pairs a conversation with Delta’s own agent and a checkout of the repository. Teammates can join a thread live, steer the agent and review its changes.3456

delta.dev

Side by side

SplashDelta
The basics
What it is Desktop app, plus a headless server you open in a browser17 Desktop app where each thread pairs an agent conversation with a repository checkout, plus Delta Web and a delta command-line tool38910
Release status v0.2.1, early development111 Public beta since 16 September 2026; 28 releases from 0.1.1 (24 August) to 0.19.2 (9 October 2026)121314
License Open source (MIT)15 Proprietary, with no public source code; use falls under the Early Access Agreement’s revocable, non-commercial license16178
Price Free18 Personal: $0 with your own keys or subscriptions. Pro: $10 a month with $5 of hosted tokens. Business: $30 per seat monthly1920
Platforms macOS 14+ (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 11 x64, Ubuntu 24.04 x6421 macOS 13+ on Apple silicon (no Intel build), Linux and Windows on x64 and ARM64, a NixOS flake, and browsers138169
Built with Rust, with a Svelte 5 frontend in a webview, built on the Elyra framework22 Rust; Delta Web is the same app compiled to WebAssembly and drawn with WebGL23
Agents
Agents Ships launch commands for 20 agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Goose, OpenCode2425 Delta’s own agent harness; the pricing page mentions external agents, but ACP support for Claude Code and others is still in progress41926
How it runs agents Agent Client Protocol over stdio, natively or through a pinned adapter for the vendor’s CLI242 A built-in harness, with one system prompt for every model, that sends requests to the chosen model provider; Zed-hosted models go through Zed Cloud427
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 ChatGPT, Copilot or Grok subscriptions; keys for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter or OpenCode; Zed-hosted models; OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible endpoints on desktop102829
Account required Splash has no accounts; splash-server asks for a token it keeps in its data folder307 A Zed account through GitHub sign-in, plus the accepted Early Access Agreement; you must be online to open a workspace3132
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 attention33 No: None: the agent calls tools, destructive ones included, without asking; agent permissions are on the roadmap34
MCP servers Partly: Read-only list of MCP servers from Claude Code, Codex, Pi, Pool and Glue config files3335 No: MCP configuration is restricted to Zed staff in v0.19.2; MCP support is in progress on the roadmap1026
Working in parallel
Isolation per session Yes: The project folder, or a git worktree on its own branch per session33 Yes: A Delta worktree per project in each thread by default: a separate Git clone, not a git worktree. Existing checkouts also work363710
Setup scripts and dev servers No: A worktree is a plain git checkout; Splash runs no setup scripts or dev servers3338 Yes: An .agents/prepare script runs in each new managed checkout, and .agents/linked shares ignored files like .env; you assign ports39
Terminal Yes: A terminal in the session folder33 Yes: On desktop, an interactive terminal in the thread’s checkout, opened from the composer or File menu; Background Mode keeps servers running409
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 other133 Yes: Worker, Scout and Reviewer subagents plus custom profiles, up to four running per thread by default; agents can message other threads and, on desktop, start new ones414210
Team collaboration Several people in one thread No: splash-server is a personal, single-user service, not a multi-user deployment7 Yes: Shared threads show messages, edits and agent activity live, and everyone can steer and comment; invitees join as editors5
What needs you Yes: One queue for permission requests, connection failures and finished turns, kept across restarts3343 Yes: An Inbox for mentions and invitations, unread and running markers, subagent statuses, and system notifications when an agent finishes in the background104142
Review and shipping
Review changes Yes: Latest response, failed tools and every changed file as a diff, with a box to send feedback33 Yes: A Changes tab diffs the branch, uncommitted work, the last turn or one commit; line comments; review threads with Approve or Request Changes verdicts106
Create pull requests No: Shows the PR for a session’s branch and starts worktrees from PR heads; does not create PRs3344 Partly: No PR screen: the agent pushes and opens PRs when asked, and Land Changes runs your project’s landing skill on desktop6
GitHub Yes: Issues, pull requests and Actions runs across repositories, through the gh CLI3344 Partly: Land result cards show the CI status the agent reports; the 0.6.0 notes add CI status in threads via a GitHub token; PRs the agent opens can link back61242
Where it runs
Cloud execution No: Agents run as child processes on your computer, or on your own server with splash-server17 No: Cloud Runner is restricted to Zed staff in v0.19.2, though the homepage describes it; persistent cloud environments are in progress10326
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: Delta Web lets you join, review and message threads; browser turns use hosted models and have no shell; SSH hosts aren’t documented95
Mobile app No: No mobile app; builds cover macOS, Windows, Ubuntu and a headless server21 Partly: No iOS or Android app is documented; Delta Web opens threads in phone and tablet browsers, with mobile Firefox unsupported9
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 Splash3343 Not documented: Not documented for other tools’ transcripts; a thread can start in an existing git worktree to carry on their file changes45
Search transcripts Yes: Search titles, folders and saved transcript text, archived sessions included33 Partly: Go to Thread searches titles, archived ones included, and ⌘F or Ctrl+F searches one thread; the agent can search other transcripts4627

Where they differ

How agents connect

Delta runs its own agent harness, with one system prompt for every model, on the providers you connect or on Zed-hosted models. Bringing Claude Code and other external agents in over ACP is in progress on its roadmap. Splash starts each vendor’s agent as a child process and speaks the Agent Client Protocol with it, natively or through an adapter.428261242

Where code and data live

Adding a project or creating a thread in Delta keeps its files and history on Zed’s servers, which run on Cloudflare. Telemetry and crash reports can’t be turned off, and Delta redacts secrets it recognizes before storing or sending content. Splash has no accounts, runs agents on your computer or your own splash-server, and saves transcripts in SQLite.47482749301722

Working together

Delta is built around shared threads: teammates follow messages, edits and agent activity live, steer the agent, comment and submit reviews from the desktop app or a browser, and each turn runs where its sender is working. Everyone in a shared thread can edit it, and sharing also gives access to the Delta worktree histories of its repositories, including those of threads that were not shared. splash-server is a personal, single-user service.569487

Safety defaults

Delta has no sandbox and no permission prompts: its agent calls tools without asking, and a repository’s setup scripts can run and its rules and skills become agent instructions with no review step. Permissions, sandboxing and trust controls for Delta worktrees are planned. Splash shows the permission requests an agent sends in the transcript, answered with the 1–9 keys, and keeps pending ones in Needs attention.342633

Price, license and platforms

Delta is proprietary and used under a revocable, non-commercial Early Access Agreement. Personal is $0 with your own keys or subscriptions; Pro is $10 a month and adds hosted models. It runs on Apple silicon Macs, Linux, Windows and the web. Splash is free and MIT-licensed, with builds for macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows and Ubuntu.161719139151821

Which one fits

Splash may suit you if

  • You want Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Copilot and other vendors’ agents side by side, driven over the Agent Client Protocol.
  • You want to answer the permission requests agents send from the transcript, with pending ones queued in one place.
  • You want a free, MIT-licensed app with no account, on an Intel Mac too, or on your own server over SSH.
  • You want to import conversations your agents started outside the app and search their full text.

Delta may suit you if

  • You want teammates to join an agent thread live, steer it, comment and approve its changes.
  • You want one built-in agent that runs on your ChatGPT, Copilot or Grok subscription, API keys or a local model server.
  • You want Worker, Scout and Reviewer subagents, and a prepare script that sets up each isolated checkout.
  • You want to open, review and message threads from a desktop or phone browser.

Sources

Facts about Delta come from its public website, documentation and repositories as they read on 10 October 2026; we haven't confirmed each one by running Delta. 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 A Multiplayer Environment for Coding with Agents Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  4. 4 Beyond Pass Rate: Harness Evals, and Their Blind Spots Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  5. 5 Collaborate in a Thread Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  6. 6 Reviewing & Syncing Changes Zed Industries · delta.dev · 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 Download Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  9. 9 Delta on the Web Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  10. 10 Delta 101 Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  11. 11 Splash releases Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  12. 12 Release notes Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  13. 13 Install Delta Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  14. 14 Replace PRs with Delta – Now in Public Beta Zed Industries · zed.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  15. 15 LICENSE Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  16. 16 zed-industries/delta-nix README zed-industries/delta-nix on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-10
  17. 17 Zed Early Access Agreement for Delta Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  18. 18 Download Splash splash.computer · splash.computer · checked 2026-10-09
  19. 19 Pricing Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  20. 20 Zed Pricing Zed Industries · zed.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  21. 21 Splash README: Download the app Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  22. 22 Splash README: How it works Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  23. 23 Introducing Delta Zed Industries · zed.dev · 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 Roadmap Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  27. 27 AI Privacy & Telemetry Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  28. 28 Models & Providers Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  29. 29 Plans & Usage Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  30. 30 Splash README: Build from source Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  31. 31 Sign In Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  32. 32 Troubleshooting Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  33. 33 Splash README: Features Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  34. 34 Agentic Safety Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  35. 35 src/agents/customize.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  36. 36 Core Concepts Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  37. 37 Delta Worktrees Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  38. 38 src/worktree.rs Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  39. 39 Prepare your project Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  40. 40 Terminals Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  41. 41 Subagents Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  42. 42 Settings Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  43. 43 Splash README: Existing sessions and review Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  44. 44 Splash README: GitHub view Splash on GitHub · github.com · checked 2026-10-09
  45. 45 The Diff: September 2026 Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  46. 46 Threads Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  47. 47 Quick Start Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  48. 48 Data Storage & Deletion Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10
  49. 49 Security Zed Industries · delta.dev · checked 2026-10-10