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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, automatic rebasing, and agent-driven conflict resolution. Conductor focuses on a Mac-native interface for running Claude, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode agents as a team.

At a Glance​

TreqConductor
PositioningStacking ADE, open-source Graphite alternativeHuman interface to AI organizations on your Mac
PlatformDesktop app, currently marketed for macOSMac-first desktop app
Isolation modelJujutsu workspaces over a colocated Git repoPer-task workspace, branch, files, terminal, and diff
Review surfacePR-style diffs with comments sent back to the agentDiff and review path per task
Stacked changesCore workflowNot emphasized publicly
Auto-rebaseCore workflowNot emphasized publicly
Agent supportClaude, Codex, and Cursor shown todayClaude, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode
CloudNot shipped. Merge queue and GitHub integration are coming soonCloud early access
Open sourceApache 2.0No public OSS repo surfaced
PricingFree desktop, Pro listed for GitHub and merge queueDownload-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. You can send those conflicts to the agent with resolution instructions.

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​

FeatureTreqConductor
Local-first desktop appYesYes, Mac-first
Parallel agent sessionsYesYes
Workspace isolationYesYes
Review and diff UIPR-style diffs with line commentsYes
Comments sent back to the agentYesReview path exists, agent-loop comments are not the public center
Stacked PR or stacked workspace supportYesNot emphasized publicly
Auto-rebase and conflict handlingYesNot emphasized publicly
Issue tracker integrationNot public on the site todayLinear integration
Cloud workspacesNot public on the site todayCloud early access
Open sourceApache 2.0Closed 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 lists Claude, Codex, and Cursor. Conductor also lists OpenCode.

Treq's workflow starts with the stack. A workspace can target another workspace, so dependent changes retain their merge order while agents work. That is how Treq splits a large feature into smaller PRs without letting them drift. Review comments return to the agent. Automatic rebasing keeps higher layers current when a lower layer changes. Conflicts stay inside changes and reviews, not a separate merge ritual.

Platform scope also differs. Both products currently speak to Mac users. Conductor's Mac-first story is the product. 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. Treq's public cloud story is GitHub integration and a Treq-managed merge queue on the roadmap, not a hosted agent farm.

Treq review drafts live in a local database on your machine. Conductor does not match that local-only review model in public copy. That matters if you do not want first-pass agent review sitting in a hosted product.

Pricing and Licensing​

Treq's desktop app is free and open source under Apache 2.0. Pricing lists Free and Pro. Pro is $15 per user per month for GitHub on private repos and merge queue. Those GitHub features are marked coming soon. The desktop workspace manager stays free on both plans.

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, automatic rebasing, and agent-driven conflict resolution 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 shipping order 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​