1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
|
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
<title>Compare Herdr — terminal-native agent multiplexer</title>
<meta
name="description"
content="Compare Herdr with tmux, Zellij, cmux, Warp, Solo, Conductor, Emdash, and Superset. See where terminal multiplexers, agent terminals, process dashboards, and worktree orchestrators differ."
/>
<meta name="theme-color" content="#f0eee9" />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://herdr.dev/compare/" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Herdr" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Compare Herdr — terminal-native agent multiplexer" />
<meta
property="og:description"
content="Herdr combines tmux-style persistence, real terminal panes, agent state, direct attach, SSH workflows, and an API agents can drive."
/>
<meta property="og:url" content="https://herdr.dev/compare/" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://herdr.dev/assets/og-card-v8.png" />
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" />
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630" />
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Herdr — One terminal. The whole herd." />
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Compare Herdr — terminal-native agent multiplexer" />
<meta
name="twitter:description"
content="Compare Herdr with tmux, Zellij, cmux, Warp, Solo, Conductor, Emdash, and Superset."
/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://herdr.dev/assets/og-card-v8.png" />
<meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="Herdr — One terminal. The whole herd." />
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/assets/favicon.png?v=14" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/assets/logo.png" />
<link rel="preload" href="/assets/jbm.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin />
<script>
(function () {
var saved = localStorage.getItem("herdr-palette");
var system = window.matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: dark)").matches
? "tokyo-night"
: "tokyo-night-day";
document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-palette", saved || system);
})();
</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/style.css?v=39" />
</head>
<body>
<header class="site-header">
<nav class="nav" aria-label="Primary navigation">
<a class="brand" href="/" aria-label="Herdr home">
<span class="brand-logo" aria-hidden="true"></span>
<span>herdr</span>
</a>
<details class="nav-menu">
<summary class="nav-menu-button" aria-label="Open navigation">
<span></span>
<span></span>
<span></span>
</summary>
<div class="nav-menu-panel">
<a href="/">Home</a>
<a href="/compare/" aria-current="page">Compare</a>
<a href="/plugins/">Plugins</a>
<a href="/blog/">Blog</a>
<a href="/docs/quick-start/">Quick start</a>
<a href="/docs/">Docs</a>
<a href="/docs/socket-api/">API</a>
<a href="/docs/install/">Install</a>
<a href="https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr">GitHub</a>
</div>
</details>
<div class="nav-links">
<a href="/">Home</a>
<a href="/compare/" aria-current="page">Compare</a>
<a href="/plugins/">Plugins</a>
<a href="/blog/">Blog</a>
<a href="/docs/quick-start/">Quick start</a>
<a href="/docs/">Docs</a>
<a href="/docs/socket-api/">API</a>
</div>
<div class="nav-tools">
<a class="nav-icon-link" href="https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr" aria-label="Herdr on GitHub">
<svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M8 0C3.58 0 0 3.58 0 8c0 3.54 2.29 6.53 5.47 7.59.4.07.55-.17.55-.38 0-.19-.01-.82-.01-1.49-2.01.37-2.53-.49-2.69-.94-.09-.23-.48-.94-.82-1.13-.28-.15-.68-.52-.01-.53.63-.01 1.08.58 1.23.82.72 1.21 1.87.87 2.33.66.07-.52.28-.87.51-1.07-1.78-.2-3.64-.89-3.64-3.95 0-.87.31-1.59.82-2.15-.08-.2-.36-1.02.08-2.12 0 0 .67-.21 2.2.82A7.64 7.64 0 0 1 8 3.87c.68 0 1.36.09 2 .26 1.53-1.04 2.2-.82 2.2-.82.44 1.1.16 1.92.08 2.12.51.56.82 1.27.82 2.15 0 3.07-1.87 3.75-3.65 3.95.29.25.54.73.54 1.48 0 1.07-.01 1.93-.01 2.2 0 .21.15.46.55.38A8.01 8.01 0 0 0 16 8c0-4.42-3.58-8-8-8Z" />
</svg>
</a>
<a class="nav-icon-link" href="https://x.com/herdrdev" aria-label="Herdr on X">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M18.244 2.25h3.308l-7.227 8.26 8.502 11.24H16.17l-5.214-6.817L4.99 21.75H1.68l7.73-8.835L1.254 2.25H8.08l4.713 6.231Zm-1.161 17.52h1.833L7.084 4.126H5.117Z" />
</svg>
</a>
<a class="nav-cta" href="/docs/install/">Install</a>
</div>
</nav>
</header>
<main>
<section class="hero compare-hero">
<div class="hero-copy">
<p class="eyebrow"><span class="status-dot dot-done"></span>Compare Herdr</p>
<h1>The agent multiplexer that lives in your terminal.</h1>
<p class="hero-lede">
Herdr gives coding agents the thing tmux gave terminal users:
persistent real panes, detach and reattach, remote access, and a
control surface. Then it adds agent state and an API the agents can use.
</p>
<div class="hero-actions">
<a class="button button-primary" href="/docs/quick-start/">Quick start</a>
<a class="button button-secondary" href="#matrix">See the matrix</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="compare-claim-card" aria-label="Herdr positioning summary">
<p class="section-kicker">Herdr combines</p>
<h2>tmux persistence, agent awareness, no terminal replacement.</h2>
<ul class="compare-checks">
<li>Runs inside your existing terminal</li>
<li>Owns persistent PTY sessions</li>
<li>Attaches locally, over SSH, or directly to one agent</li>
<li>Tracks blocked, working, done, and idle state</li>
<li>Exposes CLI and socket APIs agents can drive</li>
</ul>
</div>
</section>
<section class="section compare-stack-section" id="matrix">
<div class="section-heading-wide">
<div>
<p class="section-kicker">The stack</p>
<h2>Pick the center of gravity.</h2>
</div>
<p>
The question is not whether a tool can run a terminal. Most can.
The question is whether it combines terminal-native persistence with
agent state and agent-controlled automation.
</p>
</div>
<div class="table-wrap comparison-matrix">
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Capability</th>
<th>Herdr</th>
<th>tmux / Zellij</th>
<th>cmux / Warp</th>
<th>Solo</th>
<th>Conductor / Emdash / Superset</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Runs inside your existing terminal</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>no, terminal app</td>
<td>no, desktop app</td>
<td>no, app workspace</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Persistent PTY session runtime</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>session/app restore</td>
<td>managed processes</td>
<td>embedded terminals</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Detach, reattach, and SSH in</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>partial</td>
<td>no</td>
<td>remote projects</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Direct attach to one agent terminal</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>no</td>
<td>no</td>
<td>no</td>
<td>no</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Semantic agent state</td>
<td>blocked / working / done / idle</td>
<td>no</td>
<td>attention or native-agent status</td>
<td>process status</td>
<td>workspace status</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Agent-shaped API</td>
<td>read, send, wait, split, attach</td>
<td>terminal scripting</td>
<td>app APIs</td>
<td>MCP for processes</td>
<td>workflow APIs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Git worktree and diff review flow</td>
<td>pairs with it</td>
<td>no</td>
<td>partial</td>
<td>no</td>
<td>yes</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</section>
<section class="section compare-categories-section">
<div class="section-heading">
<p class="section-kicker">How Herdr differs</p>
<h2>The intersection other tools miss.</h2>
</div>
<div class="differ-grid">
<article class="intersection-card">
<span class="card-index">Herdr</span>
<h3>Persistent terminal runtime, built for agents.</h3>
<p>
Herdr keeps real terminal panes alive like a multiplexer, but treats agents
as first-class runtime objects. You can scan state, jump to blocked work,
attach directly to one agent, and let agents read, send, split, and wait
through the CLI/socket API.
</p>
<div class="intersection-pills" aria-label="Herdr strengths">
<span>existing terminal</span>
<span>persistent PTYs</span>
<span>SSH attach</span>
<span>direct agent attach</span>
<span>agent state</span>
<span>agent API</span>
</div>
</article>
<div class="differ-list">
<article>
<span>tmux / Zellij</span>
<h3>Classic multiplexers stop at terminals.</h3>
<p>They own panes and persistence. They do not know which pane is blocked, working, done, or ready for an agent wait.</p>
</article>
<article>
<span>cmux / Warp</span>
<h3>Terminal apps replace the terminal.</h3>
<p>They can add polished desktop UX, but the workflow moves into their app. Herdr stays inside the terminal you already use.</p>
</article>
<article>
<span>Solo</span>
<h3>Dashboards supervise processes.</h3>
<p>Process health and auto-restart are useful, but Herdr is about persistent interactive agent panes, not dev-stack supervision.</p>
</article>
<article>
<span>Conductor / Emdash / Superset</span>
<h3>Worktree tools own review flow.</h3>
<p>They are for branch isolation, diffs, and PRs. Herdr is the live terminal layer those agents can run inside or alongside.</p>
</article>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<section class="section compare-one-liners-section">
<div class="section-heading">
<p class="section-kicker">One-line comparisons</p>
<h2>Use this when deciding.</h2>
</div>
<div class="one-liner-list">
<article><strong>Herdr vs tmux</strong><span>tmux persists terminals; Herdr persists agent workspaces and understands agent state.</span></article>
<article><strong>Herdr vs Zellij</strong><span>Zellij is a modern terminal workspace; Herdr is an agent multiplexer with state, waits, and orchestration.</span></article>
<article><strong>Herdr vs cmux</strong><span>cmux is a Mac terminal app for agents; Herdr is a terminal-native multiplexer that runs anywhere your terminal and SSH do.</span></article>
<article><strong>Herdr vs Warp</strong><span>Warp is an agentic development platform; Herdr is the local terminal control layer for your existing agents.</span></article>
<article><strong>Herdr vs OpenCode web</strong><span>OpenCode's web mode serves one agent over HTTP; Herdr is a terminal-native multiplexer for many agents and harnesses, reachable over plain SSH.</span></article>
<article><strong>Herdr vs Solo</strong><span>Solo manages your dev stack; Herdr manages persistent interactive agent panes.</span></article>
<article><strong>Herdr vs Conductor, Emdash, Superset</strong><span>They orchestrate isolated worktrees and review diffs; Herdr orchestrates live terminals and agent state.</span></article>
</div>
</section>
<section class="final-cta compare-final-cta">
<p class="section-kicker">Start with the multiplexer</p>
<h2>If your agents live in terminals, put the terminals in Herdr.</h2>
<p>
Install Herdr, run two agents, split a pane, then detach once. The difference is obvious when the agents keep running.
</p>
<div class="hero-actions center">
<a class="button button-primary" href="/docs/install/">Install Herdr</a>
<a class="button button-secondary" href="/docs/quick-start/">Quick start</a>
</div>
</section>
</main>
<footer class="footer">
<a class="brand" href="/" aria-label="Herdr home">
<span class="brand-logo" aria-hidden="true"></span>
<span>herdr</span>
</a>
<div>
<a href="/compare/">Compare</a>
<a href="/docs/">Docs</a>
<a href="/docs/configuration/">Configuration</a>
<a href="/docs/socket-api/">API</a>
<a href="https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr/releases">Releases</a>
<a href="mailto:hey@herdr.dev">hey@herdr.dev</a>
</div>
<nav class="footer-social" aria-label="Social links">
<a href="https://github.com/herdrdev/herdr" aria-label="Herdr on GitHub">
<svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M8 0C3.58 0 0 3.58 0 8c0 3.54 2.29 6.53 5.47 7.59.4.07.55-.17.55-.38 0-.19-.01-.82-.01-1.49-2.01.37-2.53-.49-2.69-.94-.09-.23-.48-.94-.82-1.13-.28-.15-.68-.52-.01-.53.63-.01 1.08.58 1.23.82.72 1.21 1.87.87 2.33.66.07-.52.28-.87.51-1.07-1.78-.2-3.64-.89-3.64-3.95 0-.87.31-1.59.82-2.15-.08-.2-.36-1.02.08-2.12 0 0 .67-.21 2.2.82A7.64 7.64 0 0 1 8 3.87c.68 0 1.36.09 2 .26 1.53-1.04 2.2-.82 2.2-.82.44 1.1.16 1.92.08 2.12.51.56.82 1.27.82 2.15 0 3.07-1.87 3.75-3.65 3.95.29.25.54.73.54 1.48 0 1.07-.01 1.93-.01 2.2 0 .21.15.46.55.38A8.01 8.01 0 0 0 16 8c0-4.42-3.58-8-8-8Z" />
</svg>
</a>
<a href="https://x.com/herdrdev" aria-label="Herdr on X">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M18.244 2.25h3.308l-7.227 8.26 8.502 11.24H16.17l-5.214-6.817L4.99 21.75H1.68l7.73-8.835L1.254 2.25H8.08l4.713 6.231Zm-1.161 17.52h1.833L7.084 4.126H5.117Z" />
</svg>
</a>
</nav>
</footer>
<div class="theme-hint" id="theme-hint" title="Press / or t to switch theme">
<span class="theme-hint-dot"></span>
<span class="theme-hint-label" id="theme-hint-label">light</span>
<span class="theme-hint-key">[/]</span>
</div>
<div class="theme-overlay" id="theme-overlay" hidden>
<div class="theme-overlay-panel" role="dialog" aria-label="Theme switcher" aria-modal="true">
<div class="theme-overlay-title">settings</div>
<div class="theme-overlay-tabs"><span class="active">theme</span></div>
<div class="theme-overlay-list" id="theme-overlay-list" role="listbox" aria-label="Themes">
<div class="theme-sep"><span>dark</span></div>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="catppuccin">catppuccin</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="terminal">terminal</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="tokyo-night">tokyo night</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="dracula">dracula</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="nord">nord</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="gruvbox">gruvbox</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="one-dark">one dark</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="solarized">solarized</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="kanagawa">kanagawa</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="rose-pine">rose pine</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="vesper">vesper</button>
<div class="theme-sep"><span>light</span></div>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="catppuccin-latte">catppuccin latte</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="tokyo-night-day">tokyo day</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="gruvbox-light">gruvbox light</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="one-light">one light</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="solarized-light">solarized light</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="kanagawa-lotus">kanagawa lotus</button>
<button type="button" role="option" data-value="rose-pine-dawn">rose pine dawn</button>
</div>
<div class="theme-overlay-footer">
<span class="theme-overlay-hints"><span class="key">↑↓</span> select</span>
<span class="theme-overlay-actions"><span class="theme-apply-btn">↵ apply</span><button class="theme-close-btn" type="button" id="theme-close-btn">esc close</button></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<script>
(function () {
var overlay = document.getElementById("theme-overlay");
var list = document.getElementById("theme-overlay-list");
var hintLabel = document.getElementById("theme-hint-label");
if (!overlay || !list) return;
var options = Array.prototype.slice.call(list.querySelectorAll("[role='option']"));
var media = window.matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: dark)");
var saved = localStorage.getItem("herdr-palette") || "";
var committed = saved || defaultPalette();
function defaultPalette() {
return media.matches ? "tokyo-night" : "tokyo-night-day";
}
function setPalette(value) {
document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-palette", value || defaultPalette());
}
function updateUI(value) {
var activeValue = value || defaultPalette();
options.forEach(function (opt) {
opt.setAttribute("aria-selected", String(opt.dataset.value === activeValue));
});
var active = options.find(function (opt) { return opt.dataset.value === activeValue; });
if (hintLabel && active) hintLabel.textContent = active.textContent.trim();
}
function openOverlay() {
overlay.hidden = false;
document.body.style.overflow = "hidden";
committed = localStorage.getItem("herdr-palette") || defaultPalette();
updateUI(committed);
var active = list.querySelector("[aria-selected='true']") || options[0];
if (active) active.focus();
}
function closeOverlay() {
overlay.hidden = true;
document.body.style.overflow = "";
}
function toggleOverlay() {
if (overlay.hidden) openOverlay();
else closeOverlay();
}
function preview(index) {
if (index < 0 || index >= options.length) return;
setPalette(options[index].dataset.value);
updateUI(options[index].dataset.value);
options[index].focus();
}
function commit(value) {
setPalette(value);
localStorage.setItem("herdr-palette", value);
updateUI(value);
closeOverlay();
}
function revert() {
setPalette(committed);
updateUI(committed);
closeOverlay();
}
media.addEventListener("change", function () {
if (!localStorage.getItem("herdr-palette")) {
setPalette("");
updateUI("");
}
});
options.forEach(function (opt, idx) {
opt.addEventListener("click", function () { commit(opt.dataset.value); });
opt.addEventListener("mouseenter", function () { preview(idx); });
});
document.addEventListener("keydown", function (e) {
if ((e.key === "t" || e.key === "/") && !e.ctrlKey && !e.metaKey && !e.altKey) {
var tag = document.activeElement && document.activeElement.tagName;
if (tag === "INPUT" || tag === "TEXTAREA" || tag === "SELECT") return;
e.preventDefault();
toggleOverlay();
return;
}
if (overlay.hidden) return;
var idx = options.indexOf(document.activeElement);
if (e.key === "ArrowDown") {
e.preventDefault();
preview(idx >= 0 ? Math.min(options.length - 1, idx + 1) : 0);
} else if (e.key === "ArrowUp") {
e.preventDefault();
preview(idx >= 0 ? Math.max(0, idx - 1) : options.length - 1);
} else if (e.key === "Enter" && idx >= 0) {
e.preventDefault();
commit(options[idx].dataset.value);
} else if (e.key === "Escape") {
e.preventDefault();
revert();
}
});
var themeHint = document.getElementById("theme-hint");
if (localStorage.getItem("herdr-theme-hint-seen") === "1") {
themeHint.classList.add("is-seen");
}
themeHint.addEventListener("mouseenter", function () {
localStorage.setItem("herdr-theme-hint-seen", "1");
themeHint.classList.add("is-seen");
}, { once: true });
themeHint.addEventListener("click", toggleOverlay);
document.getElementById("theme-close-btn").addEventListener("click", revert);
setPalette(saved);
updateUI(saved);
})();
</script>
</body>
</html>
|