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Kanbell vs Claude Squad: what's the difference?

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  • comparison
  • tools
  • parallel-agents
  • tmux
  • claude-code

Claude Squad is a free, open-source terminal app: one window on top of tmux, a keyboard menu of sessions, and a git worktree per task. Kanbell is a paid desktop app for macOS and Linux: real terminals sorted by project, the state of each session, a menu bar panel for agents waiting on you and a task board. Pick Claude Squad if you live in the terminal and want each task isolated on its own branch. Pick Kanbell if you want a window that shows every project and tells you who is waiting.

Claude Squad facts come from its GitHub repository and latest release (v1.0.20, August 2026), checked on November 5, 2026.

Side by side

Claude Squad Kanbell
What it is Terminal app (TUI) Desktop app
Interface One terminal window: session list, preview tab, diff tab Window with a sidebar tree of projects and sessions, real terminals in tabs and panes
Agents claude by default; Codex, Gemini, Aider and other local agents with -p Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI; any other command as a custom profile
Isolation A git worktree and branch per task None: agents work in the folder you choose
Git Review the diff, commit and push a branch from the menu Read-only panel: status, diffs, history
Waiting agents Not documented Session state, notification, menu bar panel with questions and permissions, ⌘⇧J
Tasks Not documented Board per project: local, GitHub or GitLab
Platforms macOS, Linux, Windows builds; needs tmux (WSL on Windows) macOS (Apple Silicon), Linux (.deb)
Prerequisites tmux, gh Claude Code 2.1.80+, Git 2.45+
License and price AGPL-3.0, free Proprietary; 7-day trial, then CHF 12/month or CHF 96/year

Where Claude Squad is better

  • It's free and open source. You can read, change and self-build it under the AGPL-3.0.
  • Each task is isolated. Claude Squad creates a git worktree per session, so two agents never edit the same checkout. Kanbell doesn't do that for you; see git worktrees with Claude Code to set them up by hand.
  • Commit and push from the list. s commits and pushes the branch to GitHub, c checks out and pauses the session. Kanbell's Git panel only shows changes.
  • More platforms. Its releases include macOS, Linux and Windows builds (tmux through WSL on Windows).
  • Auto-accept mode. An experimental --autoyes flag accepts prompts for Claude Code and Aider.

Where Kanbell is different

  • A window per project tree, not a list. Sessions are grouped by project in a sidebar, each with its state: working, waiting, or waiting for you.
  • Waiting agents come to you. A notification, and a menu bar panel listing the agents waiting for you, with their questions and permission requests. See answer your agents.
  • A task board per project, local or synced with GitHub Issues or GitLab, and you start an agent from a card. See task board.
  • Real terminals with tabs and panes, files in tabs and a project-wide search (⌘⇧F).
  • Remote machines over SSH for Claude Code, in tmux on the server, since 1.5.3. See remote machines.

Which one to choose

  • You want a free tool, stay in the terminal, and want one branch per task: Claude Squad.
  • You run many agents across several projects and lose track of which one is waiting: Kanbell.
  • You can combine them: Claude Squad is a terminal program, so it also runs inside one of Kanbell's terminals.

For the other options, see which app to manage several coding agents.

FAQ

Is Claude Squad free?

Yes. Claude Squad is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license, per its GitHub repository. Kanbell has a 7-day free trial, then costs CHF 12 a month or CHF 96 a year.

Does Kanbell create a git worktree per agent like Claude Squad?

No. Kanbell has no worktree feature and its Git panel is read-only. Claude Squad gives each task its own git worktree and branch.

Do both run Codex and Gemini CLI?

Yes. Claude Squad runs claude by default and other programs with cs -p, such as codex, gemini or aider. Kanbell has profiles for Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI, plus custom commands.

Do I need tmux?

Claude Squad needs tmux and gh, per its README. Kanbell doesn't need tmux on your machine; it uses tmux only on remote machines it reaches over SSH.

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