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Kanbell vs Nimbalyst: what's the difference?

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Nimbalyst and Kanbell both run several coding agents from one desktop app. Nimbalyst, formerly Crystal, is a free and open-source "visual workspace": agents in a chat view, a worktree per session, editors for markdown, mockups and diagrams, a task tracker, Windows and an iOS app. Kanbell stays closer to the terminal: real terminals sorted by project, the state of every session, a menu bar panel for the agents waiting on you, and a task board, with no account and no Kanbell server.

Nimbalyst facts come from its home page, pricing, docs and GitHub repository, checked on November 7, 2026 (latest stable release v0.81.7, October 16, 2026).

Side by side

Nimbalyst Kanbell
What it is Desktop app, "open-source visual workspace" for coding agents, plus a wiki plugin Desktop app
Agents Claude Code (its Claude Agent, or the Claude Code CLI as an option), Codex; in alpha: OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, Grok Build, Cursor Agent, Gemini through Antigravity Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI; other commands as custom profiles, without tracking
Organization Agent window: session list, chat transcript, panel of edited files; workstreams and a session kanban Projects in a sidebar tree, sessions under each, real terminals in tabs and panes
Isolation Optional git worktree per session (Developer Mode), commit, merge and rebase from the session panel None: agents work in the folder you choose; read-only Git panel
Waiting agents Notification and sound when a session finishes; attention list of sessions awaiting input (question, approval, permission); session list in the macOS menu bar; push notifications in the iOS app Session state, notification, menu bar panel with questions and permissions, ⌘⇧J
Tasks Tracker (kanban, list, tag board) that agents read and update; extension to import GitHub issues Board per project: local, GitHub or GitLab
Remote Not documented; the iOS app drives sessions that run on your desktop Claude Code on a Linux machine over SSH, in tmux
Platforms macOS (Apple Silicon, Intel), Windows 10+, Linux (.deb, AppImage); iOS app macOS (Apple Silicon), Linux (.deb)
Account None for local use; required for the iOS app, device sync and Teams None, no Kanbell server
License MIT Proprietary
Price App free, no trial; Wiki Teams $20/user/month or $200/user/year, free during beta 7-day trial, then CHF 12/month or CHF 96/year, up to 3 computers

Where Nimbalyst is better

  • Free and open source. The app is MIT-licensed and free for individuals, with no feature limits and no trial period. Kanbell is proprietary and free for 7 days only.
  • More platforms. Intel Macs, Windows, an AppImage for Linux, and an iOS app to start sessions, answer approvals and reply by voice away from your desk. Kanbell runs on Apple Silicon Macs and Linux (.deb) only, with no phone app.
  • More agents. Claude Code and Codex, plus five agents in alpha, including GitHub Copilot, Cursor Agent, OpenCode and Gemini through Antigravity. Kanbell tracks three.
  • Worktrees and Git. A worktree per session on its own branch, commit and merge from the panel next to the session, rebase with automatic stash, and pull request reviews. Kanbell doesn't manage worktrees and its Git panel is read-only.
  • Visual editing. WYSIWYG editors for markdown, mockups, Mermaid, Excalidraw, CSV and data models, where you accept or reject each agent edit as a red/green diff, plus a wiki your agents write as they work.

Where Kanbell is different

  • Real terminals, nothing in between. Each agent runs in its own terminal, as it would in your shell, in tabs and split panes sorted by project. Nimbalyst shows agents as a chat transcript; the native Claude Code CLI is an option you turn on.
  • Answer from the menu bar. Nimbalyst's menu bar lists your sessions too. Kanbell's panel shows each waiting agent's question or the full command it wants to run, lets you answer some Claude Code questions right there, and ⌘⇧J jumps to the next one. See answer your agents.
  • GitLab and GitHub boards. A task board per project, local or synced with GitHub Issues or GitLab, self-hosted GitLab included. See connect GitHub and GitLab.
  • Claude Code on a server. Kanbell runs Claude Code on a Linux machine over SSH, in tmux, and it keeps running when you close Kanbell. See remote machines. Nimbalyst doesn't document SSH sessions.
  • No account and no server. Kanbell goes online only for your license, updates and the GitHub or GitLab board you chose; see data and privacy.

Which one to choose

  • You want a free, open-source app, need Windows, an Intel Mac or a phone app, or want worktrees and visual editors for docs and mockups: Nimbalyst.
  • You run Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI on a Mac or Linux and want them in plain terminals by project, answering agents from the menu bar, GitLab or GitHub boards and Claude Code over SSH: Kanbell.

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

FAQ

Is Nimbalyst free?

Yes. Its pricing page says the app is free for individuals, with no feature limits and no trial period. The paid plan is Wiki Teams, $20 per user per month or $200 per user per year, free during its beta. Kanbell has a 7-day free trial, then CHF 12 a month or CHF 96 a year.

Is Nimbalyst the same as Crystal?

Crystal's GitHub repository says Crystal was deprecated in February 2026 and replaced by Nimbalyst.

Do they work on Windows?

Nimbalyst ships builds for Windows 10 and later, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Linux. Kanbell runs on macOS with Apple Silicon and on Linux; there is no Windows build yet.

Do I need an account?

Not for Kanbell, which has no server. Nimbalyst needs no account for local use; its privacy page says one is required for online services such as device sync and Teams, and its iOS app asks you to sign in.

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