For developers who like cmux but want a different terminal workflow shape.
cmux is a free AGPL-3.0 macOS terminal by Manaflow that launched in February 2026, reaching number two on Hacker News and thousands of GitHub stars. It uses libghostty for GPU-accelerated rendering, has vertical tabs showing git branch and notification status, split panes, an embedded scriptable browser, notification rings with unread badges, a Unix socket API with CLI, session restore, and Ghostty config compatibility. It also supports Claude Code hooks for agent workflows. Start with what cmux is not giving you. Warp is the strongest alternative if you want the terminal itself to become a broader agent platform with cloud agents and session sharing. tmux is strong if you want pane-based workflows and session persistence that run nearly anywhere, not just macOS. Solo is strong if the real problem is local process sprawl around agents, services, and shared project commands rather than terminal multitasking itself.
Start with the capability you want to replace. Each option overlaps with cmux in a different way.
Recommended option
Best if you want the terminal itself to become the agent platform with local and cloud agents, session sharing, and terminal-native automation. Warp is cross-platform (macOS, Linux, Windows) where cmux is macOS only.
Best for
Best for terminal-first AI workflows with cross-platform reach.
Recommended option
Best if you want durable sessions, pane-based workflows, and SSH-friendly persistence that runs nearly anywhere. tmux is the standard answer when remote persistence and portability matter more than native macOS rendering.
Best for
Best for remote-first or server-heavy terminal workflows.
Recommended option
Best if the real issue is not terminal layout but local sprawl around agents, services, and shared project commands. Solo manages processes with auto-restart, file-watch triggers, CPU/memory monitoring, and native desktop notifications in a dedicated dashboard.
Best for
Best for teams that want a separate local control surface instead of another terminal choice.
The cleanest switch starts by deciding whether you are replacing the terminal or replacing where the workflow lives.
Choose Warp if you want the terminal to become a broader agent platform with cross-platform support. Choose tmux if remote persistence and portability matter most. Choose Solo if the real need is a separate process dashboard around agents, services, and project commands.
Compare the products and workflows closest to cmux, including where Solo fits.
Start with one project and a small task. These guides walk through the setup and what to check when the work finishes.
Set up both tools in one project, give one agent implementation work, and ask the other to review the diff.
Read the guide →Give a lead agent a plan, shared todos, and a scratchpad so workers have clear assignments and a useful handoff.
Read the guide →Put a Laravel server, Vite, and a queue worker in solo.yml, then manage their output and restart behavior in Solo.
Read the guide →Solo is a lightweight desktop terminal workspace for local agents, project commands, interactive terminals, and long-running services. It sits beside your editor, keeps your stack visible, and gives Claude Code, Codex, and the rest of your tools one shared local control surface.
Solo is built by Aaron Francis, creator of faster.dev and Database School, and VP of Marketing at Laravel. He built Solo after running Claude Code alongside his own dev stack and getting tired of juggling nine terminal tabs just to keep local agents, services, and project commands visible.
He is also a dad to two sets of twins, which tends to create a strong preference for software that reduces chaos instead of adding more of it. That is why Solo keeps showing up in these comparisons as the local workspace around your tools, not another editor or orchestrator trying to absorb the whole workflow.
Free for four projects on macOS and Windows.
Start with a terminal and add the programmable meta-harness when you need to coordinate agents with your local development stack.
“I can't live without it.”
