Compare terminal panes, remote sessions, and local command management.
Solo can run the dev servers and workers you currently keep in local tmux panes. Define the commands in solo.yml and use the sidebar to start, stop, and inspect them. Coding agents launch separately from the agent picker. Command processes can restart after they exit or a watched file changes. Solo does not import .tmux.conf or provide remote sessions you can detach from. Keep tmux for remote work.
Start with the capability you want to replace. Each option overlaps with tmux in a different way.
Recommended option
Define dev servers and workers in solo.yml. Solo shows their output, CPU, and memory use, and can restart commands after exit or file changes. Launch installed CLI agents in the same project.
Best for
Local services that need restart settings and resource monitoring.
Recommended option
cmux has a native Mac interface with terminal panes, tabs, notifications, and an embedded browser. Try it if you want to arrange terminals in a graphical app.
Best for
Terminal panes in a native Mac app.
Recommended option
Warp combines a terminal with coding agents. Test its remote-session behavior against the tmux sessions you currently use.
Best for
Coding agents built into a terminal.
Move a dev server and worker first. Keep remote tmux sessions running.
Try one local project in the tool that matches your needs. Check its output, shortcuts, and restart behavior before moving more commands. Keep tmux for remote sessions you need to reconnect to.
Compare the products and workflows closest to tmux, 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.”
