AI Coding tool profile
Orca
An open-source Agent Development Environment (ADE) that runs several coding agents in parallel, each in an isolated git worktree, with built-in terminals, browser, diff review, and git tools — using your own agent subscriptions.
Independent research from official sources · Sources · How we review
- Best for
- Developers who already pay for a coding agent subscription and want to fan one prompt across multiple agents and compare results without extra per-seat cost.
- Starting point
- Free and open source; a desktop app that runs your own agent subscriptions (e.g.
- Free plan
- Yes — Free and open source (MIT) - the app itself is free with no subscription.
- Key limitation
- Requires your own agent subscriptions/API access; it orchestrates rather than providing its own model quota.
Choose it if
Strongest for
Built for
Avoid it if
- Open-source project under active development — features and stability can change quickly.
- Independent open-source project; not an official product of Anthropic, OpenAI, or any listed model provider.
Free-plan suitability
Free and open source (MIT) - the app itself is free with no subscription; you bring your own agent subscriptions (e.g. Claude Code, Codex) and API keys and run them side by side in Orca.
Pricing
Free and open source; a desktop app that runs your own agent subscriptions (e.g. Claude Code, Codex) in parallel, with no per-seat fee, but you pay for the agent subscriptions you connect. An Enterprise offering (rollout support, organization defaults, self-hosted always-on Orca server) is sold through the sales team with no published price.
Verify the current plan, credits, output limits, and commercial terms before purchasing.
Run it 24/7 on your own server
Orca runs on your own machine, so it stops answering when your laptop sleeps. A small Linux VPS with Docker keeps it online for scripts, agents and teammates, with a fixed monthly cost instead of per-token markup.
- Start with the smallest plan that runs Docker; upgrade only if you add users or local models.
- Keep the gateway bound to localhost or behind a firewall, and store provider keys as environment variables.
- Monthly billing lets you test before committing to a long term.
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What Orca does
- Open-source (MIT) Agent Development Environment (ADE) desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux, built by Stably AI and backed by Y Combinator (85.8k GitHub stars on 2026-10-06)
- Runs Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Grok, and 25+ other agent CLIs side by side, each task in its own isolated git worktree - no stashing or branch juggling
- Ghostty-inspired terminal with WebGL rendering, infinite splits, scrollback restored on restart, and full scrollback search
- Design Mode: a real Chromium window per worktree; click any UI element to send its HTML, CSS, and a cropped screenshot into your agent
- Native GitHub & Linear integration: browse PRs, issues, and Project boards in-app, open worktrees from tasks, review and approve PRs, create Linear issues with team selectors
- SSH worktrees run agents on remote machines with auto-reconnect and port forwarding; mobile companion app (iOS/Android) shows live agent status and usage
- Enterprise option: always-on self-hosted Orca server, organization-level defaults and approved-agent rollout, SOC 2 readiness; pricing on request
Is it legit?
Who is behind Orca, where it is based, and what is publicly known about its funding. Company details change — verify on the official site before committing.
- Company
- Stably AI
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA
Evaluation guide
Step-by-step evaluation guides for Orca — workflow fit, pricing, rights, and a same-input test before paying.
Compare Orca with alternatives
Side-by-side pages that weigh Orca against overlapping tools on the same five fields.
Official sources
These links are retained beside the catalog record so changing details can be rechecked.