- Compare
- vs Claude Squad and Nimbalyst
Plexus
Claude Squad is a tmux terminal UI over worktrees; Nimbalyst, Crystal's successor, is a visual workspace for coding agents. How both compare with Plexus.
Claude Squad, Nimbalyst and Plexus all run several coding agents side by side in separate worktrees. Claude Squad does it in a terminal. Nimbalyst and Plexus are desktop apps with different priorities. If you are still on Crystal: its repository says it has been deprecated and replaced by Nimbalyst, from the same maker, so this page compares against Nimbalyst.
Side by side
Claims about Claude Squad and Nimbalyst are from its own documentation and site, linked on each row, and were last checked on . Claude Squad and Nimbalyst's website.
| Topic | Plexus | Claude Squad and Nimbalyst |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor: Claude Squad | A native desktop app. Plexus docs | A terminal app that manages several local agents, each in its own tmux session and git worktree. Requires tmux and gh. Source: github.com |
| Form factor: Nimbalyst | A native desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux. Plexus docs | A desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, plus an iOS companion. Source: github.com |
| Agents: Claude Squad | Claude Code. Plexus docs | Claude Code by default, plus Codex, Gemini, Aider and other local agents through profiles. Source: github.com |
| Agents: Nimbalyst | Always the Claude Code CLI you installed. Plexus docs | Claude Agent, Nimbalyst's integrated Claude coding agent. The raw Claude Code CLI provider is opt-in for new installations. OpenAI Codex is on by default, and OpenCode, Copilot, Cursor Agent and others are in alpha. Source: nimbalyst.com |
| Model access: Nimbalyst | Your existing Claude Code login. No API key. Plexus docs | Bring your own AI access: a Claude Code or Codex subscription, an API key, or local models through LM Studio. Source: nimbalyst.com |
| Price: Claude Squad | Proprietary, not open source; free to download. The core app is free, and a paid plan adds sync, team features, GitHub issues, GitHub Projects boards and Plnnrly projects inside the app, and stacks with ordered merging. Plexus docs | Free, licensed AGPL-3.0. Source: github.com |
| Price: Nimbalyst | Proprietary, not open source; free to download. The core app is free, and a paid plan adds sync, team features, GitHub issues, GitHub Projects boards and Plnnrly projects inside the app, and stacks with ordered merging. Plexus docs | The core is free for individual users and MIT-licensed. Teams (in beta) adds real-time collaboration and shared trackers; Enterprise adds a collaboration server that can run in your own cloud. See their pricing page. Source: nimbalyst.com |
| Worktrees: Nimbalyst | Every session except one on the main checkout gets a worktree automatically, with env files copied in and a block of dev-server ports. Plexus docs | A worktree session starts from New Worktree, a tracker item or a pull request. Worktrees require Developer Mode. Source: nimbalyst.com |
| Knowing which agent needs you: Nimbalyst | A dot on every session, a dashboard of all sessions and a native notification when one is waiting. Plexus docs | A session list with an attention list that groups sessions by what they need, a kanban of sessions by phase, and desktop notifications. Source: nimbalyst.com |
| Review: Claude Squad | A PR-style diff with comments sent to the agent, AI review and an unattended review-and-fix cycle. Plexus docs | A preview tab and a diff tab per session. Source: github.com |
| Review: Nimbalyst | Pull request conversations from GitHub and Bitbucket, with reply, resolve and new inline comments. Plexus docs | A Pull Request mode with conversation, files changed, commits, checks and Review with AI, through your gh login on GitHub and GitHub Enterprise. Inline review threads cannot be authored yet. Source: nimbalyst.com |
| Git: Claude Squad | A git client per session and a project git client with a commit graph. Plexus docs | A key to commit and pause a session, and a key to commit and push the branch to GitHub. Source: github.com |
| Issue tracking: Nimbalyst | GitHub issues, GitHub Projects boards and Plnnrly projects (backlog, board and sprints) as tabs in the app, on a paid plan. Start a session from any issue or work item, linked to it. Plexus docs | A built-in tracker with bugs, tasks, plans and other item types, kept in its local database or in markdown files, on a kanban board. Agents create and update items, and items link to sessions. Source: nimbalyst.com |
| Automation: Nimbalyst | Create, Run and Teardown hooks at global, workspace and project level. Plexus docs | Automations: scheduled prompts defined in markdown files. Source: nimbalyst.com |
- You want the lightest layer possible. One keyboard-driven terminal UI over tmux and worktrees, free and AGPL-licensed.
- You switch between agents. Claude Squad runs Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Aider and others through profiles.
- You want an MIT-licensed, open-source app.
- Your work goes beyond code. Nimbalyst treats documents, mockups and diagrams as part of the workspace, with a built-in task tracker and a kanban of sessions.
- You want a phone in the loop. Its iOS companion tells you which agents need you.
- You use several agent vendors, or prefer its integrated Claude Agent to the raw CLI.
- You want the real Claude Code CLI as the engine. Not an integrated reimplementation and not an opt-in: every session runs the
claudeyou installed, with your login. - You want worktrees without thinking about them. Every session gets one, with env files copied in and its own dev-server ports, set up by hooks that cascade from global to workspace to project.
- You want review to be a loop. Comments go straight to the agent, AI review, an unattended review-and-fix cycle, and the pull request conversation in the same tab.
- Your work is already tracked in GitHub or Plnnrly. A repository's issues, a GitHub Projects board or a Plnnrly project's backlog, board and sprints sit in a tab, each item a click away from a session linked to it (paid plan).
- You use Bitbucket, or would rather not install
gh. Plexus works with GitHub and Bitbucket pull requests through a one-click sign-in.
The trade-off: Plexus runs Claude Code only. If you need several agent vendors, or an open-source licence, both of these projects have that.
Try it on
Plexus is free to download for macOS, Windows and Linux. It runs the Claude Code you already have, with your existing login.