Guideswisp compared
wisp vs cmux
cmux is a native macOS terminal for coding agents. wisp is a task list that hands you a report every turn. They solve different problems: here is where each is better, from their own docs.
cmux is the better pick if you want to stay in terminals: it’s a native macOS terminal built on Ghostty, with notifications for your agents. wisp is a level up from the terminal: each task gets its own worktree, every turn ends in a report by default, a crew keeps working, Auto picks the harness, and wisp Cloud needs no install.
Side by side
| cmux | wisp | |
|---|---|---|
| In its own words | “A Ghostty-based macOS terminal with vertical tabs and notifications for AI coding agents” | Launch agents in the background and read what they hand back |
| Agents | “All of them”: it’s a terminal, so any CLI runs | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, opencode, Antigravity, Grok, Copilot |
| Desktop | macOS, in Swift and AppKit, notarized. cmux Browser is a separate Linux product | macOS, Windows, Linux. Builds aren’t signed yet |
| Phone | iOS beta on TestFlight, on a paid plan | Any phone browser, a Home Screen web app on iPhone with wisp Cloud, and an Android prototype you build from the repo. No native iPhone app |
| Worktree per agent | Not by default | Yes, every task, unless you choose In place |
| Hosted | cmux Cloud, persistent Linux machines, paid and in early access | wisp Cloud: sign in and the agents run on a server. Free during the preview |
| Licence | GPL-3.0-or-later for the app, BUSL-1.1 for its server parts | MIT |
From each project’s own README and docs on 7 November 2026. We read them; we didn’t run them. They move fast: check before you choose.
Where wisp is different
- You don’t supervise. cmux says it can replace the terminal supervision layer, so you still watch terminals, in a better window. wisp runs agents headless and by default ends every turn with a one-screen report: what changed, the diff, the tests.
- A task, start to PR. Each wisp task has its own worktree and branch, and Ship it commits, pushes and opens the PR.
- The crew. Named agents with a role, a schedule and a notebook check in and report when something changed.
- Auto. wisp picks the harness, model and thinking level per task from what worked before.
- More places. wisp runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and wisp Cloud is free during its preview, with nothing to install.
Where cmux is better
- It’s a real terminal. Native Swift on libghostty, not Electron. wisp’s desktop app is a small Tauri window around its page, and it isn’t trying to be your terminal.
- Any agent. If it runs in a terminal, it runs in cmux. wisp supports the seven harnesses it has adapters for.
- Install. Notarized for macOS. wisp’s builds aren’t signed yet.
- iPhone. There’s an iOS app in beta, on a paid plan. wisp has no native iPhone app.
- Subscription failover. CodeRouter moves across your subscriptions.
- Community. Far larger than wisp’s, which is one owner and a crew.
Pick cmux if
- You live in a terminal on a Mac and want it fast and native.
- You want to see every agent’s session and step in by hand.
- You run agents wisp doesn’t support.
Pick wisp if
- You’re on Windows or Linux, or don’t want to manage panes.
- You want a worktree and a PR for every task, and a report every turn, without setting it up.
- You want agents working while you’re away from every terminal.
Questions
Can I use cmux and wisp together?
Yes. They do different jobs. wisp can run in the background while you use cmux as your terminal, and you can open a wisp task’s worktree there and resume the agent by hand.
Does cmux run on Windows or Linux?
The terminal is a macOS app. Its Linux download is cmux Browser, a separate product.
Is cmux free?
Its pricing page has a free plan, with paid plans for cmux Cloud machines and the iOS app. wisp is free, and wisp Cloud is free during the preview.
Try it with the lid shut
Sign in with GitHub and give your own cloud wisp a task. Or run wisp on your own computers: same app, MIT.
or run it on your own computers
macOS · Linux and Windows in beta · Node 20+ · MIT
Runs Claude Code, Codex, Cursor CLI, opencode, Antigravity CLI, Grok Build and Copilot CLI