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Comparison · checked October 9, 2026

Claude Code GUIs for Mac, compared

By Klein Tahiraj

Disclosure up front: I build teebe, one of the tools here. It is not a Claude Code front end; it's the watcher next to the terminal. Most readers of this page will be better served by one of the other tools, and I say which. Every fact about another tool comes from its own site, docs or repository, linked in the sources.

What "Claude Code GUI" means: three different jobs

People say "Claude Code GUI" and mean one of three things, and the tools barely overlap:

Run it for you

An app starts Claude Code, gives you a chat or task view, and shows what it changed. Claude Code Desktop, Conductor, Nimbalyst and friends.

Watch what it changes

You keep Claude Code in the terminal. A second tool shows the files and diffs as they land. teebe, diffier, Claude Code's own /diff.

Git clients

GitKraken, Tower, Fork. Built for commits and branches; some now know about worktrees or agents.

Comparison table

Tool Job Runs Claude Code? Diffs Worktrees Price / license
Claude Code Desktop run it yes, Claude Code only diff viewer optional, per session paid Claude plan
Conductor run it yes, plus Codex, Cursor, OpenCode per workspace auto, per workspace free · Pro $50/mo
Nimbalyst run it yes, plus Codex inspect and approve opt-in, per session free · MIT
crystl run it (terminal app) yes, any CLI agent not stated one per isolated shard free plan · $170/yr
Vibe Console run it yes, plus 7 other CLIs review, stage, commit per Agent Team member $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr
Aiola run it yes, plus Codex, Cursor and more diff viewer local or worktree 7-day trial, then paid
Deska run it (canvas workspace) yes, plus Codex and more review with comments optional, per task free plan · Pro $9/mo
jaade run it yes, plus Codex and more hunk-by-hunk review not stated not stated
teebe watch it no, you run it in the terminal live badges, inline diff every worktree of every repo free · GPL-3.0
diffier watch it (terminal) no live, every edit follows other worktrees free · MIT
Claude Code /diff watch it (built in) it is Claude Code current working tree the session's own included
GitKraken Desktop git client yes, in Agent Sessions after the agent finishes one per agent session free tier · paid per seat
Tower git client no (uses it for AI commits) standard diff view create, switch, remove from €59/user/yr
Fork git client no (AI commit messages, code review) standard diff view create, check out as worktree $59.99 once

All facts checked on October 9, 2026 against each tool's own site, docs or repository. "Not stated" means the tool's own pages don't say. See sources.

GUIs that run Claude Code for you

Claude Code Desktop is Anthropic's own: the Code tab of the Claude app. It runs its own copy of Claude Code, can give each session its own git worktree, and has a diff viewer with a file list on the left and the changes on the right. It needs a paid Claude plan. If you only use Claude Code, start here. The desktop vs terminal guide covers the trade-offs.

Conductor is a Mac app for running Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode in parallel. Each workspace is a git worktree on its own branch, with a diff viewer for its changes. Free plan, Pro at $50/mo. Nimbalyst is the open-source take (MIT desktop and iOS apps): a visual workspace for Claude Code and Codex, free for individuals, with one-click worktrees per session and diffs you approve. If you're comparing those two, the Conductor alternatives page goes further.

crystl is a native Swift terminal for running many agents in parallel "shards"; each isolated shard gets its own worktree and branch. Not to be confused with Crystal, which its repository says is now Nimbalyst. Vibe Console is another native Mac app (SwiftUI and AppKit, macOS 15+) that runs Claude Code and seven other CLIs, with diff review, staging and commits built in.

Aiola (macOS and Windows), Deska (Mac, Windows, Linux and a browser companion, laid out as a canvas of editor, terminal and agent panels) and jaade (macOS) all run Claude Code alongside other agents and add a review step for the diff. Deska and Aiola support a worktree per task; jaade's site doesn't describe its worktree handling.

Two you may see recommended elsewhere: Opcode (formerly Claudia) has not had a release since August 2025, and Crystal has been replaced by Nimbalyst. I left both out of the table.

Tools that watch what Claude Code changes

If you like Claude Code in the terminal, you don't need to move it into an app. You need to see what it did.

Claude Code's own /diff is the first stop. Per the docs it shows the changes in your working tree, including Claude's edits so far, alongside anything else you haven't committed. It covers the session you're in.

diffier is a small MIT terminal tool: run it in a second terminal and each Claude Code edit shows up as a full diff the moment it lands, including edits in other worktrees of the same repo. It's brand new, so expect rough edges.

teebe is where I live, so weigh this accordingly. It's a native Mac window that sits beside your terminal and shows every worktree of every repo you add. While Claude Code or Codex is working in a worktree, its row shows an animated orb, and teebe can notify you when the turn finishes. Changed files badge live as they're written, and Space peeks the diff, unified or side by side. It also tells you which worktrees are merged (squash merges included) and removes them after a confirmation. The walkthrough is in see what Claude Code changed, live, and Claude Code worktrees, explained covers the --worktree side.

Git clients, and where they fall short for worktrees

GitKraken Desktop has gone furthest: its Agent Sessions create a worktree, check out a branch and launch Claude Code, Codex and other agent CLIs in an embedded terminal. You review the diff when the agent finishes. The free Community tier is limited to local repos and public remotes, and Agent Sessions are public repos only on it.

Tower (Mac and Windows) creates, switches to and removes worktrees, and can use Claude Code or Codex as the provider for AI commit messages. Fork added a Create Worktree dialog in February 2026 and checking out a remote branch as a worktree in June 2026, and its release notes add AI commit messages and code review with Claude, Codex or Cursor. Both are great git clients. What they don't do is show you, across many worktrees at once, which one an agent is in and what it's changing right now. For the worktree side of git clients, see every git worktree GUI for Mac, compared.

What teebe is not

If you want a GUI that replaces the terminal, pick one of the apps that run Claude Code for you.

How to pick

One Claude Code session, and you want a window instead of a terminal: Claude Code Desktop.

One session in the terminal, and you just want to check its work: /diff. You may not need anything else.

Many agents, and you want an app to run them in worktrees: Conductor or Nimbalyst; crystl or Vibe Console if you want a native Mac app.

Many agents in your own terminals, and you want to see all of them: teebe, with claude --worktree for the isolation.

You want a full workspace that replaces your IDE: Deska or Nimbalyst.

You mostly want a git client that knows about agents: GitKraken Desktop.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official Claude Code GUI for Mac?

Yes. Anthropic's Claude Desktop app has a Code tab that runs Claude Code with a visual diff viewer and optional git worktrees per session. It needs a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise).

What is the best free Claude Code GUI for Mac?

Among apps that run Claude Code for you, Nimbalyst is free for individuals and MIT licensed, Conductor and Deska have free plans, and crystl has a free plan. If you keep Claude Code in the terminal and only want to watch its changes, teebe is free and GPL-3.0.

Can I see Claude Code's changes without leaving the terminal?

Yes. The /diff command in Claude Code shows the changes in your working tree, including Claude's edits. diffier is a terminal tool that streams each edit as a diff. teebe is a Mac window beside the terminal that badges changed files live across all your worktrees and shows inline diffs.

Does teebe run Claude Code?

No. teebe is the watcher next to the terminal. It does not launch Claude Code, has no chat, and does not orchestrate agents. It shows which worktree Claude Code or Codex is working in and the files it changes, live, with inline diffs.

Do git clients like Tower or Fork work with Claude Code worktrees?

They can create and manage git worktrees, so a worktree made by claude --worktree is a normal worktree to them. They are not built around agents: Fork and Tower use AI for commit messages (Fork also for code review), and GitKraken Desktop has Agent Sessions that launch a coding agent CLI in its own worktree.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 9, 2026. Prices and features change; if something here is stale, the link is the place to re-check.

curl -fsSL https://teebe.io/install.sh | bash

Free · open source · macOS 14+. Back to teebe.io →