Termdock vs Orca vs Herdr vs cmux vs Warp
Termdock is built for agents that drive the terminal themselves: they dispatch each other through the CLI, schedules and webhooks start them, and you take over from a phone browser without an app. Termdock cells describe Termdock 1.22. Competitor cells quote each homepage as read on 2026-10-04.
Agents in the terminal
| Feature | Termdock | Orca | Herdr | cmux | Warp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agents drive the terminal through a CLI or API | termdock CLI and Terminal API: create, read, stream, send input, rename, arrange panes. Built-in skills are installed into Claude Code and Codex; the CLI is installed from the app's settings. | "Agents drive Orca too": orca worktree create, snapshot, click, fill | "The CLI and the socket API are the same surface agents drive" | "CLI and socket API for automation and scripting" | "API, CLI, SDK and MCP" for Factories |
An agent starts another agent and follows it | An agent opens another agent's terminal, sends the task, and follows its output; session submit --queue-until-ready holds the next prompt until the terminal is idle, and the Agent Session API reports whether a dispatch is done or waiting on permission | Not stated | Agents "start each other, prompt each other, and wait until another agent is genuinely blocked" | Subagents an agent spawns become native panes and splits | Not stated |
Supported agents | Built-in sessions for Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity (agy, which replaced the Gemini CLI integration), GitLab Duo, OpenCode; any other CLI agent runs in a terminal | "27 supported agents"; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor CLI, Gemini, Copilot, OpenCode, Pi preconfigured | "22 agent CLIs detected"; Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, opencode, Grok | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Kiro, Aider, "and any CLI tool" | "any MCP-capable coding agent" |
One git worktree per agent | Not built in | "Every task runs in its own isolated git worktree" | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Running without you
| Feature | Termdock | Orca | Herdr | cmux | Warp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Schedules, webhooks and workflows | Cron or one-time schedules with a precheck command; a script or CI step POSTs to a Webhook URL to message a chosen tab; a workflow sends prompts one after another to the agent in the active terminal; keep-alive | Not statedHas an "Automate everything" tab; mechanism not described | Not stated | Not stated | Factories: "work flows in from chat, tickets, and source control" |
Tells you when an agent needs you | Discord or Telegram push (off by default): sessions you /watch notify when output goes idle, and agents can push with termdock notify. Claude Code and Codex permission requests go to the Workstream panel to approve, reject or reply | Companion app to "watch live agent status" | Marks each agent working, blocked or idle; "when one stops and needs an answer it says so" | "Notification rings: panes light up when agents need attention" | Not stated |
Reply from your phone | Phone browser, no app: pair on the same network; Tailscale or ZeroTier when away. Or reply in the session's Discord thread | Companion app for iOS and Android | Not statedAttach "from any tty"; phone not mentioned | "iOS companion: your terminals sync to iPhone and iPad" | "watch, steer, and hand off runs from web, mobile, terminal, or IDE" |
Remote machines | LAN machines: auto-discovery, pair once, end-to-end encrypted, no cloud relay. SSH workspaces on hosts with tmux installed (Beta) | "SSH Worktrees": run agents on a remote box, auto-reconnect | "Add them over SSH" | Not stated | Factories run in "warp's cloud, or self-hosted in your own VPC" |
Keep running when you leave, pick up later | Take over a session started from another Termdock and give it back; one writer at a time; keeps running per your retention setting, reattach later | Not stated | "Walk away and they keep working. Come back from any machine" | Restores windows, scrollback and agent sessions after a restart | Not stated |
Code and usage
| Feature | Termdock | Orca | Herdr | cmux | Warp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Code graph for agents | Definitions, callers and dependencies in 9 languages; LSP lookups; agents query the AST API through the bundled termdock-ast skill; MCP server (build from source) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not statedLists MCP as a platform surface; code graph not mentioned |
AI usage and cost | Claude Code and Codex quota and cost: 24-hour and 14-day charts, yearly heatmap, per workspace | "See Claude and Codex usage, rate-limit resets" | Not stated | Not stated | Cost per PR for factory runs |
Platforms and price
| Feature | Termdock | Orca | Herdr | cmux | Warp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Platforms | macOS, Windows | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Linux, Windows | macOS (native Swift + AppKit) | Not statedTerminal platforms not listed on the homepage |
Price | Free | Free | No price stated; Herdr Cloud "coming soon" | Free; Founder's Edition to back development | Factories "priced per agent run" |
* "Not stated" means the competitor's homepage does not mention it. It does not mean the product lacks it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Termdock different from Orca?
Orca runs every task in its own git worktree, which Termdock does not do. Termdock focuses on agents running the terminal on their own: an agent can open another agent's terminal, send it a task and follow its output, and schedules, webhooks and workflows start agents without you. Agents can push a message to Discord or Telegram with termdock notify, and you can answer from a phone browser without installing an app.
How is Termdock different from Herdr?
Herdr describes itself as a server running in the background that holds terminals open, adds machines over SSH, and lets agents start, prompt and wait on each other through its CLI and socket API. It lists macOS, Linux and Windows. Termdock is a desktop app for macOS and Windows that adds schedules, webhooks, a code graph for agents, a usage dashboard, a Discord thread for each session that pushes, and phone browser access.
How is Termdock different from cmux?
cmux is a native macOS terminal built on Ghostty with vertical tabs, notification rings when agents need attention, and an iOS companion app. It is free. Termdock runs on macOS and Windows, sends notifications to Discord or Telegram, and adds schedules, webhooks and takeover of sessions on other machines.
How is Termdock different from Warp?
Warp's homepage now leads with cloud software factories for engineering teams, priced per agent run, with its terminal as one of three products. Termdock runs on your own machines and connects them over your LAN or SSH, and it is free.
Where do the competitor cells come from?
Each competitor cell quotes or paraphrases that product's homepage as read on 2026-10-04. "Not stated" means the homepage does not mention it. It does not mean the product lacks it.
Summary
What each one leads with:
- Orca: every agent in its own git worktree, an editor and browser in one app
- Herdr: a background server that keeps agents running, machines added over SSH
- cmux: a native macOS terminal on Ghostty with notification rings and an iOS app
- Warp: cloud software factories for engineering teams, priced per agent run
- Termdock: agents run the terminal themselves, schedules and webhooks start them, and you answer from Discord or your phone
Termdock fits when you want to:
- Let Claude Code hand work to Codex or Antigravity and follow it to the result
- Start agents on a schedule or from a script or CI step that POSTs to a webhook
- Get pinged on Discord or Telegram by a watched session or an agent, and answer from your phone
- Take over a session running on another machine and give it back
- Give agents a code graph of definitions, callers and dependencies