Leon vs Conductor.
Checked 2026-10-07. Sources below.
Conductor site: www.conductor.build/
Conductor is a polished Mac app for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode with unlimited local parallelism, plus paid cloud sandboxes, multiplayer and an API. Leon is a native workspace on macOS, Linux and Windows that is free and open source throughout. Choose Conductor if you are on a Mac and want cloud agents that outlive your laptop. Choose Leon if you are on Linux or Windows, or want the whole workspace free and open.
The table.
Leon: Rust, GPU-rendered UI, 23 to 27 MB download, macOS, Linux, Windows, Apache-2.0, open source.
| LEON | CONDUCTOR | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Native workspace for running coding agents in parallel. Rust, GPU-rendered, a 23 to 27 MB download. | Mac app that runs parallel coding agents in isolated workspaces, with a review and merge flow. Cloud sandboxes run workspaces remotely. |
| Agent support | 43 built-in terminal agents plus custom agents. History search for Claude Code, Codex and opencode. | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode, running on subscriptions and keys you already hold, as listed on conductor.build (as of Oct 2026). |
| Isolation | One tree for every session: projects, worktrees and machines side by side. Resume, no dupes, history, lights. | One workspace per task: worktree with its own branch, terminal, chat and diff. Checkpoints and plan approval documented. |
| Terminals | Real terminals, split your way, with buffer and live output. | Terminal per workspace. Exact split and buffer behaviour not listed on the homepage (as of Oct 2026). |
| Review flow | Review loop is planned, not shipped. Today you review in the terminal and with git, as usual. | Diff viewer, checks and pull-request flow, plus Linear and GitHub issue intake. |
| Remote | Add a server over SSH, or share a machine with a ten-symbol code. Relay at relay.getleon.dev is online. End-to-end encrypted. | Conductor Cloud runs agents in remote sandboxes so sessions survive your laptop closing. iOS app and API on paid tiers. |
| Speed and footprint | 1-2 ms history search over about 14,700 messages; about 5 ms re-import with nothing new; about 6 s test suite. Measured on one M1 Pro. Your machine will differ. The download is 23 to 27 MB as of 0.9.0. | Not listed on their pricing or homepage (as of Oct 2026). Native Mac app; footprint not published. |
| Platforms | macOS, Linux and Windows. | Desktop is macOS only. Paid tiers add cloud workspaces and a mobile app. No Windows or Linux build, as listed (as of Oct 2026). |
| Licence and price | Apache-2.0, open source. Free. Bring your own agent subscriptions. | Free for local parallel agents. Pro $50/mo adds cloud hours, multiplayer up to five, API and mobile app. Teams $60/user/mo, invite-only. Enterprise custom. Model spend stays on your own subscriptions at every tier (as of Oct 2026). |
Beyond the table.
Where Leon is stronger
- Every platform: macOS, Linux and Windows, from one codebase.
- Free and Apache-2.0 throughout. No paid tier for remote or mobile equivalents.
- Fast local search and a small binary with published numbers.
Where Conductor is stronger
- Polished Mac experience with checkpoints, plan approval and review flow.
- Cloud sandboxes that keep agents working after the laptop closes.
- Multiplayer, API and iOS app for teams on paid tiers.
Honest limits of Leon here
- No cloud-hosted agents. Remote means your own machines over SSH or the relay.
- Review and orchestration are planned, not shipped.
- Younger project with a smaller integration surface than Conductor.
Choose honestly.
[ CHOOSE LEON ]
- You are on Linux or Windows, where Conductor has no desktop build.
- You want the workspace free and open source, with no second subscription.
- You run agents on machines you control and reach them over SSH or a code.
[ CHOOSE CONDUCTOR ]
- You are on a Mac and want the most polished parallel-agent GUI.
- You want cloud sandboxes that survive a closed laptop without owning a server.
- You need multiplayer, an API or an admin portal for a team.
Switching takes minutes.
Both tools run the same repos and the same agent CLIs.
- Same repos, same branches, same agent logins. Nothing to export.
- Recreate parallel sessions as Leon sessions across projects and worktrees.
- History for Claude Code, Codex and opencode becomes searchable in Leon.
Questions.
Is Conductor free?
Local parallel agents are free. Cloud sandboxes, multiplayer, the API and the mobile app sit behind Pro at $50/mo, as listed on conductor.build (as of Oct 2026). Model spend is separate on every tier.
Does Conductor run on Linux or Windows?
No native build is listed (as of Oct 2026). Linux and Windows developers use the cloud product or another workspace. Leon ships all three.
Which is open source?
Leon is Apache-2.0. Conductor is closed source.
Leon facts: the app README, CHANGELOG and brand book, via COPY.md. Leon is independent and unaffiliated with Conductor. Third-party names and marks identify compatibility and remain their owners' trademarks.