Podium

Open source alternative to Conductor

45 stars
Apache-2.0
Active this week
Last commit today

Last verified Nov 5, 2026

Orchestrate coding agents through a shared task system, with parallel workspaces, live team views, and decision check-ins before anything merges.

Visit website GitHub45 Deploy on Hostinger

Read the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs, the quick start and the FAQ

who it's for

Who Podium is for#

Developers running a multi-phase AI project

You have a feature that needs research, architecture, implementation, and review. With Podium, one coordinator agent plans phases and delegates each to the best model: Sonnet for research, Opus for design, a build agent for implementation, and a reviewer before anything merges. You step in at the check-in points.

Skip if:

Skip if your task fits in a single session with one agent. Podium's value comes from multi-phase, multi-agent jobs. A one-shot code change does not need a task system.

Teams wanting human oversight of parallel AI work

Podium's check-in pattern is built for teams where a human must approve before changes land. Agents surface results with evidence: drafts, screenshots, sourced data. You review from the offer card and either approve or send back changes. The board shows every agent's status so oversight does not require watching each session.

Skip if:

Skip if your team runs fully automated pipelines with no human review step. Podium is designed around check-in gates; removing them leaves a plain task board with extra overhead.

Developers running agents on a remote VPS

Install the Podium server on a Linux VPS with one command. Agents keep running after your machine is off. Control and review the work from your phone, a browser, or the desktop app when you return. Best for longer-running tasks that would otherwise require leaving a laptop open.

Skip if:

Skip if you need agents to access resources only available on your local machine (local dev servers, local databases). The VPS server runs in its own environment and cannot reach your laptop's localhost.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Running more than one coding agent at once creates coordination overhead that cancels out the speed gains. Each agent needs context about what the others are doing, what it can and cannot touch, and what it is waiting on. Without a shared task system, you become the relay: copying findings between sessions, keeping track of which branch is safe to merge, and deciding when to interrupt an agent that is blocked.

The harder problem appears when a task requires several rounds: research, then design, then implementation, then review. Passing results from one agent to the next manually is fragile. Findings get lost between sessions, an agent misses a dependency, or two agents overwrite the same file. The coordination cost grows faster than the number of agents.

how Podium solves it

How it solves it#

Shared issue system for all agents

Every task in Podium holds its goal, breakdown, dependencies, conversation history, and artifacts. Agents create and update that structure directly through Podium's CLI and MCP tools, so coordination has a persistent home outside any single session. A follow-up task waits on its prerequisite automatically; a session can end while the task and its recorded progress stay available to the next agent.

Coordinator works across all your coding agents

Any agent can act as the coordinator: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Grok, and Pi are all supported. The coordinator creates subtasks, links dependencies, delegates to the right agent for each phase, and collects results. You can switch coordinators mid-job or engage individual agents directly alongside the coordinator.

Parallel agent flight deck

The team view shows every active agent, their tasks, what each is waiting on, and what has finished. Open any task to reach its conversation and join the work. Done tasks stay in place, one click from their history. The view makes it possible to follow a job with many agents without tracking it all in your head.

Agent check-ins and decision offers

Before anything merges, the agent surfaces the result with evidence: a draft, a screenshot, pricing sourced and dated, or a code review. You approve from the card or request changes. This check-in pattern keeps you the decision-maker without requiring you to watch the work in real time.

Git worktrees per task

Separate implementation tasks can run in separate git worktrees, so parallel agents do not step on each other's changes. Each task owns its branch and workspace. Agents sharing one workspace still need explicit file ownership, but the worktree system removes the main class of merge conflicts in parallel builds.

Desktop, server, and phone access

Podium runs on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), with experimental Linux AppImage and Windows installer builds. For server-side use, install the headless server on any Linux VPS with one command. Connect from the desktop app, any browser, or your phone's browser. Every Podium app connects to every Podium server.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Apache-2.0 license with full self-hostingPodium is Apache-2.0 licensed: free to run on your own machine or VPS, modify, and use commercially without restrictions. Unlike Conductor, there is no managed-service requirement and no account to create before your agents can work.
Works with the coding agents you already usePodium does not replace your coding agents. It adds a shared task system that Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Grok, and Pi can all read and write. Your agents' own accounts, models, and limits stay in effect; Podium adds coordination on top.
Persistent task state across sessionsEach issue holds its goal, brief, dependencies, and recorded progress. A session ending does not lose context: the next agent picks up where the last one left off. For jobs that span hours or multiple machines, this removes the manual context-passing that most multi-agent setups require.
Phone and browser remote accessBecause Podium can run on a Linux VPS, agents keep working after your laptop closes. You can follow and steer the work from your phone's browser or any desktop browser connected to your server. The macOS desktop app connects to any Podium server, local or remote.

Trade-offs

-Early-stage, pre-1.0 releasePodium is pre-1.0 and moving quickly. The README notes this directly and directs users to check release notes for what is in a packaged build. Breaking changes are likely between releases. The Windows and Linux desktop builds are explicitly marked experimental.
-Small user communityWith 45 stars and 3 forks at the time of writing, Podium has a small user community. Third-party guides, forum answers, and community-sourced workarounds are limited. Issues and integration questions will mostly land in the Discord rather than a broad existing knowledge base.
-VPS deployment requires server setupRunning agents after your laptop closes requires a Linux VPS you manage. Setting up network access (Tailscale, Cloudflare Tunnel, or a reverse proxy) adds setup work for users without server administration experience. The macOS desktop app works standalone, but remote access is not zero-configuration.

versus alternatives

Podium vs alternatives#

Podium vs Conductor

Podium and Conductor both address agent workflow coordination, but from different premises. Podium is an open-source ADE you run on your own machine or VPS; Conductor is a commercial agent workflow tool.

Feature	Podium	Conductor
License	Apache-2.0	Proprietary
Self-hosting	Yes (desktop or VPS)	No
Pricing	Free	Commercial
Agent support	Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Grok, Pi	Varies by plan
Task system	Built-in shared issue system	Built-in workflow engine
Offline use	Yes (local desktop)	No

Podium is the stronger choice when you want full control over the coordination layer: no data leaves your machine, you can modify the task system, and you are not tied to a subscription. The Apache-2.0 license lets you run it commercially, fork it, and build on top of it without restrictions. For teams already using Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor, Podium adds coordination without replacing any existing agent.

Conductor is worth considering when your team needs a managed service with enterprise support and no infrastructure to maintain. Teams without server administration experience who need agent coordination without managing a VPS will find Conductor easier to get started with. If the job requires deep integration with Conductor's enterprise security features or existing workflow catalog, Podium is not a direct drop-in.

install · quick start

Quick start#

bash

Install the headless Podium server on a Linux VPS with the official setup script.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://podium.do/install.sh | sh
```

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages: JavaScriptRustTypeScript
Frameworks: React
Tooling: esbuild

frequently asked

FAQ#

What coding agents does Podium work with?

Podium supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Grok, and Pi as of the current release. Cross-agent delegation and communication work across all of them. Your agents' own accounts, model selections, and usage limits still apply; Podium adds the shared task layer on top, not a replacement for the agents themselves.

Does Podium require a cloud account or subscription?

No. Podium is Apache-2.0 licensed and runs entirely on your own machine or a VPS you own. The macOS desktop app works standalone. The server install is a single shell command. No account, subscription, or cloud service from the Podium team is required.

How does Podium's check-in system work?

When an agent finishes a phase or reaches a decision point, it surfaces an offer: a card with the result and the evidence (a draft, screenshots, data with sources). You review from the card and either approve the next step or request changes. The agent does not proceed until you respond. This is configured through coordination prompts you give to the coordinator agent, not through a fixed workflow.

Can I run Podium on Linux or Windows?

The Linux desktop build is an AppImage marked experimental. The Windows installer is also experimental (x64 only). The headless server for VPS use is production-ready on Linux x86_64 and ARM64. macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel is the primary supported desktop platform.

How is Podium different from just running agents in separate terminals?

Separate terminals give each agent its own context with no way to pass findings between them. Podium adds a shared issue system that agents can read and write: tasks hold goals, dependencies, and recorded progress, so a follow-up agent picks up where the last one left off. The coordinator agent uses this structure to link phases and block work on prerequisites automatically.

also worth a look

Similar open-source tools#

paperclip

Featured

Alternative toGrok Bot

Self-hosted AI agent management with org charts and budgets

111,113 GitHub stars
Licence MIT

Claude Squad

Alternative toConductor

Terminal manager for multiple AI coding agents in isolated workspaces

8,732 GitHub stars
Licence AGPL-3.0

Nimbalyst

Alternative toConductor

Agent workspace with parallel sessions, visual editing, and a wiki.

2,022 GitHub stars
Licence MIT

Pane

Alternative toConductor

Agent-agnostic parallel runner with auto worktrees, any OS.

602 GitHub stars
Licence AGPL-3.0 with attribution requirement

Paradev

Alternative toConductor

Open-source macOS workspace for parallel CLI coding agents

15,923 GitHub stars
Licence MIT

Paseo

Alternative toConductor

Run any coding agent in parallel, across desktop, mobile, and CLI

23,074 GitHub stars
Licence Apache-2.0

by category

Open source tools in these categories#

557

Self-host Podium on a Hostinger VPS

Keep it running 24/7, even when your laptop is off. A Hostinger VPS gives it a server of its own.

01
Choose a plan
Starts from $6.49/mo
02
Apply
Extra 10% off yearly plans
03
Install Podium
On a server that stays on
04
Start building
Focus on the app, not the server

Deploy on Hostinger

Inbox Zero

Alternative toSuperhuman

AI email assistant that drafts replies and clears your inbox

12,889 GitHub stars
Licence AGPL-3.0
#Email

rakazo

Alternative toGrok Bot

AI teammates you own: your keys, your model, your machine.

7,028 GitHub stars
Licence Apache-2.0
#AI Agents

SnitchFeed

Live monitoring on LinkedIn, X, Reddit & more. Agentic social listening for startups.

Marketing & Growth

Advertise your product

The projects we add and every new guide. Free, unsubscribe any time.

Find open source alternatives to paid software

Podium vs Conductor

Feature	Podium	Conductor
License	Apache-2.0	Proprietary
Self-hosting	Yes (desktop or VPS)	No
Pricing	Free	Commercial
Agent support	Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Grok, Pi	Varies by plan
Task system	Built-in shared issue system	Built-in workflow engine
Offline use	Yes (local desktop)	No

Who Podium is for#

Developers running a multi-phase AI project

Skip if:

Teams wanting human oversight of parallel AI work

Skip if:

Developers running agents on a remote VPS

Skip if:

The problem it solves#

How it solves it#

Shared issue system for all agents

Coordinator works across all your coding agents

Parallel agent flight deck

Agent check-ins and decision offers

Git worktrees per task

Desktop, server, and phone access

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Trade-offs

Podium vs alternatives#

Podium vs Conductor

Quick start#

What it's built on#

FAQ#

Similar open-source tools#

Open source tools in these categories#

Developer Tools

AI & Machine Learning

Product & Project Management

LLMOps & AI Tooling

Find open source alternatives to paid software

Who Podium is for#

Developers running a multi-phase AI project

Skip if:

Teams wanting human oversight of parallel AI work

Skip if:

Developers running agents on a remote VPS

Skip if:

The problem it solves#

How it solves it#

Shared issue system for all agents

Coordinator works across all your coding agents

Parallel agent flight deck

Agent check-ins and decision offers

Git worktrees per task

Desktop, server, and phone access

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Trade-offs

Podium vs alternatives#

Podium vs Conductor

Quick start#

What it's built on#

FAQ#

Similar open-source tools#

Open source tools in these categories#

Developer Tools

AI & Machine Learning

Product & Project Management

LLMOps & AI Tooling

Find open source alternatives to paid software