Taskhold vs CodeAgentSwarm
By Jake Marsh, who builds Taskhold. Updated 2026-10-31. Facts about other tools checked 2026-10-31. 4 min read.
We make Taskhold. Facts about other tools come from their own sites and docs, checked 2026-10-31. Where a tool doesn't describe a feature, we say so rather than saying it lacks it. Something out of date? Email hello@greatwork.company.
Short answer: CodeAgentSwarm is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that runs many CLI coding agents at once, with an Agent Task Board they update over MCP. It is free during its open beta. Taskhold doesn't run agents: it is a hosted list at $12 a month that any MCP client reports to, with a live board you open from any machine or phone.
CodeAgentSwarm is a desktop app built by Arturo García. It runs Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor Agent, OpenCode and other CLI agents side by side, with live status, notifications, searchable history and live diffs. Its Agent Task Board has Pending, In Progress, In Testing and Completed columns plus an Auto queue. Agents read the board through MCP tools built into the app: they move their own cards, write a plan, add subtasks and leave a summary, and finished work waits in In Testing for you.
Taskhold doesn't launch agents or show diffs. It's a hosted list your existing agents connect to over MCP from any machine, with a live board of each task's steps and a box to answer a blocked agent. Vibe Kanban is another tool that runs agents for you, and the roundup puts them all side by side.
Side by side
| CodeAgentSwarm | Taskhold | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Desktop app that runs up to 50 CLI agents in parallel, with a task board | Hosted task list and live board your agents connect to |
| Price | Free during the open beta, with Pro included; after the beta, a Free tier or Pro (price not listed yet) | $12/month or $120/year per person, 7-day trial |
| Where it runs | macOS 12+, Windows 10/11 and Linux | Hosted; open it in any browser |
| Runs the agents | Yes: Claude Code, Codex CLI, Antigravity CLI, OpenCode, Kimi Code, Grok Build, Cursor Agent, Muse Code, Pi and Devin CLI | No; you start agents however you already do |
| How agents update tasks | MCP tools inside the app: create, start, plan, summary, subtasks, submit for testing | A remote MCP server any client can add, on any machine |
| Watching progress | Cards move across columns with a plan and a summary; live diffs and notifications per session | Live board: steps with a progress bar, the agent's current message and time per task |
| Agent asks you something | An alert when an agent finishes, needs input or fails | Blocked question at the top of the board, with a reply box |
| From your phone | Mobile Connect follows and messages desktop sessions from a paired phone while the desktop stays online | The live board works in a phone browser, with no desktop needed |
| Sharing with someone else | Not described on its site | Read-only share link for a project's live board |
| Diffs and change tracking | Yes, live while the agent edits | No |
CodeAgentSwarm facts from its website (version 2.4.3, released 2026-09-30), checked 2026-10-31.
When is CodeAgentSwarm the better choice?
- You want one window that runs and supervises several CLI agents on your computer.
- You want live diffs, searchable conversation history and permission guardrails next to each session.
- You want a task board that hands queued tasks to agents on its own (the Auto queue), with finished work held in testing for review.
- You'd rather not pay for now: the open beta is free.
When is Taskhold the better choice?
- Your agents run on more than one machine, such as a laptop and a cloud box, and you want them on one list.
- You want to check progress and answer a blocked agent from a phone or another computer without keeping a desktop online.
- You use an agent or editor CodeAgentSwarm doesn't run, such as Windsurf or VS Code: anything that speaks MCP can connect.
- You want a read-only link to a project's live board for a client or a teammate.
Using both
CodeAgentSwarm runs ordinary CLI agents, so they can load Taskhold's MCP server like any other session. Run the agents in CodeAgentSwarm on your desk and add Taskhold to them: work queued from your phone reaches them, and their steps and blocked questions show on a board you can open anywhere.
Moving tasks over
There's no importer. Ask an agent running in CodeAgentSwarm, with Taskhold connected too, to read its open tasks from the board and create each one with taskhold_create.
See how far along your coding agents are.
$12/month or $120/year after the trial. Card up front. Cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. Every agent you run is included.
Questions
- Does Taskhold run agents like CodeAgentSwarm?
- No. Taskhold holds the list and shows progress; you start Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or any other MCP client yourself, in CodeAgentSwarm or anywhere else.
- Is CodeAgentSwarm free?
- During its open beta, yes: Pro is included with no card. Its beta page says that when the beta ends you can stay on a Free tier or upgrade to Pro, with no automatic charges.
Sources
- CodeAgentSwarm guide: Claude Code task management, checked 2026-10-31
- CodeAgentSwarm open beta and downloads, checked 2026-10-31
- About CodeAgentSwarm, checked 2026-10-31
Related
Updated 2026-10-31. Something wrong or out of date? Email hello@greatwork.company.