boxes.dev vs Superset
Superset is a terminal-first workbench for running many CLI agents in Git worktrees on your Mac or a host you add. boxes.dev runs the machines for you and gives each task a full, isolated copy of your development environment.
The short answer
Superset is a source-available desktop app for running Claude Code, Codex, and 18 other CLI agents in Git worktrees on your Mac or a host you add, with an iPhone app and scheduled automations on Pro. boxes.dev runs Claude Code and Codex on full, isolated copies of a cloud machine where your app already runs. Choose Superset for many agents on computers you run, Pages for team feedback, or a pull request list across repositories. Choose boxes.dev when you want the agent to test its work in your full running app, like an engineer would, without keeping hosts online.
Choose boxes.dev if
- You want the agent to test its changes in your running app, with its real databases, services, and data, the way an engineer would.
- You don't want to provision, secure, and keep a host online for your agents.
- You want each task on its own machine, with its own databases and ports, that sleeps when idle and resumes with its dev servers still running.
- You want schedules, Slack, Linear, and your iPhone or Android phone to reach agents while your laptop is closed.
- You want to share the app a task is running at a public link, or give an OAuth provider or webhook one stable Project URL.
Choose Superset if
- You use agents beyond Claude Code and Codex, such as Amp, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, or Droid.
- You want one list of pull requests across your repositories, filtered by author and review state.
- You want agents to publish designs and reports as Pages that teammates comment on.
- You want source-available software with a free plan for one person and a low seat price for teams.
At a glance
As of September 2026.
| boxes.dev | Superset | |
|---|---|---|
| Agents | Claude Code and Codex, each with your own plan or an API key, in a graphical view or the agent's own terminal UI | Claude Code, Codex, and 18 more CLI agents, each with its own plan or API key signed in on the host, plus a built-in chat |
| Who runs the computer | boxes.dev runs a cloud devbox for each task: a full, isolated copy of your Template box that can hold several threads | You do: your Mac, or a host you add, such as a Mac mini or a cloud server; cloud workspaces for accounts where they're enabled |
| Parallel tasks | Each devbox is its own machine, with its own databases, services, and ports | Workspaces are Git worktrees, each with its own branch, directory, and terminals on the same host |
| Environment setup | A snapshot of your Template box, a cloud machine that a setup agent prepares with your app's tools, databases, services, and data, kept current by an optional maintenance script | The host as you set it up; project scripts install dependencies and copy env files into each new worktree |
| When you close your laptop | Devboxes keep working, then sleep when idle, keeping files and memory, so dev servers, databases, and terminals resume when they wake | A host keeps working while it's awake, online, and running Superset; an automation fails if its device is offline when it's due |
| Working in the machine | Terminal tabs, a file editor, Git history and diff review, a shared browser with comments on page elements, a process monitor, and SSH | Persistent terminals, a file editor, diffs, and an in-app browser with DevTools and Design Mode that agents can drive |
| Reaching the running app | A browser on the devbox that you and the agent share, ports forwarded to the same port on your laptop, stable .localhost addresses, public links, and Project URLs | The in-app browser and ports on your Mac; for a remote workspace, the ports it started, forwarded to the same port on your Mac while it's selected |
| Apps | macOS desktop app, iOS and Android apps with a terminal, the dvb CLI, SSH, and VS Code or JetBrains through dvb ide | macOS desktop app, an iPhone app on Pro, a CLI, an early-alpha TypeScript SDK, and an MCP server |
| Starting work | The apps, dvb claude or dvb codex from your terminal, @boxes.dev in Slack, assigned Linear issues, and automations on a schedule or from an API call | The apps, the CLI and SDK, @superset in Slack, Linear issues from its task list or a custom script, and automations on a schedule |
| Pull requests | Comments on changed lines go to the agent; actions to fix checks, address review feedback, and merge; and pull requests that fix failed checks and bot review feedback on their own | Comments on selected pull request lines go to an agent; a pull request list across your repositories with checks, review filters, and merge |
| Shared setup | Environment files with project, team, and personal values; startup and maintenance scripts; MCP servers and agent plugins on every devbox; AWS, Tailscale, and a static egress IP; Team Templates | Project scripts in the repository, saved terminal scripts, and each agent's own configuration on the host |
| Working with your team | Read-only thread links, team-wide thread reading, and project browsing for teammates; @boxes.dev in Slack, where teammates you allow can start work and send follow-ups that run with your access; and commits linked to threads | Hosts that teammates you grant access can use, team automations, @superset in Slack with thread follow-ups, and Pages that teammates comment on |
| Agents working together | Agents start agents on new or existing devboxes, message each other, read earlier threads, and share files in a project folder | An orchestration skill that lets Claude Code or Codex coordinate workers in separate workspaces |
| Pricing | Free trial with 10 box-hours; Starter $19 and Pro $99 per user each month, plus your Claude or ChatGPT plan or an API key | Free for one user; Pro $20 per user each month, or $15 billed yearly; you pay for hosts and agent plans |
Who runs the computer
Superset runs agents on computers you provide, and boxes.dev runs the computers for you.
Superset's desktop app runs agents on your Mac, and Remote Access adds other hosts, such as a Mac mini under your desk or a cloud server, through Superset Relay. You install and sign in to each agent's CLI on every host and keep it secure, updated, and online. Remote Access, automations, and the iPhone app come with Pro, and you pay separately for each host and agent plan.
boxes.dev first sets up your full development environment on a cloud machine called the Template box, with the tools, databases, services, and data your app needs, so an agent can run the app and test its changes end to end. A setup agent can port the environment from your laptop, including the files, local data, agent settings, and skills you choose to upload, or build it from a GitHub repository. boxes.dev then saves the Template box as a snapshot, and every task runs on its own devbox, a full, isolated copy of that machine. A maintenance script can keep the Template box current as your code changes, running on a schedule or when files such as a lockfile change, and each successful run saves a new snapshot. Team Templates let an admin prepare one starting environment for everyone on the team.
You'd never let an engineer ship code they hadn't run, and a full environment holds the agent to the same standard. On a boxes.dev devbox, the agent runs your whole app, with its databases and services, and tests its changes in the browser as it builds. It reproduces bugs in the real app to find the root cause instead of guessing from the code, so it writes better code and makes fewer mistakes. It can also take screenshots and record video for you to review, so you can hand it most repetitive manual testing.
Worktrees on one host, or a machine for each task
Superset separates parallel tasks with Git worktrees, and boxes.dev gives each task its own machine.
Each Superset workspace is a Git worktree with its own branch, directory, and terminal sessions. Workspaces share the host's CPU, memory, services, databases, and ports, and Superset doesn't assign port ranges to workspaces, so tasks that each need their own database or a dev server on the same port need more setup.
Each boxes.dev devbox is a separate machine with its own copy of your databases, services, and seeded data, so parallel tasks don't collide.
Reaching the running app
Both let you and your agents use the running app in a browser, and boxes.dev also shares it at public addresses.
Superset's in-app browser opens the ports a workspace is listening on, and agents can drive the same pane you're watching. Design Mode sends a page element to an agent along with your request. The pane runs in the desktop app, so an agent on a host with no desktop app attached can't use it. When you select a workspace on a remote host, the desktop app forwards the ports that workspace started to the same port numbers on your Mac.
Each boxes.dev devbox runs a browser that you and the agent share, so you can
watch the agent test the app, click through it yourself, or comment on page
elements to show the agent what to change. Ports forwards the app to the same
localhost port on your laptop and gives each devbox stable .localhost
addresses. A public link shares a devbox's running app with anyone, and a
Project URL gives your project one stable public address that you can point at
any devbox, which suits OAuth callbacks and webhooks.
When your computer is off
Superset's phone app and automations reach a host that has to stay online, and boxes.dev devboxes run in the cloud.
Superset's iPhone app, on Pro, can continue terminal sessions, send prompts, review diffs, and merge pull requests on your computer, as long as it stays awake, online, and running Superset. A scheduled automation fails if its device isn't connected when it's due. Cloud workspaces, where they're enabled, work without a connected computer.
A boxes.dev devbox keeps working while your laptop is closed, then sleeps when idle and keeps its memory, so dev servers and databases resume where they left off. Schedules, Slack mentions, and assigned Linear issues start work on devboxes, and the iOS and Android apps can reply to agents, browse files, and open a shell.
What comes with every boxes.dev devbox
The boxes.dev desktop app opens the same set of tools for whichever devbox you select:
- Terminal, with tabs that keep running after you close the app.
- Files, a file browser and editor with search across the workspace.
- Git/Review, for branch history and diffs, where comments on changed lines go to the agent together as one message.
- Browser, the browser on the devbox that you and the agent share.
- Ports, for the forwarding,
.localhostaddresses, and public links described above. - Activity, which shows the processes using the machine's CPU and memory.
In Slack, later @boxes.dev mentions from you or teammates you allow send
follow-ups to the same conversation, and those teammates can start work in
your project with @boxes.dev @YourName, which runs with your access. AWS,
Tailscale, and the MCP servers and agent plugins you add for the project reach
every devbox. You can branch a conversation onto a new devbox that starts with
the current files, including uncommitted work.
Where Superset shines
- Twenty CLI agents. Claude Code, Codex, Amp, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Cursor Agent, Droid, Kiro, and more run side by side.
- A pull request list across repositories. One view lists pull requests from all your projects' repositories, filters them by author and review state, and shows their checks.
- Pages. Agents publish designs and reports as Pages that teammates comment on, and the agent watching a page acts on the comments.
- An SDK and an MCP server. An early-alpha TypeScript SDK and an MCP server let scripts and other agents create workspaces and tasks.
Pricing
As of September 2026.
| boxes.dev | Superset | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Trial free; Starter $19 and Pro $99 per user each month | Free for one user; Pro $20 per user each month, or $15 billed yearly; Enterprise priced on request |
| Model usage | Your Claude or ChatGPT plan, or an API key | Each agent's own plan or API key |
| Cloud time included | 10 box-hours on the Trial, 40 per user on Starter, 250 on Pro | None; you provide the computers |
| Cloud machines awake at once | 2 on the Trial, 4 per user on Starter, 10 on Pro | As many hosts as you run; workspaces on one host share it |
| Extra cloud time | $0.75 per box-hour on Starter, $0.60 on Pro | Your hosting provider's rates |
A box-hour is one default devbox awake for an hour, and sleeping devboxes don't use any. On Starter, 40 box-hours works out to about two hours of devbox time each working day, and Pro's 250 to about twelve, spread across as many as ten devboxes at once. Your Claude or ChatGPT plan covers the agents' usage. See Plans, seats, and box-hours.
Superset's Free plan covers one user with local workspaces, the desktop app, the CLI, and GitHub. Pro adds Remote Access, automations, the iPhone app, and the Slack and Linear integrations, billed for each active seat. Superset's pricing page doesn't list cloud workspaces. See Superset's pricing.
Using both
Superset and boxes.dev can work on the same repositories and pull requests. You can keep Superset for the agents and hosts you already run with it, and use boxes.dev when the agent should test its work in its own copy of your full running app, or keep working while your laptop is closed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Superset open source?
Superset is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0, with its code on GitHub, and its Free plan covers one user.
How does Superset on a remote host compare with boxes.dev?
A dedicated host keeps Superset's agents working while your laptop is closed, but you provision, secure, update, and pay for it, and its workspaces share its resources. boxes.dev gives each task its own copy of your Template box and sleeps idle machines.
Can I use my Claude and ChatGPT plans with both?
Yes. Superset launches Claude Code and Codex with the logins on your host, and boxes.dev runs them with your Claude or ChatGPT plan or an API key.
Sources
- Superset: overview, install, AI agents, workspaces, project lifecycle scripts, Remote Access, ports, in-app browser, diff viewer, pull requests, tasks, automations, Slack, Linear, Pages, orchestration, SDK, MCP server, FAQ, and pricing.
- boxes.dev: How boxes.dev works, Update your Template box and snapshots, Startup, teardown, and maintenance, Sleep, wake, and recover a devbox, Review a page with your agent, Browse, edit, and transfer files, Preview your app, Project URLs, Commit, push, and open a pull request, Create and publish a Team Template, Connect Codex and Claude, Work from Slack, Create an automation, Shared project storage, Branch a conversation, Organize and share threads, Install and use the CLI, Use boxes.dev on your phone, and Plans, seats, and box-hours.
Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.