# ADE vs Cua

ADE records 5,689 monthly visits with -44.7% month-over-month growth and Free pricing. Cua records 0 monthly visits with 0% growth and Freemium, Paid (Free, Pro $18/mo, Teams $30/seat/mo) pricing.

| Metric | [ADE](https://openaitools.app/tool/ade) | [Cua](https://openaitools.app/tool/cua) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Website URL | https://ade-app.dev | https://www.trycua.com |
| Categories | AI Developer Tools, AI Code Assistant, AI Agent, AI Copilot | AI Agent, AI Developer Tools, AI Copilot |
| Pricing Model | Free | Freemium, Paid (Free, Pro $18/mo, Teams $30/seat/mo) |
| Monthly Visits | 5,689 | 0 |
| MoM Growth Rate | -44.7% | 0% |
| Primary Market | United States | Global |
| Direct Visits | 3,111 | 0 |
| Review Score | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Saved Count | 0 | 0 |
| Supported Platforms | Website | Website |

## ADE

ADE — short for Agentic Development Environment — is an open-source, local-first application for people who run multiple AI coding agents at once. Instead of juggling separate terminal windows for Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor and others, ADE collects them into one workspace where each task lives in its own isolated git worktree with its own chats, commits and changes. The result is a grid of agents working side by side that you can watch, steer and review from a single board.

Beyond orchestration, ADE ships with the tooling agents need to verify their own work: an embedded browser that can record and screenshot pages, an Electron inspector, Apple and Windows desktop environments agents can drive, and a full file editor with diffs. Automation rules can trigger an agent on a schedule or when a pull request, issue or webhook fires. Pull request review, checks and merges happen beside the chat, so you rarely need to leave the app for GitHub.

The project is free and open source. ADE runs natively on macOS and Windows, installs on Linux with a one-line script, and offers a web client plus a companion iPhone app for monitoring chats, terminals and simulators remotely. A headless mode lets you run ADE on a screenless server that signs in and joins your other machines. Chats can be imported from Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other tools, so existing history carries over. Because it is bring-your-own-model, it works with any plan you already pay for rather than selling a separate subscription.

**Pricing & Plans:** Free and open source. Download for macOS, Windows and Linux with no license fee; you supply your own model API keys or existing agent subscriptions.

- **Parallel agents in git worktrees:** Every task runs in its own isolated worktree with dedicated chats, commits and changes, so multiple agents can work at once without stepping on each other.
- **Bring your own models and agents:** Mix Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, T3 and many more harnesses with 200+ model providers in a single picker.
- **Built-in verification tools:** Agents get an embedded browser, Electron inspector, Apple simulator access and a private Windows desktop so they can record screenshots and videos proving their work.
- **Automations and PR workflows:** Schedule agents or trigger them on pull requests, issues and webhooks, then review, fix and merge PRs beside the chat with stacked-PR support.
- **Runs on every screen:** Desktop apps for macOS and Windows, a Linux install script, a browser client and an iPhone app keep one project synced across every machine you own.

**Strengths:** Completely free and open source with no subscription or per-seat fee; Works with any harness and any model provider, so you keep the plans you already pay for; Isolated worktrees plus a built-in browser and desktop runners make agent output verifiable; Syncs desktop, web and iPhone, and can run headless on a server

**Limitations:** Feature-rich interface has a learning curve for developers used to a bare terminal; You must bring your own API keys or subscriptions, so model costs are separate; Frequent updates mean the changelog is worth watching before relying on a workflow

[Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/ade.md)

## Cua

Cua Spaces, from the team behind the open-source Cua project, reframes AI agents as desktop users. Instead of renting agent infrastructure, you connect the computers you own — a Mac mini on the shelf, a Linux box, or VMs in your own cloud account — and Cua Spaces turns them into a single list of live desktops you can watch, share, and hand to agents. Each Space streams with low latency over QUIC when your machines can reach each other directly.

The agent layer is Cua Driver, an MIT-licensed driver for macOS, Windows, and Linux that lets an agent operate native desktop apps without taking over your cursor or keyboard. Coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Cline, Kiro, and OpenClaw can connect through the Cua MCP server. A feature called Teleport packs an app's session — tabs, profile, sign-ins — into a bundle and moves it from your Mac into a Space; nothing is read until you approve, sensitive items require Touch ID, and on Space images the bundle is sealed end to end.

Cua Spaces is source-available under FSL-1.1-MIT (each release becomes MIT after two years), while Cua Driver and Lume are MIT. There is a genuinely free tier with no account required to start, plus Pro and Teams plans that pay for the hosted relay above the free allowance, shared team computers, roles, and device approval.

**Pricing & Plans:** Free tier available with no account needed to start: Spaces on every computer you connect, Teleport, sharing with named people, and hosted relay up to 2 computers in use at once and 20 remote hours per month. Pro is $18/month (or $15/month billed yearly) for up to 5 computers at once and 200 remote hours. Teams is $30 per seat per month (or $25/seat billed yearly) with shared team computers, roles, and device approval. Cua does not rent hardware — cloud VMs are billed by your own provider.

- **Cua Spaces:** Turn the computers you own into as many lightweight desktops as they can hold, listed in one place and streamed to you as live desktops.
- **Cua Driver for agents:** An MIT-licensed driver that lets agents use native desktop apps on macOS, Windows, and Linux without taking over your cursor or keyboard.
- **Teleport:** Move an app's session bundle — open tabs, profile, sign-ins — from your Mac into a Space, with approval and Touch ID gating sensitive items.
- **Bring your own computers:** Run Spaces on your Mac, on machines you own, or in your own cloud account; Cua provides the app, sharing, and relay, not the hardware.
- **Agent connections:** Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Cline, Kiro, and OpenClaw connect through the Cua MCP server, with a one-step installer.

**Strengths:** Runs on hardware you own rather than rented infrastructure; Core components (Cua Driver, Lume) are MIT-licensed and open to inspect; Free tier with no account required to get started; Supports many popular coding and computer-use agents through MCP (as described on site)

**Limitations:** macOS Spaces require a recent macOS on Apple silicon; Cloud VMs are billed by your provider, separate from Cua plans; Some team features (SSO, audit export) are still listed as coming soon

[Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/cua.md)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do ADE and Cua compare in monthly traffic?

ADE has 5,689 monthly visits, while Cua has 0. Traffic estimates describe audience size, not product quality.

### How do their growth rates compare?

ADE has a month-over-month growth rate of -44.7%; Cua has 0%.

### How does pricing compare?

ADE: Free. Free and open source. Download for macOS, Windows and Linux with no license fee; you supply your own model API keys or existing agent subscriptions. Cua: Freemium, Paid (Free, Pro $18/mo, Teams $30/seat/mo). Free tier available with no account needed to start: Spaces on every computer you connect, Teleport, sharing with named people, and hosted relay up to 2 computers in use at once and 20 remote hours per month. Pro is $18/month (or $15/month billed yearly) for up to 5 computers at once and 200 remote hours. Teams is $30 per seat per month (or $25/seat billed yearly) with shared team computers, roles, and device approval. Cua does not rent hardware — cloud VMs are billed by your own provider.

## Alternatives

| # | Tool Name | Monthly Visits | MoM Growth Rate | Pricing Model | Summary | Profile (Markdown) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1 | [Cursor](https://openaitools.app/tool/cursor) | 23,297,751 | +8.4% | Freemium | The AI coding agent for building ambitious software | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/cursor.md) |
| 2 | [Google Antigravity](https://openaitools.app/tool/google-antigravity) | 16,054,109 | +8.1% | Freemium | Google's agent-first development platform for building and shipping software with AI agents | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/google-antigravity.md) |
| 3 | [Replit](https://openaitools.app/tool/replit) | 10,016,437 | -7.7% | Freemium, Paid | Describe your idea and Replit builds a working app in minutes | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/replit.md) |
| 4 | [Ollama](https://openaitools.app/tool/ollama) | 9,421,973 | +4.3% | Free, Freemium, Paid | Run and build with open AI models locally or in the cloud | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/ollama.md) |
| 5 | [Hermes-Agent](https://openaitools.app/tool/hermes-agent-1) | 3,638,741 | -5.4% | Freemium | A free, open-source personal AI agent that learns your projects and works across every messaging app. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/hermes-agent-1.md) |
| 6 | [Devin](https://openaitools.app/tool/devin) | 2,549,346 | +1% | Paid | Cognition's autonomous software engineer that ships real pull requests | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/devin.md) |
| 7 | [Command Code](https://openaitools.app/tool/command-code) | 2,358,177 | -12.1% | Freemium, Contact for Pricing | The coding agent that learns your coding taste | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/command-code.md) |
| 8 | [Orca](https://openaitools.app/tool/orca) | 1,025,891 | +1% | Free, Open Source, Enterprise on request | Run many coding agents in parallel, each in its own worktree | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/orca.md) |
| 9 | [Trae](https://openaitools.app/tool/trae) | 702,366 | -7.8% | Freemium | An AI IDE and coding agent that works on your project, not just your cursor | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/trae.md) |
| 10 | [Warp](https://openaitools.app/tool/warp-ai) | 657,372 | -9.3% | Freemium, Contact for Pricing | AI-powered terminal and agentic software factory for development teams | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/warp-ai.md) |

---
Source: https://openaitools.app/compare/ade-vs-cua

More Markdown: [Categories](https://openaitools.app/categories.md) · [Traffic rankings](https://openaitools.app/rankings.md) · [llms.txt](https://openaitools.app/llms.txt)
