CC Switch vs Orca
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Desktop app to switch API providers and manage MCP, Skills, and prompts for AI coding agents.
Open source · MIT
A desktop app for running several coding agents side by side, each in its own git worktree.
Our verdict
CC Switch and Orca solve different problems. CC Switch is a configuration manager: it lets you change which API provider and which MCP servers, Skills, and prompts your existing AI coding tools use, without hand-editing config files. Orca is a workspace for running several coding agents at once, each isolated in its own git worktree so you can compare their output and keep the best result. Choose based on whether your pain is configuration or parallel agent work.
Pick CC Switch if you use several AI coding agents, switch API providers often, and want to stop hand-editing their config files.
Pick Orca if you already use CLI coding agents and want to run several on the same task at once and compare their diffs.
| Key difference | CC Switch | Orca |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Manages API providers, MCP servers, Skills, and prompts for agent tools | Runs several coding agents side by side in isolated git worktrees |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| Best at | Replacing manual edits of JSON, TOML, and YAML config files | Comparing outputs from different agents on the same prompt |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop app | Desktop app with a separate mobile companion; remote work over SSH |
| Main caveat | Long README mixed with sponsor promotions; tool support changes often | Truncated README; feature list may lag behind the current app |
Written with AI from both products' catalogue entries · updated 2026-10-29
Who each one is for
Choose CC Switch if you need…
- Developers who use several AI coding agents and switch between API providers often
- People who find editing agent config files by hand error-prone
- Users who want MCP servers, Skills, and prompts managed from one interface
- Windows, macOS, or Linux users who prefer a graphical app
Choose Orca if you need…
- Developers who already use CLI coding agents and want to run several at once
- People who want to compare outputs from different agents on the same prompt
- Developers who work on remote machines and want agents running there over SSH
- Teams that review AI-generated diffs and want to annotate them before committing
Side-by-side
| CC Switch | Orca | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 151k | 113k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Download the app | Download the app |
| Main language | Rust | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
CC Switch
CC Switch is a desktop app that lets you change which API provider your AI coding tools use with one click, instead of hand-editing JSON, TOML, or YAML config files. It also gives one place to manage MCP servers, Skills, and prompts across tools such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and OpenCode. The README describes it as built with Tauri 2 and available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Orca
Orca is a desktop application (with a mobile companion) where you run coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Pi at the same time. Each agent gets its own isolated git worktree, and everything is tracked in one place. You can compare results from several agents and keep the one you want.
Best for
CC Switch
- Developers who use several AI coding agents and switch between API providers often
- People who find editing agent config files by hand error-prone
- Users who want MCP servers, Skills, and prompts managed from one interface
- Windows, macOS, or Linux users who prefer a graphical app
Orca
- Developers who already use CLI coding agents and want to run several at once
- People who want to compare outputs from different agents on the same prompt
- Developers who work on remote machines and want agents running there over SSH
- Teams that review AI-generated diffs and want to annotate them before committing
Strengths
CC Switch
- Replaces manual editing of JSON, TOML, and YAML config files for supported tools
- Covers many agent tools (the README lists more than a dozen) in one app
- MIT licensed and available as downloads for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Orca
- Runs agents in isolated git worktrees, so parallel work does not collide
- Works with any CLI agent that runs in a terminal, according to the README
- Released under the MIT license and the source is public
Not ideal for
CC Switch
- People who prefer to edit config files directly and want no extra layer (the app manages those files for you)
- Users who need a guarantee about any specific third-party API provider; the README lists sponsor relay services, which the maintainers do not vouch for in this text
Orca
- People who do not use coding agents, since the core value depends on running them
- Users who need a fully browser-based tool, because the README describes a desktop app with a separate mobile companion
- Anyone who needs a clearly documented, stable feature list, since the README says the changelog is the real feature list and changes often
Trade-offs
CC Switch
- The README is long and mixes product documentation with many sponsor promotions, so the core setup details are harder to find
- Supports a broad, changing list of tools, so support for a specific tool version should be checked in the docs
- Some sponsor links and promo codes appear in the README; treat them as the maintainers' commercial placements, not endorsements from this guide
Orca
- The README is truncated and short on setup detail, so the full requirements are unclear from it
- Feature list is described as perpetually behind, so the documentation may not match the current app
- Requires you to bring your own agent subscriptions or accounts
Getting started
CC Switch
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/farion1231/cc-switchOrca
Download the desktop app from the releases page (macOS, Windows, Linux builds are listed)
git clone https://github.com/stablyai/orcaFrequently asked questions
Should I use CC Switch or Orca?
CC Switch and Orca solve different problems. CC Switch is a configuration manager: it lets you change which API provider and which MCP servers, Skills, and prompts your existing AI coding tools use, without hand-editing config files. Orca is a workspace for running several coding agents at once, each isolated in its own git worktree so you can compare their output and keep the best result. Choose based on whether your pain is configuration or parallel agent work. Pick CC Switch if you use several AI coding agents, switch API providers often, and want to stop hand-editing their config files. Pick Orca if you already use CLI coding agents and want to run several on the same task at once and compare their diffs.
What is the difference between CC Switch and Orca?
CC Switch: Desktop app to switch API providers and manage MCP, Skills, and prompts for AI coding agents. Orca: A desktop app for running several coding agents side by side, each in its own git worktree. CC Switch suits developers who use several ai coding agents and switch between api providers often, while Orca suits developers who already use cli coding agents and want to run several at once.
Are CC Switch and Orca free?
CC Switch: Free and open source. Orca: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, CC Switch or Orca?
CC Switch is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Orca is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is CC Switch or Orca more popular?
CC Switch has more GitHub stars (151k) than Orca (113k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to CC Switch and Orca?
Other options people compare them with include ego lite, Claudian, Paperclip, MindsHub, codex-chatgpt-web.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.