# Conductor vs Paperclip > Paperclip scores 52.6 (D) to Conductor's 41.3 (E) for multi-agent orchestration. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side. - Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-paperclip - Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-paperclip.md (~5,800 tokens) - Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt) - API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json - MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key) - DNS: dig +short TXT .grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.. and .vs.. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev) - Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data) - Updated: 2026-11-07 Paperclip scores 52.6 (D) on agent readiness against Conductor's 41.3 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do multi-agent orchestration. - Conductor: grade E, 41.3/100, rank #1285 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/conductor.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/conductor.json - Paperclip: grade D, 52.6/100, rank #976 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paperclip.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/paperclip.json - Best agent harnesses and coding agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md - All 1500 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md ## Which one, for what ### Conductor (E) Good for: Existing Conductor users planning their move before Cloud closes on 20 November 2026 and the local app winds down in early 2027. Also in its favour: - No incidents deducted, where Paperclip loses 15 points for them Watch for: No new downloads or sign-ups since 4 November 2026 ### Paperclip (D) Good for: Someone running several coding or operations agents who wants one place for tasks, budgets, approvals and history across harnesses. Ahead on: - Reliability, 59 against 25 - Schema & documentation, 81 against 60 - Agent ergonomics, 70 against 55 - Security & auth, 64 against 45 - Payments & pricing, 60 against 0 - Maintenance & community, 78 against 58 - Transparency & trust, 66 against 53 Also in its favour: - Free to start without a card - Open source Watch for: `claude_local` defaults `dangerouslySkipPermissions` to true and `codex_local` defaults to bypassing approvals and the sandbox, with agents running on the host ## Why the edge ### Payments & pricing: Paperclip +60 - Conductor (0): No new sign-ups since 4 November, free users can't upgrade, and no price is shown. No protocol, no published price, no open free tier, no onboarding (0). - Paperclip (60): No payment protocol (0). Read with the self-hosted rule. The software is free under MIT with nothing to buy (20). No card and no Paperclip account (20). One `npx` command installs and starts it with no signup (20). Paperclip Cloud is a waitlist with no published price, so there is no paid option to score. ### Reliability: Paperclip +34 - Conductor (25): Read as local software that is winding down. Installed from Conductor's own download, which stopped taking new users on 4 November 2026 (10). Closed source, so no public CI or issue tracker (0, 0). A dated changelog, newest 0.93.0 on 4 November (15). Version 0.93 (0). 10 + 0 + 0 + 15 + 0 = 25. - Paperclip (59): Read as local software. Official npm package `paperclipai` (Node.js 24.11 or newer) and a Docker image on GHCR (20). Public CI that runs the tests (pr-trusted.yml selects and runs the test shards, and e2e.yml runs the end-to-end suite), with the pass state on master unreadable on 4 November 2026 because GitHub's pages answer 403 here (15). Per the 8 October check, not re-read on 4 November, 2,849 open issues, 125 labelled bug, 1,599 opened before 8 July, and 78 closed in the last 30 days against 686 opened (6). Calendar versions in semver syntax, with a Breaking Changes section and an upgrade guide in release notes, but breaking changes arrive in ordinary releases and 2026.916.0 carried five (10). No 1.0. The npm `latest` tag is called the stable channel and follows a beta soak of at least three days, while the roadmap says the product is still moving quickly, so half credit (8). 20 + 15 + 6 + 10 + 8 = 59. ### Schema & documentation: Paperclip +21 - Conductor (60): Harness reading. Docs for workspaces, review and merge, a Conductor API reference page linked from the docs (not read), and security and permissions pages (60). - Paperclip (81): The running server publishes OpenAPI at `/api/openapi.json` and validates requests with Zod, and the MCP server's tools take Zod schemas. No copy of the spec is published on the docs site, and paperclip.ing/openapi.json describes only the website (22). llms.txt at paperclip.ing, and docs pages answer as Markdown at `.md` (10). An API reference page per resource and task guides, but the MCP tool descriptions are one line each, such as List agents in a company (13). Typed inputs throughout, apart from the `paperclipApiRequest` tool, which takes any path under `/api` and a JSON body (12). cURL, JavaScript and Python examples and a status-code table, with one `{error}` shape and an occasional `details` field (12). A changelog page for every stable release and release notes in the repository, but the API path carries no version (12). ### Maintenance & community: Paperclip +20 - Conductor (58): 0.93.0 on 4 November 2026 (30). Several dated releases in 90 days, per the changelog index (20). Discord, a subreddit and email for support (8). Closed app, no package or CI to read (0). 30 + 20 + 8 + 0 + 0 = 58. The local app gets new models and critical fixes only until early 2027. - Paperclip (78): Version 2026.1023.0, released on 23 October 2026 per its notes and the site banner (30). Ten stable releases from 2026.817.0 (17 August) to 2026.1023.0 in the 90 days to 4 November (20). Per the 8 October check, not re-read on 4 November, 650 pull requests merged in the last 30 days, but 2,849 issues and 3,338 pull requests were open, 1,396 open issues had no comment, and 309 of the 472 still-open issues from the two weeks before had none (8). `paperclipai` and `@paperclipai/mcp-server` publish from the same release workflow. We did not check the MCP registry (12). CI on master, a lockfile refresh workflow and signed image attestations (8). 30 + 20 + 8 + 12 + 8 = 78. ### Security & auth: Paperclip +19 - Conductor (45): Closed app. Telemetry and data handling weren't read beyond the transition notice (10 of 30). A security and permissions page (10 of 20). No prompt-injection guidance found (5). No audit log found (5). SOC 2 Type II report at trust.conductor.build (15 of 20). 10 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 15 = 45. - Paperclip (64): Harness reading of the framework checklist, as used for the other harnesses. 30 for what leaves the machine by default, 20 for approvals and sandboxing, 15 for prompt-injection posture, 15 for audit and 20 for the security programme. Anonymous usage telemetry is on by default and goes to telemetry.paperclip.ing. The README lists what is excluded and four opt-outs, and Sentry and OpenTelemetry stay off until configured. We found no first-run notice in the CLI source (18). Board approvals for hires and strategy, execution policies and per-action connection permissions, but `claude_local` defaults `dangerouslySkipPermissions` to true, `codex_local` defaults to bypassing approvals and the sandbox, local agents run on the host, sandbox providers are optional plugins and the default `local_trusted` mode has no login (10). A documented `low_trust_review` preset contains agents that read untrusted pull requests or tickets. It is opt-in (10). An activity log of mutating actions, run logs, cost events and audited board API keys (14). SECURITY.md with GitHub private reporting and twelve advisories published per the 8 October check, three now with CVEs in OSV. No security.txt, bug bounty or SOC 2 report found (12). ### Agent ergonomics: Paperclip +15 - Conductor (55): Harness reading. Each task gets a workspace, branch, terminal and diff, with pull requests and merges from the app, and an API for integrations; not re-read in detail (55). - Paperclip (70): Harness reading of the framework line, scored on what an agent or pipeline driving it has to supply. The MCP server lists 44 tools with no toolsets or read-only subset found, offset by compact reads such as `paperclipInboxLite` and the heartbeat context (12). Budgets by company, agent and project with an automatic pause at 100 per cent, though the README says enforcement uses recorded spend and can lag work in flight (16). `onboard --yes`, CLI commands with `--json`, the REST API and routines started by cron, webhook or API (16). Atomic task checkout with a documented 409, `Idempotency-Key` on routine triggers, saved sessions and bounded recovery (17). One command starts a server with embedded PostgreSQL, but it needs Node.js 24.11 and each harness CLI installed and signed in on the host, and we found no client SDK beyond the TypeScript plugin SDK (9). ## Score by category | Category | Weight | Conductor | Paperclip | Edge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 25 | 59 | Paperclip +34 | | Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 60 | 81 | Paperclip +21 | | Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 55 | 70 | Paperclip +15 | | Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 64 | Paperclip +19 | | Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 0 | 60 | Paperclip +60 | | Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 58 | 78 | Paperclip +20 | | Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 53 | 66 | Paperclip +13 | | Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -15 | | | **Total** | | **41.3 · E** | **52.6 · D** | | ## Facts side by side | Fact | Conductor | Paperclip | | --- | --- | --- | | Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness | | Vendor | Conductor (joining Meta) | Paperclip Labs, Inc. | | Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) | | Transports | | | | Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key | | Pricing | Paid | Free | | x402 | no | no | | Licence | Proprietary. A closed-source Mac app and hosted Conductor Cloud under Conductor's terms | MIT | | Read-only variant documented | no | no | | llms.txt | no | yes | | Last release | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-23 | | Terms last updated | not read yet | 2026-07-23 | | Privacy policy last updated | not read yet | 2026-07-23 | | Customer content may train models | not read yet | yes, with an opt-out | | Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | not found in the text | | Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text | | Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | not found in the text | | Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | yes | | Popularity | none | 99k stars, 60k npm/wk | ## How the scores have moved ### Conductor No score change since it was listed. ### Paperclip - -6.4 on 4 November 2026 (C to D): correction - no change on 27 October 2026: checklist ## Verdicts **Conductor.** Conductor ran parallel coding agents on the Mac, and Meta is acquiring it. It has taken no new users since 4 November 2026, Cloud turns read-only on 13 November and shuts down on 20 November, and the local app winds down in early 2027, when all user data is deleted. **Paperclip.** Board approvals, budgets with a hard stop and an activity log sit above whichever harnesses do the work, with ten stable versions in 90 days. The Claude Code and Codex adapters skip permission prompts and the sandbox by default, twelve security advisories have appeared since April 2026, and a 24 October cross-company read fix is in no stable release. ## Before you call either ### Conductor 1. Export your data from Settings, Account, Export data before 20 November 2026 2. Move Cloud workspaces to your Mac with Transfer to local before 13 November 3. Plan a move off the local app before early 2027; see the agent-harnesses category for alternatives ### Paperclip 1. Set `PAPERCLIP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1` or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1` before the first start. Telemetry is on by default 2. Set `dangerouslySkipPermissions` and `dangerouslyBypassApprovalsAndSandbox` to false on agents that read untrusted input, or run them in a sandbox provider 3. Install with Node.js 24.11 or newer, and install and sign in to each harness CLI on the host first. Paperclip assumes they are there 4. Use `--bind lan` or `--bind tailnet` at onboarding for anything beyond one machine. The default `local_trusted` mode treats every request as the board admin 5. Treat 409 on task checkout as owned by another agent and pick different work. The API docs say not to retry ## Questions ### Which is better for AI agents, Conductor or Paperclip? Paperclip scores 52.6 (D) on agent readiness against Conductor's 41.3 (E), and leads in every scored category. ### Are Conductor and Paperclip open source? No open-source release is listed for Conductor. Paperclip is open source (MIT). ## For agents - This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-paperclip.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-paperclip.min.md - Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "conductor", "b": "paperclip"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare conductor paperclip` - Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/conductor.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/paperclip.json ## Other comparisons with Conductor or Paperclip - [Agent Zero vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-conductor.md) - [Aider vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-conductor.md) - [Amp vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-conductor.md) - [Antigravity CLI vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-conductor.md) - [Auggie CLI vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/auggie-vs-conductor.md) - [AXLR vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/axlr-vs-conductor.md) - [Claude Code vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-conductor.md) - [Cline vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-conductor.md) - [Conductor vs Crush](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-crush.md) - [Conductor vs Cursor CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-cursor-cli.md) - [Conductor vs DeepSeek Harness (dsh)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-deepseek-harness.md) - [Conductor vs dsh-superagent (DeepSeek)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-deepseek-superagent.md) - [Conductor vs Devin](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-devin.md) - [Conductor vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-droid-cli.md) - [Conductor vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-earendil-pi.md) - [Conductor vs Emdash](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-emdash.md) - [Conductor vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-gemini-cli.md) - [Conductor vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-github-copilot-cli.md) - [Conductor vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-goose.md) - [Conductor vs Harness²](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-harness2.md) - [Conductor vs HarnessRouter](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-harnessrouter.md) - [Conductor vs Jules](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-jules.md) - [Conductor vs Junie CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-junie.md) - [Conductor vs Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-kilo-code-cli.md) - [Conductor vs Kimi Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-kimi-code-cli.md) - [Conductor vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-kiro-cli.md) - [Conductor vs Letta](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-letta.md) - [Conductor vs mini-swe-agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-mini-swe-agent.md) - [Conductor vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-minimax-code.md) - [Conductor vs Mistral Vibe CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-mistral-vibe-cli.md) - [Conductor vs Muse Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-muse-code.md) - [Conductor vs OpenAI Agents API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-openai-agents-api.md) - [Conductor vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-openai-codex.md) - [Conductor vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-opencode.md) - [Conductor vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-openhands.md) - [Conductor vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-openmausbot.md) - [Conductor vs Orca](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-orca.md) - [Conductor vs Paseo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-paseo.md) - [Conductor vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-prime-agent.md) - [Conductor vs Qoder CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-qoder-cli.md) - [Conductor vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-qwen-code.md) - [Conductor vs Mirror CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-reflection-mirror.md) - [Conductor vs Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-rovo-dev-cli.md) - [Conductor vs Sculptor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-sculptor.md) - [Conductor vs T3 Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-t3-code.md) - [Conductor vs Traycer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-traycer.md) - [Conductor vs Unstoppable](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-unstoppable.md) - [Conductor vs Verdent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-verdent.md) - [Conductor vs Vibe-Trading](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-vibe-trading.md) - [Conductor vs Warp (Warp Agent CLI and the Oz Agent API)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-warp.md) - [Amp vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-paperclip.md) - [Antigravity CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [Auggie CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/auggie-vs-paperclip.md) - [AXLR vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/axlr-vs-paperclip.md) - [Claude Code vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-paperclip.md) - [Clawboo vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clawboo-vs-conductor.md) - [Clawboo vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clawboo-vs-paperclip.md) - [CLI Manager vs Conductor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cli-manager-vs-conductor.md) - [CLI Manager vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cli-manager-vs-paperclip.md) - [Cline vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-paperclip.md) - [Conductor vs Harness](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-harness-autonomous.md) - [Conductor vs Parallax](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/conductor-vs-parallax-agents.md) - [Crush vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crush-vs-paperclip.md) - [DeepSeek Harness (dsh) vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-harness-vs-paperclip.md) - [dsh-superagent (DeepSeek) vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-superagent-vs-paperclip.md) - [Devin vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-paperclip.md) - [Droid CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [Emdash vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/emdash-vs-paperclip.md) - [Gemini CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [GitHub Copilot CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [goose vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-paperclip.md) - [Harness vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/harness-autonomous-vs-paperclip.md) - [HarnessRouter vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/harnessrouter-vs-paperclip.md) - [Jules vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jules-vs-paperclip.md) - [Junie CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/junie-vs-paperclip.md) - [Kilo Code CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kilo-code-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [Kimi Code CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kimi-code-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [Kiro CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [Letta vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/letta-vs-paperclip.md) - [MiniMax Code vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-code-vs-paperclip.md) - [Mistral Vibe CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-vibe-cli-vs-paperclip.md) - [Muse Code vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/muse-code-vs-paperclip.md) - [OpenCode vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opencode-vs-paperclip.md) - [OpenHands vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openhands-vs-paperclip.md) - [OpenMausBot vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-paperclip.md) - [Orca vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orca-vs-paperclip.md) - [Paperclip vs Parallax](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-parallax-agents.md) - [Paperclip vs Paseo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-paseo.md) - [Paperclip vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-prime-agent.md) - [Paperclip vs Qoder CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-qoder-cli.md) - [Paperclip vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-qwen-code.md) - [Paperclip vs Mirror CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-reflection-mirror.md) - [Paperclip vs Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-rovo-dev-cli.md) - [Paperclip vs Sculptor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-sculptor.md) - [Paperclip vs T3 Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-t3-code.md) - [Paperclip vs Traycer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-traycer.md) - [Paperclip vs Unstoppable](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-unstoppable.md) - [Paperclip vs Verdent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-verdent.md) - [Paperclip vs Vibe-Trading](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-vibe-trading.md) - [Paperclip vs Warp (Warp Agent CLI and the Oz Agent API)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-warp.md) --- Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp