Head to head · Agent harnesses · October 2026 research run
Mistral Vibe CLI vs Orca
Mistral Vibe CLI scores 58.4 (C) on agent readiness against Orca's 57.4 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harnesses.
Best agent harnesses and coding agents · All 1500 harnesses comparisons
Which one, for what
Best for Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness tuned for Mistral models, with hard per-run budgets and an export file, or a local model with no account.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 69 against 58
- Schema & documentation, 85 against 65
- Agent ergonomics, 84 against 70
- Security & auth, 58 against 43
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 40
- Transparency & trust, 81 against 54
Also in its favour
- Free to start without a card
Watch for
The default agent auto-approves file edits, and there's no sandbox on the host. Isolation needs the experimental --agent-socket server or a container
Orca C
Best for Developers who want an orchestrator agent to split work across parallel coding agents, on desktop or mobile.
Also in its favour
- No key needed to call it
- No incidents deducted, where Mistral Vibe CLI loses 14 points for them
Watch for
Anonymous usage data collected by default, with an opt-out
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Transparency & trust Mistral Vibe CLI +27
Mistral Vibe CLI 81
Apache-2.0, with LICENSE and pyproject in agreement (30). The README sends readers to Mistral's privacy policy (effective 3 September 2026), which names Vibe. The commercial terms (effective 25 September 2026) say no training on customer data unless a product's default or an opt-in allows it, and the pricing page lists model training as opt-out on Free, Pro and Team. The configuration reference calls telemetry anonymous without listing its fields. The offline guide now names enable_update_checks = false with enable_telemetry = false, as the source reads them (16 of 30; 14 on 18 October, when it named a key the source defines but never reads). Removals are listed in the changelog, deprecated settings are named in the configuration reference and warned about at startup, the agent socket may change without notice, and custom Python tools and the bundled local model were removed in patch releases with warnings (10 of 20). Telemetry is disclosed with an opt-out in the README and the configuration reference, and the README names the server-managed shell-tool rollout, but its fields are only in the source (14 of 20). 30+16+10+14 = 70.
Orca 54
MIT (30). Privacy and telemetry docs on the site (not read) (18 of 30). No deprecation policy (5). Disclosed with an opt-out (15 of 20). 30 + 18 + 5 + 15 = 68.
Schema & documentation Mistral Vibe CLI +20
Mistral Vibe CLI 85
Framework reading. A configuration reference with each key's type and default, the export.json fields, and the --agent-socket JSON-RPC methods with typed params and results in the README, plus ACP. Since 3.0.3 vibe config schema prints a JSON schema of every setting, including each built-in tool's; the streaming events still have no published schema (20 of 25). docs.mistral.ai/llms.txt indexes the CLI pages, each with a Markdown twin (10). The safety page says what each agent allows and when to use it, and on 2 November it agrees with the source. -p runs the configured default_agent and denies calls that need approval, and the offline guide and configuration reference name enable_update_checks. The 18 October contradictions and TODO notes are gone (15 of 20). Output formats, agent names, permission values and OpenTelemetry redaction modes are enums, and the config is validated on load (12). Many examples and an exit-code table that maps each code to the outcome names in export.json (13). Dated changelog and version tags (15). 20+10+15+12+13+15 = 85.
Orca 65
Harness reading. A docs site with CLI orchestration and native chat pages (65).
Payments & pricing Mistral Vibe CLI +20
Mistral Vibe CLI 60
Harness reading of the published rubric, as for openai-codex and qwen-code. No payment protocol (0). Plan prices (Pro $14.99 a month, Team $24.99 a user a month) and per-token API prices for the default model ($1.5 and $7.5 per million) are public without a login (20). A Free plan includes limited coding sessions, and the docs document a fully offline set-up with a local model and no Mistral account. Whether the Free plan asks for a card wasn't checked (20). An agent can install the CLI and run it against a local OpenAI-compatible server with no sign-up, since a llama.cpp provider on 127.0.0.1:8080 is in the defaults (20). 0+20+20+20 = 60.
Orca 40
Scored on the cloud option. No protocol (0). The cloud price wasn't found on the pages read (0). The desktop app is free and MIT with no card (20). The local app needs no sign-up that we found (20). 0 + 0 + 20 + 20 = 40.
Security & auth Mistral Vibe CLI +15
Mistral Vibe CLI 58
Framework reading (telemetry defaults, approvals, guardrails, sandboxing), five lines. Telemetry and crash reporting are on by default with an opt-out, and the source sends tool names, approval decisions, the model and file counts to api.mistral.ai only when a Mistral key is set. Telemetry also turns on GrowthBook experiments, and one of them (vibe_cli_smart_approve_default) can make smart-approve the default. Credentials are Mistral keys in an environment variable, a plaintext ~/.vibe/.env or the keyring, workspace-scoped with optional expiry per the mistral-api listing, and MCP servers can use OAuth (12 of 30). Five agents with a read-only plan agent and bash allow and deny lists, a prompt for access outside the working directory, outside_workdir = "deny" (3.0.3) to refuse it outright, an admin enable_auto_approve = false (3.0.1) that forbids auto-approve, and pre_tool hooks that can deny calls. The default auto-approves file edits, and there's no sandbox on the host (13 of 20; 11 on 18 October, before the two settings). Project config, hooks and MCP servers load only from trusted folders, and -p needs --trust to load them. The safety page warns that smart-approve isn't a sandbox. No network egress control on the host, and MAI-2026-003 says injected instructions could trigger the bypassed commands (8 of 15). OpenTelemetry tracing is opt-in, with default, strict and no redaction, and each run can write a session journal and an export with the effective config. Managed admin config exists, and audit logs come with the Enterprise plan (13). SECURITY.md asks for private reports, security.txt is valid (expires 5 May 2027) and links a HackerOne form, and Mistral publishes dated advisories with CVEs, three to 2 November. No bounty terms or certification report were read, so 12, as mistral-api and mistral-voxtral-transcribe take on the same Mistral pages (14 on 18 October). 12+13+8+13+12 = 58.
Orca 43
Harness reading. Anonymous usage data with an opt-out, per the README's link to its telemetry docs (15 of 30). Worktrees per agent and a sandboxed Linux build (12 of 20). No prompt-injection guidance (5). No audit log (5). A dependency-security workflow (6 of 20). 15 + 12 + 5 + 5 + 6 = 43.
Agent ergonomics Mistral Vibe CLI +14
Mistral Vibe CLI 84
Framework reading, adapted to a harness driven by a pipeline. --enabled-tools and --disabled-tools with globs and regex (in -p the first disables everything else), per-tool and per-MCP-tool permissions, and switches for subagents and background processes (20 of 25). --max-turns, --max-tokens, --max-price and --time-limit, with text, json and streaming output and an export file with usage and cost (20). Exit codes 0 to 4 with named outcomes, refusals reported with a code, and config problems listed under warnings (18). --resume SESSION_ID and --continue, SIGTERM stops a run so it can be resumed, and model API failures are retried before exit 2 (16). One required input (the prompt), a GitHub Action and the ACP server, but no SDK, and the app-server's JSON-RPC protocol isn't documented for outside use (10). 20+20+18+16+10 = 84.
Orca 70
Harness reading. An orchestrator agent that splits work across workers in their own workspaces, chat or raw CLI, a browser and a CLI in one app (70).
Reliability Mistral Vibe CLI +11
Mistral Vibe CLI 69
Local-package reading. PyPI, uv, pip, Homebrew at 3.0.4 and an install script, with Python 3.12 or later stated and UNIX the supported target (20). A public CI workflow on push and pull request to main runs pre-commit, the test suite and a build and install smoke matrix, but GitHub's pages and API were refused in this session, so whether main is passing is unchecked (15 of 25). The 18 October issue counts came from shields.io badges, a third-party copy of GitHub data this run bars, so they are struck. Every release has a Fixed section in the changelog, and how many open issues are crashes or regressions, and how fast they're answered, couldn't be read (10 of 25). The changelog states Keep a Changelog and semver and marks breaking changes, but the hooks rename shipped in minor 2.21.0, patch 2.11.1 changed the -p approval default, patch 2.26.1 removed the bundled local model, and patches 3.0.3 and 3.0.4 carry marked config, model and session breaks (9). 3.0.4, classified Production/Stable (15). 20+15+10+9+15 = 69.
Orca 58
Local software. Desktop and mobile builds and a Homebrew cask (20). Unit, end-to-end and platform test workflows; pass state not read (15). GitHub issues and pull requests weren't read (GitHub's pages refuse these sessions), so that line is scored absent (0). Tags to v1.4.251, no changelog file (8). Version 1.4 (15). 20 + 15 + 0 + 8 + 15 = 58.
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Mistral Vibe CLI | Orca | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 69 | 58 | Mistral Vibe CLI +11 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 85 | 65 | Mistral Vibe CLI +20 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 84 | 70 | Mistral Vibe CLI +14 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 58 | 43 | Mistral Vibe CLI +15 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 60 | 40 | Mistral Vibe CLI +20 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 73 | 75 | Orca +2 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 81 | 54 | Mistral Vibe CLI +27 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -14 | 0 | |
| Total | C 58.4/100 | C 57.4/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Mistral Vibe CLI | Orca |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Mistral AI | Lovecast Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | ||
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-30 | 2026-11-06 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-09-25 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-03 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | not read yet |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not read yet |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | not read yet |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not read yet |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not read yet |
| Popularity | 5.1k stars, 332k PyPI/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | 3.3/5 (4) | none |
How the scores have moved
Orca
No score change since it was listed.
Verdicts
Mistral Vibe CLI
Apache-2.0 with releases most weeks, and headless runs capped by turns, tokens, price and wall time, with typed exit codes and an export file. File edits are auto-approved by default, the host has no sandbox, telemetry is on by default, and patch releases 3.0.3 and 3.0.4 shipped marked breaking changes.
Orca
An open-source orchestrator for coding agents with worker agents in their own worktrees, chat and terminal views, a browser and a CLI, on desktop and mobile, with heavy test automation. It collects anonymous usage data by default, and the cloud option's pricing wasn't found.
Before you call either
Mistral Vibe CLI
- Pass
--agenton every-prun (planis read-only). The default isaccept-edits, and an experiment can switch it tosmart-approve - Add
--max-turns,--max-tokens,--max-priceand--time-limit, and readoutcomein theexport.jsonthat--output-dirwrites. Exit 3 means a limit or a refusal - Run in a container or behind
--agent-socketbefore using--auto-approve, and setoutside_workdir = "deny"to refuse paths outside the working directory - For offline runs set
enable_telemetry = falseandenable_update_checks = falseinconfig.toml - Pin a version and read the changelog before upgrading, since patch releases can carry marked breaking changes; serve token usage from third-party model servers (
stream_options.include_usage)
Orca
- See the telemetry docs on onorca.dev to opt out of anonymous usage data
- Use the orchestration CLI to hand a large task to one agent that starts workers
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Mistral Vibe CLI or Orca?
Mistral Vibe CLI scores 58.4 (C) on agent readiness against Orca's 57.4 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.
Are Mistral Vibe CLI and Orca open source?
Yes. Mistral Vibe CLI is open source (Apache-2.0). Orca is open source (MIT).
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Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/mistral-vibe-cli-vs-orca.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/mistral-vibe-cli.json·/api/v1/tools/orca.json - From a terminal
anchor compare mistral-vibe-cli orca(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "mistral-vibe-cli", "b": "orca"}at/mcp, no key