Claude Code started as a terminal app, and a few of its features still live only there. But in 2026 you don't need a terminal to use it: Anthropic ships its own desktop app and an editor extension, and a long list of third-party apps put a window around it. This guide compares the ones worth installing, on Windows, Mac and Linux.
A disclosure first: I build Morphy, which is one of the apps below. Every product was checked against its own website, docs and GitHub on October 13, 2026, and the sources are linked in each entry.
Do you need a GUI at all?
Not to run Claude Code on Windows. The command-line version now runs natively in PowerShell or CMD on Windows 10 (version 1809) and later, without WSL. Git for Windows is optional: without it, Claude uses PowerShell instead of Git Bash. Installing it is one line, winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode.
A GUI earns its place for other reasons. Anthropic's own advice is to use the desktop app "to manage parallel sessions… or review changes visually", and the terminal "when you need scripting, automation, or prefer a terminal workflow." In practice:
- A GUI is better for seeing several sessions at once, reviewing a diff and commenting on lines, previewing your app, and attaching images and PDFs.
- The terminal is better for scripting (
claude -pand its JSON output), agent teams and the other terminal-only features. It now has a multi-session screen of its own too,claude agents(a research preview).
Both read the same CLAUDE.md, so you can switch between them on the same project.
The GUIs at a glance
Anthropic's own:
| Claude Code desktop | Claude Code for VS Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | macOS, Windows (x64, ARM64), Linux beta (Debian/Ubuntu) | Windows (x64, ARM64), macOS, Linux; VS Code 1.94+ and Cursor, other VS Code-based editors through Open VSX |
| Price | A paid Claude plan: Pro ($17–20/mo) or higher (companies can connect it through a cloud provider or a gateway; it doesn't take an API key) | Free extension; Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (Pro $17–20/mo or higher) or an API key |
| Open source | No | No |
| Best for | Claude-only work with built-in review, PRs and cloud sessions | People who already work in VS Code or Cursor |
And third-party apps:
| Nimbalyst | CloudCLI (Claude Code UI) | Happy | Morphy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows 10+, macOS 12+, Linux, iOS companion | Any browser, phone included; you start its server with npx (there's a desktop companion for macOS and Windows), or use the hosted version | iOS, Android, web, and a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux | Windows 10/11, macOS 11+, Linux (beta) |
| Agents | Claude Code, Codex; newer support for OpenCode, Copilot, Grok Build, Cursor Agent and Gemini (some in alpha) | Claude Code, Cursor CLI, Codex | Claude Code, Codex, Grok | Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Antigravity (Gemini), Grok, OpenCode, OpenRouter, Ollama, and (on Pro) any OpenAI-compatible API |
| Price | Free for individuals; Teams $20/user/mo (free during beta) | Free to run yourself; hosted from €7 a month; Claude Code needs a Claude Pro or Max plan or an API key | Free | Free plan (3 agents at a time, 2 projects); Pro $5/mo (early price); you use your own AI plans |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | Yes (AGPL-3.0) | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Best for | Planning and specifying visually next to your agents | Checking on Claude Code from your phone or another computer | Following and answering your agents from your phone | Seeing many agents, on any AI, at once |
The GUIs, one by one
Anthropic's own
Claude Code desktop
The Code tab in Anthropic's Claude app: Claude Code with a sidebar of parallel sessions, diffs, a terminal and a browser.
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows (x64, ARM64), Linux beta (Debian/Ubuntu)
- Agents
- Claude models only
- Keeps agents apart
- Optional git worktree per session
- Price
- A paid Claude plan: Pro ($17–20/mo) or higher (companies can connect it through a cloud provider or a gateway; it doesn't take an API key)
Good for: the official experience, with nothing to install but the app: it includes Claude Code, so you don't need Node.js or the command line. Sessions run in parallel from a sidebar, each in an optional git worktree. You get a visual diff you can comment on, a terminal, a preview browser that Claude uses to check its own work, pull requests with CI status and auto-merge, cloud sessions that keep going with your computer off, and scheduled tasks.
Watch out for: no Free plan: the Code tab needs Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise, and it doesn't take an API key. It shows at most two sessions side by side. The Linux version is a beta for Ubuntu 22.04+ and Debian 12+. Agent teams and scripting stay in the terminal. We compare it in detail in Claude Code desktop vs Morphy.
Sources: Claude Code desktop docs, Linux beta, Claude pricing
Claude Code for VS Code
Anthropic's own extension: Claude Code as a graphical panel in VS Code, Cursor and other editors built on VS Code.
- Runs on
- Windows (x64, ARM64), macOS, Linux; VS Code 1.94+ and Cursor, other VS Code-based editors through Open VSX
- Agents
- Claude models only (it bundles its own Claude Code)
- Keeps agents apart
- Several conversations in tabs or windows; checkpoints rewind or fork a conversation
- Price
- Free extension; Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (Pro $17–20/mo or higher) or an API key
Good for: a graphical Claude Code panel right in your editor, with about 27.7 million installs. Changes show as side-by-side diffs you accept or reject, a plan opens as a document you can comment on, @ mentions a file or a range of lines, and checkpoints rewind or fork a conversation. Several conversations can run in tabs or windows. It works with an API key too, not just a Claude plan.
Watch out for: it has only some of the terminal's commands, and it doesn't put claude on your PATH. The JetBrains plugin is different: it runs the command-line Claude Code in your IDE's terminal and adds the IDE's diff viewer, so it isn't a graphical chat.
Sources: VS Code docs, Marketplace
Claude Code on the web and the phone: at claude.ai/code, and in the Code tab of the Claude app on iOS and Android, sessions run in the cloud on Anthropic's machines. It needs a paid plan, works with GitHub repositories, and keeps going with your laptop closed. Your phone can also control a session running on your own computer through Remote Control.
Third-party apps
Nimbalyst
A visual workspace for Codex and Claude Code with docs, diagrams and mockups; the successor to Crystal.
- Runs on
- Windows 10+, macOS 12+, Linux, iOS companion
- Agents
- Claude Code, Codex; newer support for OpenCode, Copilot, Grok Build, Cursor Agent and Gemini (some in alpha)
- Keeps agents apart
- An optional git worktree per session
- Price
- Free for individuals; Teams $20/user/mo (free during beta)
Good for: a free, open-source desktop GUI on all three operating systems, with a kanban board of your sessions, file-by-file diff review, and editors for docs, diagrams and mockups next to the chat. It works with your Claude Pro or Max plan, or an API key.
Watch out for: it's built for working visually (specs, diagrams, mockups). If you only want a chat window around Claude Code, it's more than you need.
Sources: nimbalyst.com, GitHub
CloudCLI (Claude Code UI)
A web interface for Claude Code, Cursor CLI and Codex that you run yourself and open from any browser, your phone's included.
- Runs on
- Any browser, phone included; you start its server with npx (there's a desktop companion for macOS and Windows), or use the hosted version
- Agents
- Claude Code, Cursor CLI, Codex
- Keeps agents apart
- Finds your existing sessions by project, with a file explorer and git
- Price
- Free to run yourself; hosted from €7 a month; Claude Code needs a Claude Pro or Max plan or an API key
Good for: using Claude Code from any browser, your phone's included. It finds your existing sessions by itself, and adds a file explorer, git and plugins. Run it yourself for free, or pay for the hosted version.
Watch out for: it runs as a small web server on your computer. To use it from your phone away from home, you set up that access yourself, or use the hosted version.
Sources: GitHub, Prerequisites, cloudcli.ai
Happy
A free, open-source client for Claude Code, Codex and Grok on your phone, the web and the desktop.
- Runs on
- iOS, Android, web, and a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux
- Agents
- Claude Code, Codex, Grok
- Keeps agents apart
- Sessions run on your computer and sync to your other devices, end-to-end encrypted
- Price
- Free
Good for: following your agents and answering them from your phone. Sessions sync, end-to-end encrypted, between the phone apps, the web and the desktop app, and several people can join one session. It's free and open source, with about 24,000 stars on GitHub.
Watch out for: its desktop app runs its own agent, Happy Agent, with its own prompts and tools, rather than Claude Code itself. For the exact Claude Code experience, use its happy claude command, which wraps the real one.
Sources: GitHub, Happy desktop
Morphy
A canvas where every chat is an agent, with projects, focus views, live cards, voice typing and (on Pro) your phone as a remote.
- Runs on
- Windows 10/11, macOS 11+, Linux (beta)
- Agents
- Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Antigravity (Gemini), Grok, OpenCode, OpenRouter, Ollama, and (on Pro) any OpenAI-compatible API
- Keeps agents apart
- None built in: chats in a project share its folder (point a chat at another folder yourself)
- Price
- Free plan (3 agents at a time, 2 projects); Pro $5/mo (early price); you use your own AI plans
Good for: seeing every Claude Code agent at once on a canvas, with Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Grok, OpenCode, OpenRouter and Ollama chats next to them. Claude Code comes built in, so there's nothing to install: connect your Claude account in Settings and every Claude chat runs on your own plan. Each chat shows its status, and its steps fold into one line you can open: every file it read or changed, every command and its output, and Claude's subagents with their prompt, steps and report. Send a message while Claude works and it reads it at its next step. A terminal, a browser with phone and tablet sizes, and a file viewer that shows changes as they happen sit in a dock. The free plan runs 3 agents at a time in 2 projects; Pro ($5 a month, an early price) takes the limits off.
Watch out for: no diff review, worktrees or pull requests built in yet, so review in your editor. Agents in one project share its folder. Linux is in beta, and Morphy is young (version 0.1), so expect changes.
Sources: Morphy docs, Connect your AI, Freemium and Pro
Also worth knowing
- CodePilot: a desktop client for Windows, macOS and Linux that works with 17+ AI providers through API keys, and lets you answer it from Telegram or Discord. Source-available (BSL 1.1): free for personal use.
- ccgui and Codeg: free, open-source desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux that drive several coding agents, Claude Code included.
- Claudette: a small, free Conductor-style app for Windows, macOS and Linux that runs the official Claude Code with worktrees and checkpoints.
- AionUi: a general AI workspace for Windows, macOS and Linux that detects Claude Code and connects to it.
- AigoPilot: a Windows-only app that runs the official command-line tools with your own accounts; $49 a year or $99 for life.
- AgentsRoom: each agent's terminal on a card, for macOS, Windows and Linux, with phone apps; a free tier and Pro at €7.99 a month.
- Apps for running many agents at once that work as a Claude Code GUI on Windows too: Orca, Emdash, Pane, T3 Code and CodeAgentSwarm. See the roundup and the Windows guide.
What happened to Claudia (opcode)?
Many older lists put opcode, first called Claudia, at the top. It's still on GitHub with more than 22,000 stars, but its last release was in August 2025 and its code hasn't changed since October 2025. Crystal carries on as Nimbalyst, and cui and 1Code are archived. Check a GUI's latest release before you rely on it: Claude Code changes every week, and a GUI that stopped keeping up breaks quietly.
Questions
Is there an official Claude Code GUI? Yes, two: the Code tab of the Claude desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux (beta), and the Claude Code extension for VS Code and Cursor.
Does Claude Code work on Windows without WSL? Yes. The command-line version runs natively in PowerShell or CMD, and the desktop app and the VS Code extension run natively too. WSL is optional, and you need it only for Claude Code's sandboxing.
Is there a free Claude Code GUI? The GUIs themselves can be free: the VS Code extension, Nimbalyst, Happy and CloudCLI (run yourself) all are. Claude Code itself isn't on Claude's Free plan, though: you need Pro ($20 a month, or $17 a month yearly) or higher, or an API key in the apps that take one.
Can I use a GUI and the terminal on the same project? Yes. They run the same Claude Code and read the same CLAUDE.md, so you can start a task in one and look at it in the other.
Comparisons in this series
- The best tools to run Claude Code and Codex in parallel
- Claude Code desktop vs Morphy
- Is there Conductor for Windows?
- Codex vs Claude Code
References
Each app's sources are listed in its entry above. Background:
- Anthropic: set up Claude Code (Windows without WSL, Git optional), the desktop app (including what's not available there), the desktop quickstart, Linux (beta)
- Anthropic: VS Code, JetBrains, Claude Code on the web, on your phone, agent view
- Anthropic: Claude pricing
- opcode's releases; Crystal's notice
- Morphy: Connect your AI, Chats and agents, Terminal and browser, Freemium and Pro
