Coterm vs Saros

Coterm is a native macOS workspace for two developers sharing a terminal, browser, and coding-agent session in real time. A live room lets both people join, follow terminal activity, see participants, and share previews. The shared workflow lists Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Aider, Amp, Cursor Agent, and other CLI agents. Coterm uses a Ghostty-based terminal with vertical tabs, a notification panel, and a socket control API. A CLI and Unix socket expose programmatic commands, while integration hooks can be configured for Claude Code, Amp, Cursor, Gemini, and Kiro CLI. The Mac app runs locally without a Coterm-hosted account service. Collaboration components can run in the user's Cloudflare account. Installation is available through DMG or Homebrew on macOS 14.0 or later, for Apple Silicon and Intel. An iOS companion is in beta. Coterm is free under GPL-3.0-or-later.

Saros is an open-source IDE plugin for distributed collaborative software development. It synchronizes shared text files so participants with write access can edit together. Follow mode lets one participant observe another's navigation and editing activity, while session awareness shows where others are working and what they have changed. Built-in instant messaging supports group and one-to-one conversations; the documentation recommends a separate VoIP or audio conferencing tool. Documented integrations are Eclipse and IntelliJ-platform IDEs, and sessions use an XMPP/Jabber account. Teams can host their own server to keep session communication within their network. Session size varies by the stated product information: the homepage says up to five team members, while Saros/I release notes limit that plugin to two participants. Saros/I also shares only one module, which must have exactly one content root, and does not include sub-modules. Collaboration needs higher bandwidth and lower latency than ordinary chatting, and public chat servers may be too slow for smooth operation. Saros is free and open source, with no paid plans listed.