Duckly vs Saros

Duckly is an IDE plugin for real-time collaboration between developers using different development environments. Multiple developers can work in the same file through shared code, while audio, video, screen sharing, chat, and terminal sharing run alongside the IDE. Terminal integration installs through npm, and write access can be enabled with the `duckly share --w` command. Listed editors include VS Code, VS Codium, and IntelliJ-based tools such as WebStorm, PyCharm, PhpStorm, CLion, Rider, RubyMine, AppCode, Android Studio, DataGrip, and GoLand; a Chrome extension is also listed. Duckly says IDE files are shared peer-to-peer with end-to-end encryption and do not pass through its servers. Calls and chat with four or fewer participants use peer-to-peer end-to-end encryption; with a fifth participant, calls switch to cloud infrastructure. The Free plan costs nothing and allows two participants without video calls. Hacker costs $6 a month for three participants; Team costs $10 per member per month for up to 60.

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.