Apache MakavsClaude Squad
Generated from the two spec rows. Green marks the better value where a spec has a clear direction. Everything else is just different.
Apache Maka
Apache Software Foundation · Agent harness
OSSMCP
Panel
6.55 spec wins
- Reliability
- 5.2
- Usefulness
- 5.8
- Cost
- 9.2
- Longevity
- 5.8
“Because it lacks a Docker sandbox, agent-executed commands run directly on your local machine.”
Claude Squad
smtg-ai · Agent harness
OSS
Panel
6.52 spec wins
- Reliability
- 6.3
- Usefulness
- 5.7
- Cost
- 7.7
- Longevity
- 6.2
“The entire manual is a keybinding table, and the key for help is a question mark.”
Spec by spec
| Spec | Apache Maka | Claude Squad |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | ||
| Category | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Runs | local | local |
| Platforms | macos, windows, linux | macos, linux |
| Context window | not documented | not documented |
| Protocols | ||
| MCP client | Yes | No |
| MCP server | No | No |
| Capabilities | ||
| Runs terminal commands | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-file edits | Yes | No |
| Git operations | Yes | Yes |
| Browser control | No | No |
| Sandboxed execution | No | No |
| Multi-agent orchestration | No | Yes |
| Headless / CI mode | No | No |
| Models | ||
| Backbone | via managed agents (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, OpenCode, Amp) | |
| Bring your own model | Yes | No |
| Local models | Yes | No |
| Cost | ||
| Pricing model | free | free |
| Starts at | n/a | $0/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Bring your own key | Yes | No |
| Openness | ||
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | 5,687 | 8,561 |
Which one would each critic pick
| Critic | Apache Maka | Claude Squad | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Juez | — | — | not enough reviews |
| El Amigo | 7.0 | 7.0 | no preference |
| El Crítico | 5.0 | 6.3 | Claude Squad — The -y flag auto-accepts every prompt for Claude Code and Aider in every pane at once, on your laptop, with no sandbox; it is marked experimental for a reason. |
| El Profesor | 6.5 | 6.8 | Claude Squad — A tmux session per agent and a git worktree per session isolates work on separate branches; integration is left entirely to the user, which is honest and incomplete. |
| La Inversora | 7.0 | 4.5 | Apache Maka — An ASF-incubated project with a strong technical foundation, but its longevity depends entirely on community contribution, not a commercial entity. |
| La Jefa | 5.0 | 6.0 | Claude Squad — Free, terminal-only, needs tmux and the GitHub CLI on every laptop, and there is nobody to call; approved with conditions as a personal tool, not a platform. |
| El Hacker | 8.5 | 8.3 | Apache Maka — Apache Maka is an agent harness built the right way: open, local-first, and built around a reproducible log. It's a proper tool. |
Picks are derived from each critic's own scores. Humans vote on matchups on the duels page.