Claudian vs Orca
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
An Obsidian plugin that puts an AI coding agent inside your notes vault as a chat sidebar.
Open source · MIT
A desktop app for running several coding agents side by side, each in its own git worktree.
The short answer
Choose Claudian if you need…
- Obsidian users who already use Claude Code or Codex and want that agent inside their notes
- People who want an AI to edit or reorganize many notes in a folder at once
- Users who want word-level inline edits with a diff preview directly in a note
- Developers who want to try several agent backends (Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, OpenCode, Pi, DeepSeek Harness) from one interface
Choose Orca if you need…
- Developers who already use CLI coding agents and want to run several at once
- People who want to compare outputs from different agents on the same prompt
- Developers who work on remote machines and want agents running there over SSH
- Teams that review AI-generated diffs and want to annotate them before committing
Side-by-side
| Claudian | Orca | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 15.9k | 113k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Download the app | Download the app |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Claudian
Claudian is a community plugin for Obsidian, the note-taking app. It adds a chat panel where an AI coding agent (such as Claude Code or Codex) works directly on your vault: it can read, write, edit, and search your notes and run commands. Your vault folder becomes the agent's working directory, so you can ask it to draft, reorganize, or edit notes. It requires you to already have at least one supported agent harness and a compatible subscription or API provider.
Orca
Orca is a desktop application (with a mobile companion) where you run coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Pi at the same time. Each agent gets its own isolated git worktree, and everything is tracked in one place. You can compare results from several agents and keep the one you want.
Best for
Claudian
- Obsidian users who already use Claude Code or Codex and want that agent inside their notes
- People who want an AI to edit or reorganize many notes in a folder at once
- Users who want word-level inline edits with a diff preview directly in a note
- Developers who want to try several agent backends (Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, OpenCode, Pi, DeepSeek Harness) from one interface
Orca
- Developers who already use CLI coding agents and want to run several at once
- People who want to compare outputs from different agents on the same prompt
- Developers who work on remote machines and want agents running there over SSH
- Teams that review AI-generated diffs and want to annotate them before committing
Strengths
Claudian
- Works with several agent backends listed in the README, not only one provider
- Inline edit shows word-level diffs before changes are applied
- Free and open source under the MIT license
Orca
- Runs agents in isolated git worktrees, so parallel work does not collide
- Works with any CLI agent that runs in a terminal, according to the README
- Released under the MIT license and the source is public
Not ideal for
Claudian
- Mobile-only Obsidian users, since the README says it is desktop only (macOS, Linux, Windows)
- People without a Claude Code, Codex, or other supported harness or a provider account, since at least one is required
- Anyone who does not want note contents sent to third-party AI providers, since the privacy section says input, files, and tool outputs go to the chosen provider
Orca
- People who do not use coding agents, since the core value depends on running them
- Users who need a fully browser-based tool, because the README describes a desktop app with a separate mobile companion
- Anyone who needs a clearly documented, stable feature list, since the README says the changelog is the real feature list and changes often
Trade-offs
Claudian
- Requires a separate harness install and a paid or API-based provider account, which the README does not detail
- Some features are marked experimental, such as the Plugin API
- Collaboration features have moved to a separate plugin, Claudian Collab
Orca
- The README is truncated and short on setup detail, so the full requirements are unclear from it
- Feature list is described as perpetually behind, so the documentation may not match the current app
- Requires you to bring your own agent subscriptions or accounts
Getting started
Claudian
Clone into your vault plugins folder
cd /path/to/vault/.obsidian/plugins && git clone https://github.com/YishenTu/claudian.git realclaudianInstall dependencies and build (source install)
cd realclaudian && npm install && npm run buildOrca
Download the desktop app from the releases page (macOS, Windows, Linux builds are listed)
git clone https://github.com/stablyai/orcaFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Claudian and Orca?
Claudian: An Obsidian plugin that puts an AI coding agent inside your notes vault as a chat sidebar. Orca: A desktop app for running several coding agents side by side, each in its own git worktree. Claudian suits obsidian users who already use claude code or codex and want that agent inside their notes, while Orca suits developers who already use cli coding agents and want to run several at once.
Are Claudian and Orca free?
Claudian: Free and open source. Orca: Free and open source.
Is Claudian or Orca more popular?
Orca has more GitHub stars (113k) than Claudian (15.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Claudian and Orca?
Other options people compare them with include Happy, CC Switch, Git Plugin for Obsidian, Paperclip, OmniRoute.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.