# An Emdash alternative with Gemini CLI and a background service

Emdash calls itself
[the open-source Agentic Development Environment](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash): a
desktop app for running coding agents in parallel, each task in its own
git worktree, with the agent command-line tools it finds installed. Moontors is an agentic
development environment (ADE) that runs Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI side by side.

## At a glance

|               | Emdash                                                                                                                                                                   | Moontors      |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------- |
| Agents        | [35 agent CLIs](https://emdash.com/docs/providers), Claude Code and Codex among them; [Gemini CLI removed](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/tag/v1.1.38) | Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI    |
| Platforms     | [macOS, Windows and Linux](https://emdash.com/docs/installation)                                                                                                         | macOS 13+, Windows 10+ (x64), Linux (x86-64); an Android app on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moontors.mobile), the iPhone's coming soon; no build is signed yet, and macOS and Windows ask before the first open; on Windows 11, Smart App Control, when it's on, blocks unsigned apps, Moontors among them; early preview (0.x) ([Known limits](/docs/known-limits/)) |
| Isolation     | A [git worktree per task](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash)                                                                                                       | A git worktree per session, when you want one ([Worktrees](/docs/worktrees/)) |
| When you quit | Agents keep running [with tmux turned on](https://emdash.com/docs/tmux-sessions); not for local projects on Windows                                                      | Sessions keep working in a background service ([Sessions and the board](/docs/sessions-and-board/))    |
| Remote work   | [SSH, and per-task remote workspaces](https://emdash.com/docs/remote-development/remote-tasks)                                                                           | Local only    |
| Licence       | [Apache-2.0, open source](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash)                                                                                                       | Free, closed source   |
| Data          | [Telemetry on by default](https://emdash.com/docs/telemetry), which you can turn off                                                                                     | No Moontors account and no Moontors servers. Moontors itself sends no telemetry; each agent's own usage data follows that agent's settings      |

## What each has that the other doesn't

Emdash:

- open source, under the [Apache-2.0 licence](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash);
- [35 agent CLIs](https://emdash.com/docs/providers) to choose from;
- issues from [Linear, Jira, GitHub and nine more trackers](https://emdash.com/docs/issues) handed
  to an agent;
- a [diff view](https://emdash.com/docs/diff-view) that opens pull requests;
- [CI checks](https://emdash.com/docs/ci-checks) from GitHub Actions in the app;
- [automations](https://emdash.com/docs/automations) that start tasks on a schedule;
- an [in-app browser](https://emdash.com/docs/in-app-browser);
- agents on other machines over [SSH](https://emdash.com/docs/remote-development/remote-tasks);
- [Linux ARM64 builds](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/tag/v1.2.3).

Moontors:

- Gemini CLI;
- a background service that keeps sessions working after you quit, on every platform, with nothing
  to set up;
- an Android app on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moontors.mobile) that follows and answers your computer's own sessions, end to end, with no Moontors server between them; the iPhone's coming soon.

## Where Emdash is the better fit

- You want an open-source app.
- You use agents beyond Claude Code and Codex.
- Your tasks start as issues in a tracker, and end as pull requests opened from the app.
- Your agents run on other machines, or you need Linux ARM64.

## Questions

### Is there an Emdash alternative that runs Gemini CLI?

Moontors runs Gemini CLI beside Claude Code and Codex. Emdash
[removed Gemini CLI](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/tag/v1.1.38) from its agents.

### Do the agents keep working after you quit the app?

In Moontors, yes, on every platform: a background service keeps the sessions working, with
nothing to set up. Emdash keeps agents running after you quit
[with tmux turned on](https://emdash.com/docs/tmux-sessions), though not for local projects on
Windows.

### Is Moontors open source?

No. Moontors is free, but closed source. Emdash is open source, under the
[Apache-2.0 licence](https://github.com/generalaction/emdash).

## Related

- [What is an agentic development environment (ADE)?](/docs/what-is-an-ade/)
- [How to keep coding agents running when the window closes](/docs/how-to/keep-agents-running-when-the-window-closes/)
- [How to use Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI together](/docs/how-to/claude-code-codex-and-gemini-cli-together/)