Api vs Orca
Api (getcargo.ai) and Orca (Stably) side by side on public data, as of Nov 7, 2026.
Which should you choose?
Choose Api if
- you want the one gaining users faster (downloads up 422% in 30 days, +120% in the last 7)
Choose Orca if
- you want to start free: it has a free plan, Api does not
- you want code you can read, fork or self-host (MIT)
- you want to switch between model providers (9 documented against 0)
- you want to run it unattended in scripts or CI
- you want subagents or several agents working in parallel
Built from documented features, official prices, status pages and usage data on this page; it does not judge output quality.
Side-by-side numbers
| Metric | Api | Orca |
|---|---|---|
| Gid Score | 46 | 52 |
| Usage data as of | Nov 6 | Nov 7 |
| Rank by Gid Score | #54 | #37 |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 70.8K | — |
| Downloads, 7-day change | up 120.4% | — |
| Downloads, 30-day change | up 422.0% | — |
| VS Code installs | — | — |
| Marketplace rating | — | — |
| GitHub stars | — | 118K |
| Homebrew installs, 30 days | — | — |
| Hacker News mentions, 30 days | 0 | 4 |
| Latest stable release | — | 1.4.252 · today |
| Terminal-Bench (best run) | — | — |
| Price | — | Free (OSS) |
| License | — | MIT |
| First released | — | March 2026 |
| Interfaces | — | Desktop app, Mobile app, CLI |
| Models | — | — |
A dash means there is no public data for that metric as of Nov 7, 2026.
Api
Typed TypeScript client for the Cargo API — models and records, orchestration runs and batches, connectors and integrations, agents, segments, and billing. The programmatic surface behind the cargo-ai CLI.
Orca
Orca is an open-source desktop agent development environment that runs Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Pi and other CLI agents side by side, each in its own git worktree, with terminals and a mobile companion app for monitoring agents. The project says it can also run agents on a remote machine over SSH, with file editing, git and terminals.
Pricing: Free and open source (MIT).
Latest release 1.4.252:
- 📱 A smoother experience on your phone: The phone opens and reconnects sooner, scrolls and streams chats more smoothly, reads Markdown and math better, and keeps unsent chat, review and Tasks text…
- 🗂️ Organize workspaces across machines: Nest workspaces under a folder workspace, including workspaces on other machines.
- 🌿 Do more with Chat UI: Fork any finished response to try another direction while the original chat stays as it was.
- 🖥️ A more reliable terminal: Terminal panes keep their zoom and restored scrollback, copied files paste as full paths, and busy terminal output takes less work to render.
Api vs Orca: common questions
How do Api and Orca prices compare?
Api: —. Orca: Free (OSS). Prices come from each vendor's pricing page.
Is Api or Orca open source?
Orca is open source (MIT); Api is proprietary.
Which is more popular, Api or Orca?
Orca has a Gid Score of 52 against 46 for Api. The score combines package downloads, editor installs, GitHub activity and attention, updated daily.
Do Api and Orca support MCP servers?
Orca documents support for MCP servers; Api's documentation does not.