Orca vs Spider Cloud

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings

Analysis reviewed Live tool data as of 2026-09-01
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At a glance

DimensionOrcaSpider Cloud
PricingFree open-source desktop IDE (bring your own agent tokens)$0.003/1k pages (usage-based) + $6/mo AI Studio
Best ForDevelopers orchestrating multiple AI coding agentsAI agents and RAG pipelines needing live web data
Key FeatureIsolated git worktrees per agent with Monaco editor and ChromiumRust-powered crawling + AI Browser commands (Act, Extract, Observe)
IntegrationsClaude Code, Codex, Grok, Gemini, GitHub, Linear, JiraLangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, S3, GCS, Supabase
PlatformDesktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) + mobile companionCloud API (REST/WebSocket)
Latest Update2026-05-07: Orca 1.3.41 with Expo mobile app and inline agent statuses2026-03-05: Browser AI commands via WebSocket

Spider Cloud and Orca serve completely different use cases. Spider Cloud is a web data extraction API for AI agents, best for RAG pipelines and real-time data ingestion. Orca is a desktop IDE for running multiple AI coding agents in parallel. Choose Spider Cloud if you need a scalable crawler; choose Orca if you need to manage and review code from multiple LLMs.

Orca
Orca

Run multiple AI coding agents side-by-side in isolated git worktrees.

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Spider Cloud
Spider Cloud

AI web scraping API: crawl, scrape, search any site into markdown or JSON at 10k req/min.

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Pricing
Freemium
Freemium
Plans
$0/mo
Contact
$1/GB + $0.001/min compute
$40/mo (2 concurrency)
$6/mo
Popularity
2 views
7.5k views
Skill Level
Advanced
Intermediate
API Available
Platforms
DesktopMobileCLI
WebAPICLI
Categories
🛠️ Autonomous Coding Agents💻 Code & Development
🌐 Web Scraping & Search APIs🖱️ Browser & Computer-Use Agents
Features
Run multiple AI coding agents in parallel in isolated git worktrees
Ghostty-inspired terminal with WebGL rendering, infinite splits, scrollback restore
Monaco-based file editor with autosave and quick-open
Per-worktree Chromium browser for design mode and UI element inspection
Drag and drop files or images into agent prompts
Annotate AI diffs with markdown comments and batch feedback
SSH worktrees with auto-reconnect, port forwarding, passphrase caching
Native GitHub, Bitbucket, Linear, Jira integration
Mobile companion app for iOS and Android with live agent status and terminal
Orca CLI for automation (worktree create, snapshot, click, fill)
Account switcher and usage tracking for Claude and Codex
Agent Dashboard map view (experimental)
Plugin support
Chat UI (experimental)
Search across worktrees, files, agents, and commands
Scrape any website into markdown, JSON, or raw HTML
Full-site crawling at 100K+ pages/sec
10,000 core API requests per minute default
Web Search API: SERP + scraping + extraction in one call
/ai/search endpoint with relevance gate to skip irrelevant pages
Silk AI model: HTML-to-structured data and captcha solving on GPUs
Browser Cloud: full browser sessions over CDP
AI commands (Act, Extract, Observe) via WebSocket with AI Studio
Multiple output formats: HTML, raw, plain text, markdown, JSON, JSONL, CSV, XML
Stealth browser layer and Unblocker for anti-bot sites
Proxy pool with 215M+ residential and ISP IPs across 199+ countries
Robots.txt compliance on by default, disable per-request
data_connectors parameter: pipe results to S3, GCS, Google Sheets, Azure Blob, Supabase
extraction_schema parameter: AI output conforms to JSON schema
1,000+ ready-made scraper examples across 32 categories
Integrations
Claude Code
Codex
OpenCode
Grok
Gemini
Cursor CLI
GitHub Copilot
GitHub
Bitbucket
Linear
Jira
GitHub Projects
Expo
Amp
OpenClaude
LangChain
LlamaIndex
CrewAI
FlowiseAI
AutoGen
Agno

What real users say: Orca vs Spider Cloud

Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.

Orca

82 mentions across 6 sources · 52% positive — mixed

Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt, Stack Overflow, GitHub, Lemmy

What users praise

  • Run multiple AI agents in parallel isolated git worktrees.
  • Terminal-first design with infinite splits and scrollback restore.
  • Seamless integration with Claude Code, Codex, and other CLIs.
  • Visual git worktree management from the UI.

What frustrates them

  • Editing experience is too slow for heavy daily use.
  • Missing vim bindings and other polish issues.
  • Large backlog of 2,816 open GitHub issues.
  • Steep learning curve for beginners unfamiliar with agent CLIs.

Researched Aug 1, 2026

Spider Cloud

41 mentions across 2 sources · 0% positive — critical

YouTube, Lemmy

What users praise

  • Competitive pay-as-you-go pricing at $1/GB with no expiry.
  • Default rate limit of 10,000 requests per minute is generous.
  • Broad output formats (HTML, markdown, JSON, CSV) cover diverse needs.
  • Integrated Web Search API bundles SERP and extraction for AI agents.

What frustrates them

  • No community feedback to confirm reliability or performance.
  • Self-reported metrics lack independent verification.
  • Stealth browser success may vary across real sites.
  • Potential legal risks from scraping; compliance is user's responsibility.

Researched Aug 26, 2026

Who should pick which

  • Solo founder building an AI agent for market research
    Pick: Spider Cloud

    Spider Cloud's web crawling API provides real-time data for LLM-powered agents at a low cost ($0.03/1k pages) with structured output. The AI Studio and Browser AI commands allow natural language extraction without coding.

  • Full-stack developer managing multiple AI coding agents daily
    Pick: Orca

    Orca's isolated worktrees let you run Claude Code, Codex, and others simultaneously without conflicts. The Monaco editor, Chromium per worktree, and diff viewer streamline reviewing AI-generated code.

  • Startup integrating live web data into a RAG pipeline
    Pick: Spider Cloud

    Spider Cloud's data connectors (S3, GCS, Supabase) and integrations with LangChain/LlamaIndex make it seamless to feed crawled content into a vector database or LLM pipeline.

  • Open-source contributor orchestrating agent workflows
    Pick: Orca

    Orca is free and open-source, and its CLI and SSH remote workspaces enable automation of agent tasks across multiple repositories.

  • Developer needing a simple one-time web scrape
    Pick: Spider Cloud

    Spider Cloud's simple API and 1,000+ ready-made scraper examples make it easy to scrape a site quickly. However, for a single scrape, a lightweight library might be simpler.

Frequently Asked Questions

Orca vs Spider Cloud: which should you choose?

Spider Cloud and Orca serve completely different use cases. Spider Cloud is a web data extraction API for AI agents, best for RAG pipelines and real-time data ingestion. Orca is a desktop IDE for running multiple AI coding agents in parallel. Choose Spider Cloud if you need a scalable crawler; choose Orca if you need to manage and review code from multiple LLMs.

Can Spider Cloud handle JavaScript-heavy websites?

Yes, Spider Cloud includes a Browser Cloud with stealth anti-detection and can render JavaScript. The Browser AI commands (Act, Extract, Observe) via WebSocket enable interaction with dynamic pages.

Does Orca work with any AI coding agent?

Orca integrates with Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Grok, Gemini, Cursor CLI, and GitHub Copilot. You bring your own API tokens; Orca orchestrates them in isolated worktrees.

What output formats does Spider Cloud support?

Spider Cloud supports Markdown, HTML, JSON, CSV, XML, and plain text. You can also capture screenshots and extract links.

Is Orca free to use?

Yes, Orca is completely free and open-source. There is no subscription; you pay only for the agent API tokens you use (e.g., Claude Code, Codex).

Can I crawl a website behind a login?

Spider Cloud's Browser AI commands can perform clicks, typing, and navigation, allowing you to log in. However, it does not provide residential proxies or CAPTCHA-solving as a built-in service.

Does Orca support remote workspaces?

Yes, Orca supports SSH remote workspaces with port forwarding and auto-restore. It also includes agent hibernation and usage tracking.

What is the cost for irregular spider crawling usage?

Spider Cloud charges $0.03 per 1,000 pages and does not bill failed requests. For sporadic use, this is cost-effective because you only pay for what you use.

Can Orca run agents headlessly?

Orca is primarily an IDE with a GUI, but it includes a CLI (orca) that can create worktrees, take snapshots, and run commands. For headless automation, you might use agent CLIs directly.

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Last reviewed: July 2, 2026