Termexo vs Poolside AI

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

Analysis reviewed Live tool data as of 2026-09-23
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At a glance

DimensionTermexoPoolside AI
PricingFreeContact sales
DeploymentLocal Windows desktopOn-prem, VPC, or workstation (defense)
Target BuyerIndividual Windows developersRegulated enterprises (finance, healthcare, defense)
Core ModelsSupports Claude Code & Codex (no own models)Laguna S 2.1 (118B) & XS 2.1 (33B), open-weight
Context LengthDepends on underlying assistant1M (S 2.1), 256K (XS 2.1)
Key IntegrationsClaude Code, CodexOpenRouter, Vercel AI Gateway, data connectors
Try TermexoTry Poolside AI
Termexo
Termexo

A Windows workbench for running Claude Code, Codex, and other coding agents across five terminals — and your phone.

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Poolside AI
Poolside AI

Open-weight agentic coding models — Laguna XS 2.1 and Laguna S 2.1 — built for secure on-prem and air-gapped enterprise AI.

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Pricing
Free
Contact Sales
Plans
$0
—
Popularity
8 views
7.1k views
Skill Level
Intermediate
Advanced
API Available
Platforms
DesktopWeb
DesktopCLIAPIWeb
Categories
💻 Code & Development
💻 Code & Development🛠️ Autonomous Coding Agents⚛️ Foundation Models & LLM APIs🛡️ AI Governance & Guardrails
Features
Run Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Antigravity, and Grok Build in a single Windows window
Arrange terminals in a grid of 1 to 6 rows and columns, remembered per project
Taskbar flash, system notification, and persistent banner when an agent needs approval
Search saved sessions across all projects by name, path, branch, or model
Reopen past conversations through each CLI's native resume command
Keep session files read-only — Termexo never edits or deletes them
Switch Claude Code between Anthropic, DeepSeek, MiniMax, GLM, or a custom gateway via saved profiles
Store provider API keys in Windows Credential Manager instead of plain text
Switch every Claude terminal in a project to a different model at once
Task board with todo, executing, completed, and verified states driven by terminal activity
Reject a task result with a note so the agent picks it up for another round
Self-hosted termexo-relay with HTTPS browser entry point and AES-256-GCM encrypted session frames
Reconnect from phone, tablet, or another computer to the same running terminal session
Workspace restore — project folder, grid layout, terminals, and colours return on reopen
MIT open source, installed via npx termexo@latest or the Windows installer
Laguna S 2.1 open-weight model: 118B params, 8B active, 1M context
Laguna XS 2.1 open-weight model: 33B params, 3B active, 256K context
Laguna XS 2.1 designed to run on-device for lightweight scenarios
Laguna S 2.1 positioned for frontier-class long-horizon reasoning
Single-agent and multi-agent orchestration with planning and tool use
Sandboxed agent execution environments for running generated code safely
Desktop app and CLI for agentic coding sessions
Model selection, tool grouping, and project management in the client
Data connectors to repositories, databases, and warehouses
Role-based access control for both human users and agents
End-to-end trace observability for agent runs
Governance and auditability built for regulated environments
Custom model fine-tuning on domain-specific data
Deployment inside your security boundary: on-prem, VPC, or workstation
Access to Laguna models via OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway
Integrations
Claude Code
Codex CLI
OpenCode
Antigravity
Grok Build
GitHub
OpenRouter
Vercel AI Gateway

What real users say: Termexo vs Poolside AI

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.

Termexo

19 mentions across 2 sources · 41% positive — mixed (averaged across 2 sources)

YouTube, Product Hunt

What users praise

  • • Genuinely Windows-native, addressing the underserved Windows agent tooling gap.
  • • Grid layout for multiple PTY sessions makes managing Claude Code and Codex easier.
  • • API keys stored in Windows Credential Manager, not plaintext config files.
  • • Approval notifications when agents need human attention are a thoughtful touch.

What frustrates them

  • • Crash recovery doesn't survive process termination; in-flight operations are lost.
  • • Only one Product Hunt review (4 stars) so far — track record is thin.
  • • Unclear whether agents run natively on Windows or via WSL.
  • • No per-session token spend tracking; runaway agents can silently burn money.

Researched Aug 12, 2026

Poolside AI

40 mentions across 4 sources · 48% positive — mixed (averaged across 4 sources)

Hacker News, YouTube, Bluesky, Lemmy

What users praise

  • • Open-weight models with strong SWE-bench scores (72.5%).
  • • On-prem, VPC, and air-gapped deployment for high security.
  • • 256K context length supports long-horizon reasoning tasks.
  • • Multi-agent orchestration with sandboxed execution environments.

What frustrates them

  • • Community feedback is scarce; limited real-world user reviews.
  • • Platform is still in research preview as of April 2026.
  • • Pricing is opaque; only 'contact us' with no published tiers.
  • • Trademark dispute with Poolside FM creates name confusion.

Researched Jul 17, 2026

Who should pick which

  • Enterprise engineer in finance
    Pick: Poolside AI

    Need on-prem deployment, audit trails, and role-based control—Poolside fits regulated environments.

  • Defense contractor
    Pick: Poolside AI

    Workstation deployment for defense-only scenarios and open-weight models for secure fine-tuning.

  • Windows solo developer
    Pick: Termexo

    Free, local, and dedicated GUI for Claude Code/Codex—no server overhead.

  • Startup prototyping
    Pick: Termexo

    Low cost and quick to adopt; no vendor engagement needed.

  • Healthcare IT team
    Pick: Poolside AI

    Data connectors to warehouses and high-governance needs align with HIPAA-style compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Termexo be used on macOS or Linux?

No, Termexo is Windows-only; no cross-platform support is mentioned.

Does Poolside AI require cloud connectivity?

No—it can be deployed on-prem, in a VPC, or on a workstation (defense only), supporting air-gapped environments.

Is Poolside's latest model the same as the May 2026 platform?

The platform launched in May 2026; Laguna S 2.1 is a newer release from July 2026, enhancing reasoning and long-horizon tasks.

Does Termexo work offline?

It runs locally on Windows, but Claude Code and Codex may require API calls to their respective services, so offline use depends on those tools.

Can I fine-tune Poolside models for my domain?

Yes, Poolside supports custom model fine-tuning for domain-specific needs.

Is there a free trial for Poolside?

Pricing is contact-based; no free trial is mentioned in the data.

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Explore each tool further

Termexo
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Poolside AI
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Last reviewed: August 3, 2026