Devin Desktop by Cognition
Medley vs. Devin Desktop
Devin Desktop is a capable IDE-centric agent environment with enterprise fleet management. Medley is for builders who want multi-agent missions in Claude Code that span more than IDE-centric coding.
Paste into Claude Code
Devin Desktop wraps Cognition’s agent in a polished IDE experience with multi-agent coordination via ACP and a Kanban-style Agent Command Center. For enterprise teams evaluating a managed AI engineering product, it is a serious option.
Medley starts from a different premise: you own your agent stack. Free to use with the models you already have, uses models you already have, and routing across Claude Code and whatever comes next — with a project layer built for founders running coding and adjacent company-building work in parallel. Install the Claude Code plugin.
What Devin Desktop does well
Devin Desktop offers a familiar IDE-centric workflow, multi-agent fleet management, and enterprise integrations — audit logs, team management, and procurement-friendly packaging.
The Agent Command Center gives visibility into what multiple Devin instances are doing. Cognition’s own models are genuinely capable at software engineering tasks, and the product is moving toward project-level Spaces for longer-horizon work.
Where Devin Desktop stops
Devin is optimized around Cognition’s model and cloud. BYOK is partial — quota-based with optional ACP agents — not full control over your provider relationships and negotiated rates.
Work remains coding-focused. There is no cross-domain mission layer for adjacent company-building work alongside code. It is not designed to compound your approvals into earned autonomy the way a mission-centric system can.
What Medley does differently
Medley uses the models you already have and local-first. You pay model providers directly, route sub-tasks to the best agent for each step, and keep data on your Mac.
Missions are designed to decompose into visible DAGs with an attention queue across projects — not just a Kanban of agent status. Cost per finished task and decision memory aim to help you scale delegation without vendor lock-in.
Key differences
Vendor independence
Medley routes across Claude Code and others. Devin centers on Cognition’s model and infrastructure.
Uses models you already have
Medley uses the models you already have in Claude Code. Devin offers partial BYOK through ACP with quota-based billing.
Cross-domain missions
Medley spans coding and adjacent company-building work. Devin is IDE- and coding-centric.
Cost per task
Medley attributes spend to outcomes. Devin bills through Cognition’s platform.
Full product comparison
| Medley | Devin Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Project orchestrator | IDE + Agent Command Center |
| Coding vs. non-coding work | Both — coding and adjacent company-building work | Coding only |
| Project layer | Project-level — task decomposition across the project | Moving toward project-level (Spaces) |
| Attention queue / human-in-the-loop | Centralized queue — humans pulled in only when needed | Kanban board — Agent Command Center |
| Model access | Uses models you already have in Claude Code | Partial — quota-based + BYOK via ACP agents |
| Local vs. cloud | Local — Claude Code plugin | Both — Devin Local + Devin Cloud |
| Model support | Models you bring into Claude Code (Claude, GPT, Gemini, and more) | Frontier models via ACP agents |
| Platform / OS | Mac — desktop app | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Pricing & business model | Free — models you already have in Claude Code | Free tier; Pro $20/mo; Max $200/mo; Teams $40/user/mo |
| Target user / ICP | Founders & power users of Claude Code | Enterprise teams, developers needing local + cloud agents |
Data as of June 2026. Sources: web research, medley.sh.
Which should you choose?
Choose Devin Desktop if
- You need enterprise procurement, audit logs, and team management
- You want a managed product built around Cognition’s agent stack
- Your work is primarily coding inside an IDE-centric workflow
- You are comfortable with Cognition as a strategic vendor
Choose Medley if
- You want multi-agent missions in Claude Code without a new vendor stack
- Your missions span code, content, research, and coordination
- You need one attention queue across multiple projects
- You want cost and routing transparency per finished task
Medley vs. Devin Desktop FAQ
- Is Devin better for enterprise?
- Devin has stronger enterprise packaging today — integrations, audit, team features. Medley targets founders and power users who want multi-agent missions in Claude Code, local control, and model flexibility over managed vendor stack.
- Does Devin run locally?
- Devin offers both local and cloud options. Medley is local-first on Mac with the models you already have — your missions and context stay on your machine.
- Is Medley a Devin replacement?
- Medley is a different category — project orchestrator vs. IDE-centric agent product. Choose based on whether you want to own your agent stack or buy a managed Cognition workflow.
Own your agent stack.
Install Medley — free, local-first orchestration without Cognition lock-in.
Install MedleyI