Tencil vs Onlook
Onlook is a visual editor for designers that works in code: your app runs on its canvas, and you change it visually and with AI. Tencil does not edit anything itself. It adds pins to your dev site in your own browser and hands each one to the agent you already use, Claude Code or T3 Code, which edits your working tree.
npx tencil- Run npx tencil once. Works with T3 Code or Claude Code, on any dev server.
- Press C and click it. Pick up a thread or start a new one, right on the page.
- Watch it change in place. Reply on the pin for another round, then resolve it.
- Review a whole page at once. Queue your comments, then send them all to your agent.
How it works
At a glance
Checked against Onlook’s own site on 28 October 2026.
| Tencil | Onlook | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A browser overlay and a daemon for the agent you have. | A visual editor for designers; its docs describe a Mac app in beta. |
| Where you work | Your dev site, in your own browser. | Your app, on Onlook’s canvas. |
| How a change is made | You prompt your agent on an element, and it edits the code. | You design visually on the canvas, or ask its AI. |
| Agent | Claude Code or T3 Code. | Your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription. |
| Where changes go | Your working tree, which your dev server reloads. | A copy of your project on its own branch, handed off as a GitHub pull request. |
| Frameworks | Next.js, any Vite app (React, Vue, Svelte and more) and any dev server; source files in React. | Next.js, React, Vite, Storybook and shadcn/ui, per its site. |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Its original open-source editor on GitHub is Apache-2.0. |
Which should you choose?
They solve overlapping problems in different ways. Pick by how you like to work.
Choose Tencil if
- You want to stay in your own browser, dev server and working tree.
- You already use Claude Code or T3 Code and want each comment to be a thread there.
- Your app runs on a dev server Onlook does not name, or you want no sign-in at all.
Choose Onlook if
- You are a designer and want a visual canvas rather than a prompt.
- You want to change layout and styles by direct manipulation.
- You want changes to arrive as a pull request from a separate branch.
Tencil vs Onlook: questions
What people ask when they compare the two.
Its original visual editor is on GitHub under Apache-2.0. Its docs now describe a Mac app in beta.
No. Your agent edits your working tree, and your dev server reloads the page you are on.
More comparisons
How Tencil compares with other ways to point an agent at your UI.
- Tencil vs Cursor AnnotateCursor Annotate lets you point at your app for Cursor’s agent, in Cursor’s browser. Tencil does it in your own browser for Claude Code or T3 Code: free, open source, no account.
- Tencil vs React GrabReact Grab copies a React element’s file, component and HTML for you to paste into your agent. Tencil sends it to your agent with your prompt and streams the change back onto the page.
- Tencil vs AgentationAgentation turns UI annotations into structured context you paste or serve over MCP. Tencil sends each pin to Claude Code or T3 Code and streams the change back onto the element.
- Tencil vs stagewisestagewise is an open-source agentic IDE with its own browser and agents on any model. Tencil adds element pins to the dev site in your own browser and hands them to Claude Code or T3 Code.
- Tencil vs FrontmanFrontman runs its own AI frontend agent in your app, on the model provider you choose. Tencil hands what you point at to Claude Code or T3 Code, with no account and no server.
- Tencil vs PinpointPinpoint is a browser extension that hands notes on elements to your agent over MCP. Tencil starts Claude Code or T3 Code itself and streams the change back onto the pin.