Comparison · facts verified 2026-09-24
Orbi vs Keelen
Both work a GitHub backlog unattended. Keelen is an autonomous AI coding agent for GitHub repositories. Orbi is a fair-code, self-hosted delivery system. The choice is not simply which one can open a PR: it is how models are billed, where execution runs, and what happens between a diff and a release. Every claim below carries a source.
THE COMPETITOR, FROM ITS OWN MATERIALS
What Keelen is
Keelen describes itself as an autonomous AI coding agent for GitHub repositories and is currently in open beta. It turns requests into a roadmap, plans tasks with acceptance criteria, and implements them as pull requests. Each iteration gets a fresh clone in a single-use, network-isolated VM, runs one task, and opens one PR. It supports Claude Code, Codex, GLM, Kimi, and Grok through a supported subscription or API key.
Source: Keelen official homepage — verified 2026-09-24.
THE DECISION TABLE
Where Orbi and Keelen differ
Both turn GitHub work into pull requests and can operate without someone typing at every step. The table keeps the important boundaries explicit.
| Dimension | Orbi | Keelen |
|---|---|---|
| How models are billed | Self-hosted core: your model credentials and provider bill; Cloud plans include model tokens. providers · Cloud pricing | Bring your own AI subscription or API key; zero token markup, and Keelen does not resell tokens. source |
| Supported engines | Pi; Codex OAuth is supported for subscriptions. source | Claude Code, Codex, GLM, Kimi, and Grok. source |
| Review gates | Independent review against the Issue acceptance criteria, followed by the repository’s four merge gates. source | Red-first proof, separate adversarial review, project tests on a clean checkout when available, required checks, and an optional review window. source |
| Merge | The reviewed exact head is merged through the GitHub delivery flow. source | By default, green and gated means merged. source |
| Tag / release | A release Issue freezes the SHA, tags it, and publishes the release. source | Keelen’s homepage describes pull requests and merged delivery, but does not describe tag or release publishing. source |
| Self-hosting | Yes: fair-code core, source available, self-hosting free. source | Keelen lists a self-hosted runner option for Enterprise. source |
| Price | Cloud: Free (3 merged deliveries), Solo US$29/month (100M tokens, 1 repo), Pro US$79/month (300M tokens, 5 repos). source | Indie US$29/month for 200 iterations and 3 projects; Operator US$79/month for 1,000 iterations and 10 projects; Agency US$299/month. One iteration is one machine run. source |
Orbi sources: Orbi docs, repository, and Cloud pricing. Keelen source: official homepage — all verified 2026-09-24.
When Keelen is the better choice
Choose Keelen when you want to use a Claude Code subscription, need VM-level isolation for each run, or value its documented security and compliance-oriented scanning and network controls. Those are real strengths. Choose Orbi when self-hosting, source-level auditability, an Issue-bound review gate, and a tagged release are part of the delivery contract.
PROVENANCE
Sources and verification dates
This page is a dated snapshot. Re-check the linked materials before making an architecture or procurement decision.
- Keelen official homepage — product definition, engines, VM execution, gates, pricing, Enterprise runnerverified 2026-09-24keelen.ai
- Orbi repository and documentation — self-hosting, Pi, provider support, workflow and releaseverified 2026-09-24github.com/orbi-build/orbi · docs.orbi.build
- Orbi Cloud — included-token plans and pricesverified 2026-09-24orbi.build/cloud
FAIR-CODE CORE
Choose the delivery boundary
Keelen is a strong fit for subscription-led, isolated VM execution. Orbi is for teams that want to run the delivery line themselves, keep the model boundary visible, and carry a reviewed head through merge and release.