GreatCTO is not another coding-agent loop — it's the orchestration layer above the coding agent you already use. A specialist team that reviews and gates the work, not another assistant that types code.
| GreatCTO | Devin | Claude Code (alone) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | ✅ MIT | ❌ closed | ❌ closed plugin model |
| Self-host | ✅ runs locally | ❌ Cognition cloud | ✅ |
| Host | ✅ Claude Code + Codex | ❌ Cognition cloud | ✅ Claude Code |
| BYOK / multi-model | ✅ Claude Code · Codex | ❌ proprietary | ❌ Anthropic only |
| Specialist agents | 83 — architect · PM · 12-angle review · QA · security · devops · domain reviewers | 1 generalist | 1 generalist |
| SDLC orchestration | architect → plan → impl → review → QA → security → devops | one-shot autonomy | edit loop |
| Human gates | ✅ 2 per feature (plan + ship) + signed gates on every irreversible autopilot action | ❌ none | ❌ |
| Memory across sessions | ✅ decisions.md + lessons.md + crystallize | ⚠️ thread only | ⚠️ thread only |
| Cost tracking | ✅ per-agent + 30d history + savings_x | ❌ | ❌ |
| Compliance frameworks | ✅ 45+ (PCI · HIPAA · SOX · GDPR · CCPA · EU AI Act · FDA SaMD · FedRAMP · NAIC · …) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Operator console | ✅ inbox for human signers, audit trail, SLA clocks, invites | ❌ | ❌ |
| Pricing | Free — you pay your LLM provider | $500/mo | $20/mo |
| Setup | npx great-cto init | sign up | install CLI |
One real run through the full pipeline: a regulated voice-AI compliance feature in 1h 26m for $3.40 in LLM cost vs ~$42K traditional. Walk the receipts →