Comparison

Tin Toy vs BotBus

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Tin Toy

Create and preview real-time graphics using Metal shaders on iOS and iPadOS. This app offers a code editor, flexible buffer management with custom inputs, and tools for capturing and sharing your creations. It's ideal for learning, prototyping visual effects, and generative art.

Highlights
  • Real-time Metal shader writing
  • Instant preview of results
  • Custom input buffers (images, video, camera)
  • Snapshot and record shader output
  • Built-in debugging tools
  • Shareable document bundles
Features
Read full description

Tin Toy is your creative canvas for real-time graphics. Inspired by ShaderToy, and designed natively for iOS & iPadOS, Tin Toy lets you write and preview Metal shaders with a seamless, modern interface. Whether you're a graphics enthusiast, game developer, or curious creative, Tin Toy gives you powerful tools to bring your shaders to life. Real-Time Metal Shaders Write fragment shaders in a built-in code editor, or your code editor of choice, and see the results instantly. Flexible Buffer Management View each shader buffer individually or all at once. Feed shaders with custom inputs like: * Images * Video * Live camera feed * Mouse & keyboard (if attached to device) Snapshot, Record & Share Capture still frames or record high-quality videos of your shaders in action with a click. Self contained document bundles include the shaders and all its buffer assets for easy sharing and collaboration. Built-In Debugging Tools Capture frames and inspect them using Xcode for pixel-perfect debugging. Perfect for: * Learning Metal shader programming * Rapid prototyping of visual effects * Creating generative art 100% Free No ads. No upsells.

About

BotBus

Control and monitor AI coding agents remotely from your mobile devices. Approve requests, chat with agents, and even take direct control of your computer's terminal or screen. Supports various AI models and multiple computers.

Highlights
  • Approve AI agent requests
  • Chat with coding agents
  • Access computer terminal
  • Remote screen control
  • View agent-created files and screenshots
  • Support for multiple AI models
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

Your AI coding agents keep working after you leave your desk. With BotBus, so can you: approve requests, answer questions, send the next instruction, or take over the computer itself, from iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. BotBus connects Claude Code, Codex and other coding agents on your Mac, Linux or Windows computer to your phone and watch. No SSH, no VPN, no port forwarding, no account. Install BotBus on the computer, scan one QR code, and you're set. Tasks and computer controls are end-to-end encrypted. Made for long refactors, test runs and vibe coding sessions that need a quick yes every few minutes. WORKS WITH THE AGENTS YOU ALREADY USE • Built in: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Hermes, Pi, OpenClaw and DeepSeek Harness • Gemini CLI, Qwen Code, Kimi CLI, goose and other ACP (Agent Client Protocol) agents • Sessions you started at your desk show up too, sorted by computer, agent and project • Agents keep their own logins, subscriptions and API keys NEVER LEAVE AN AGENT WAITING • Get notified when an agent needs approval, waits for your reply, finishes or fails; on iPhone you see the actual command • Approve or deny in one tap and answer multiple-choice questions • Auto-approve projects you trust (Claude Code and Codex); questions still come to you • When a task fails, BotBus tells you why and what to do next RUN THE WORK FROM ANYWHERE • Start a chat: pick a computer, agent and project, then type or just speak • Follow up, interrupt, or start, stop and restart an agent • Choose the model and reasoning effort for Claude Code and Codex • Run a task in its own git worktree, then merge it back in one tap • Attach photos; location data is stripped before sending • Read the conversation with formatting, code and images SEE WHAT YOUR AGENTS BUILT • Screenshots, files, videos and links come straight to your phone • Open the dev server your agent just started and try the page on your phone (Mac) • Review uncommitted changes as a line-by-line diff before you merge CONTROL YOUR COMPUTER • Files: browse projects, view and edit text files, upload photos, share files to your phone, rename, or move to Trash (never permanently deleted) • Terminal: a real shell on your computer, with tabs, extra keys (esc, ctrl, tab, arrows) and sessions that survive dropped connections • Screen: see your Mac live; tap, drag, zoom, right-click and type, with a secure field for passwords • Changes stay locked until you unlock them and re-lock after 10 idle minutes • Files and terminal on Mac, Linux and Windows; screen control on Mac BUILT FOR APPLE WATCH • After syncing from iPhone, the watch connects on its own • Approve, answer, dictate a reply, interrupt or start a task from your wrist • See every computer's pending count at a glance MANY COMPUTERS, MANY DEVICES • Pair up to 10 computers with up to 10 phones and iPads; mix Mac, Linux and Windows • Two-column layout on iPad • Remove any device at any time PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Tasks, chats, commands, files, terminal and screen are encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your devices • The key travels only in the pairing QR code and stays in your Keychain; compare the 8-digit fingerprint to verify • Our relay sees only ciphertext; pairings idle for 30 days are erased • Dev previews pass through our relay and are not end-to-end encrypted GET STARTED IN A MINUTE 1. Install BotBus on your computer from botbus.io: a menu bar app on Mac, a one-line install on Linux and Windows (no sudo or admin rights) 2. Scan the pairing QR code with this app 3. Walk away. Your agents will find you. No computer at hand? Try demo mode first. Requires iOS or iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26 or later; macOS 26, Linux (x86_64, aarch64) or Windows 10/11 on the computer. Actions need the computer online with BotBus running; available controls depend on the agent. Claude Code, Codex and other agent names are trademarks of their respective owners. BotBus is independent and not affiliated with them.

Screenshots

Tin Toy4 screens
BotBus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BotBus at 5.0 against Tin Toy's 4.0. BotBus also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). Tin Toy's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BotBus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tin Toy ships an update every 3 months, BotBus every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tin Toy versus BotBus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTin ToyBotBus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB25 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAdrian RussellChengdu Tuyang Tusen Technology Co., Ltd

Customer experience

Tin Toy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

BotBus

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tin Toy

No in-app purchases

None

BotBus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tin Toy free?
Tin Toy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BotBus free?
BotBus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tin Toy or BotBus?
BotBus is rated higher. Tin Toy averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while BotBus averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Tin Toy or BotBus have ads?
Neither Tin Toy nor BotBus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tin Toy or BotBus?
Tin Toy ships an update every 3 months, and BotBus every 3 days. Most recently, Tin Toy was updated on November 12, 2026 and BotBus on November 10, 2026.

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