LocalDevVPN vs Helmrig Agents
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LocalDevVPN
Create and manage secure, isolated local network tunnels on iOS. Test and debug applications without sending traffic to external servers, offering precise control over your network environment.
- Local network tunneling
- Custom network configuration
- One-touch connection
- Auto-connect option
- Connection monitoring
- Comprehensive logging
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LocalDevVPN is a developer tool for creating and managing local network tunnels directly on iOS. It gives you a secure, isolated virtual interface for testing and debugging without sending traffic to external servers. Key Features: - Local network tunneling: spin up a dedicated virtual interface for development and testing - Custom network configuration: set device IP, tunnel IP, and subnet mask - One-touch connection: quick connect/disconnect with clear status - Auto-connect: optionally start the tunnel when the app launches - Connection monitoring: track connection time and live status - Comprehensive logging: review detailed connection logs for troubleshooting Ideal for developers, network engineers, and testers who need precise control over a local network environment. All traffic stays on-device with no data collection or external connections. Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
Helmrig Agents
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Helmrig is a remote development client for iPhone. It pairs with helmrig-server running on your own laptop and gives you the AI coding agents, terminal, and filesystem of that machine — over an end-to-end encrypted tunnel. FEATURES • AI coding agents — run Claude Code or Codex on your laptop. Tell the agent what to do in plain language; it reads files, runs commands, and edits code on your machine. The app shows the output, diffs of any proposed changes, and approval prompts before anything is applied. You bring your own subscription or API keys; Helmrig doesn't sell or proxy AI access. • Attach files — pull any file from your laptop into the agent conversation in one tap, so the agent has exactly the context it needs. • Terminal — full PTY shell on your laptop with ANSI colors and resize. Use whatever you've installed: bash, zsh, fish, tmux, vim, nano, htop. • Files — browse and view the laptop filesystem with syntax highlighting for common languages. • Multi-project — switch between active projects in one tap; each project keeps its own terminal session and AI thread. HOW IT WORKS 1. Install the server on your laptop: npx helmrig@latest 2. Open Helmrig on iPhone, scan the QR code shown in the server. 3. The pairing key is generated locally on your devices and never leaves them. After pairing, phone and laptop talk directly over LAN or NAT-traversal when possible. When direct connection fails, the encrypted tunnel falls back through one of our regional relays. Relays forward opaque ciphertext only — they cannot decrypt anything. REQUIREMENTS • Laptop: macOS or Linux with Node.js 20+ • iPhone: iOS 17+ PRIVACY No third-party SDKs. No analytics. No crash reporting. Helmrig servers never see code, files, terminal output, or AI conversations. Full policy at helmrig.app/privacy.html CONTACT hi@helmrig.dev Privacy Policy: https://www.helmrig.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.helmrig.app/terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LocalDevVPN at none against Helmrig Agents's 1. LocalDevVPN also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and chart position (#4 vs unranked). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Helmrig Agents sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. LocalDevVPN asks for nothing beyond the download.
LocalDevVPN ships an update every 2 days, Helmrig Agents fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LocalDevVPN | Helmrig Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (114 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 114 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #4 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Coxson Engineering LLC | Nikita Kislitsin |
In-app purchases
LocalDevVPN
No in-app purchases
Helmrig Agents
- Helmrig Pro14 Days trial$12.991 Month









