Comparison

OpenResponses vs Vato IDE

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

Head to head
About

OpenResponses

This native client provides advanced control and observability for AI models. It allows users to stream responses in real-time, inspect requests, and utilize various OpenAI models with a fast interface. Features include web search, code interpretation, and image generation.

Highlights
  • Real-time response streaming
  • Request inspector for API details
  • Prompt library and advanced model controls
  • Web search and code interpreter tools
  • Image generation capabilities
  • Direct Notion and Apple system tool integration
Features
Read full description

OpenResponses is OpenAI's API on your iPhone and iPad, with nothing hidden. Bring your own API key and it shows you the request before it goes out, the events as they stream back, and every tool call along the way. It's for people who build with OpenAI's models, or who just want to see what the newest ones actually do before writing any code. It started as the successor to OpenAssistant, my app for OpenAI's older Assistants API, and talks straight to OpenAI's Responses API with no server of mine in between. PICK A MODEL AND SEE WHAT IT DOES • GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Sol, Astra and Luna, the GPT-5.6 family, and older models your key can still use. When OpenAI releases a new one, it shows up in the menu on its own, with its settings read from OpenAI's docs. • Reasoning from None to Max where the model takes it, Pro mode, verbosity, context compaction and the rest of the request settings, all in one place. • Replies stream in as they're written, with the reasoning summaries the API sends, token use, and the full request and response a tap away. • Save setups as presets, attach photos and documents, export conversations, and search your chats by what they're about, not just the exact words. THE TOOLS THE API HAS • Web search with sources, Code Interpreter, file search over your own vector stores, and image generation and editing with GPT Image 2.5, up to Max quality. • Voice conversations with GPT Realtime 2.1 or GPT-Live 1, with mute, and with headphones and Voice Barge-In on you can talk over it to cut it off. • A browser the model can drive, inside the app, with Stop, time limits and action limits. • MCP connections. Sign in to supported apps or add a server by address, look through the tools it offers, and approve tool calls unless you turn that off. • Calendar, Reminders, Contacts and Notion, only when you turn them on. • Local Python. The model writes it, you read it, you tap Run, and it runs on your phone. Standard library, no internet, 30 seconds a run. API WORKBENCH For when you'd rather write the request yourself. Edit the raw JSON, send it over HTTP, streaming or WebSocket, watch every event come back, and export the whole response. It also counts tokens, compacts context, and manages conversations, files, vector stores, containers and batch jobs. Anything that deletes asks first. A few things worth knowing before you download it: • There's no OpenResponses account. You need your own OpenAI API key, and what you use is billed to your OpenAI account. • Your key stays in the iOS Keychain and only ever goes to OpenAI. • Explore Demo lets you look around without a key, and it sends nothing. • Before your first live request, the app shows what gets sent to OpenAI and waits for you to say yes. • It runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later. One last thing. This shows you what OpenAI's models do, and they can be wrong, sometimes confidently. Check anything that matters before you act on it.

About

Vato IDE

Features
Read full description

Your desktop development workflow, now in your pocket. Vato IDE turns your iPhone or iPad into a powerful companion for the Vato IDE desktop app. Connect to your computers in real time, open projects and conversations, and direct AI coding agents wherever you are. CODE FROM ANYWHERE Send instructions, follow responses live, attach reference images, or dictate prompts with your voice. Choose your preferred provider, model, reasoning level, and execution mode for every task. MANAGE YOUR DESKTOPS See connected computers, browse active projects, and continue existing conversations. Work across multiple desktops without losing project context. PLAN, REVIEW, AND APPROVE Review proposed implementation plans before execution. Answer agent questions and approve or reject commands, file changes, and other sensitive actions directly from your device. KEEP WORK MOVING Queue follow-up prompts while an agent is busy, change priorities, stop active runs, and return to completed conversations when you are ready. BUILT FOR REAL DEVELOPMENT Ask your agents to inspect files, write code, run tests, explain changes, and handle Git workflows—all through a focused, project-aware chat interface. KEY FEATURES • Real-time desktop-to-mobile connection • Multiple computers and projects • AI model and reasoning controls • Plan and execution modes • Interactive approvals and questions • Image attachments and voice dictation • Prompt queue and run controls (1/2) • Personal and team workspaces • Dark and light themes Vato IDE for mobile is a companion app. A signed-in Vato IDE desktop app must be online and connected for project access and agent execution. Available models and capabilities depend on your desktop configuration and provider accounts.

Screenshots

OpenResponses4 screens
Vato IDE4 screens

Verdict

The call

OpenResponses and Vato IDE are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenResponses ships an update every 5 weeks, Vato IDE every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
OpenResponses versus Vato IDE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenResponsesVato IDE
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGunnar HostetlerNoah d'hondt

In-app purchases

None

OpenResponses

No in-app purchases

None

Vato IDE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenResponses free?
OpenResponses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vato IDE free?
Vato IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do OpenResponses or Vato IDE have ads?
Neither OpenResponses nor Vato IDE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenResponses or Vato IDE?
OpenResponses ships an update every 5 weeks, and Vato IDE every 6 weeks. Most recently, OpenResponses was updated on October 12, 2026 and Vato IDE on October 9, 2026.

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