Macky vs Orca IDE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Macky
Control your Mac from your iPhone with two modes: Screen Mode for full remote desktop access and Terminal Mode for command-line operations. It offers a simple, secure, and direct peer-to-peer connection without complex network configurations.
- Full remote Mac control
- Mac screen mirroring
- Direct terminal access
- Peer-to-peer encrypted connection
- No VPN or port forwarding required
- Voice input and smart paste
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The fastest way to control your Mac from your iPhone or iPad. Macky gives you instant, zero-config access to your Mac's screen and pseudo-terminal (PTY) with sub-50ms latency. No SSH port forwarding, no VPN daemons, and no network configuration required. TERMINAL MODE - Run commands, manage background jobs, edit files in vim or nano, and monitor AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Aider) in real-time. - Full pseudo-terminal (PTY) shell connected directly to Zsh/Bash - Developer touch keyboard with Tab, Esc, Ctrl, arrow keys, and modifiers - Voice input and smart clipboard syncing for fast mobile typing SCREEN MODE - View and control your Mac's desktop with fluid, high-framerate streaming. - Check localhost:3000 web builds, Xcode simulators, and background tasks - Smooth trackpad gestures, clicking, scrolling, and dragging - Retina resolution support HOW IT WORKS (ZERO SSH / VPN PAIN) Traditional remote tools require open ports, dynamic DNS, WireGuard/Tailscale VPN configuration, and SSH key management. Macky connects your iPhone directly to your Mac over WebRTC with DTLS-SRTP end-to-end encryption. Your terminal and screen data travel peer-to-peer and never touch third-party servers. PERFECT FOR: - Developers running Claude Code, Docker builds, or long scripts on the go - Checking localhost web apps or Xcode builds away from your desk - Remote Mac server & Mac Mini homelab management - Anyone looking for a lightweight, zero-setup alternative to TeamViewer, AnyDesk, or Jump Desktop WHY MACKY? - Zero setup: no port forwarding, no firewall config, no static IP - Direct peer-to-peer connection over WebRTC - End-to-end encrypted with local master password protection - Seamless switching between Wi-Fi and 5G cellular - Lifetime Pro: one-time purchase, zero subscriptions
Orca IDE
This app mirrors your desktop terminal sessions, including AI agent interactions, directly to your iPhone. It provides full keyboard input and multi-terminal support for seamless remote coding management. All processing remains on your desktop, ensuring your data stays secure.
- Live desktop terminal mirror
- AI agent session management
- Full keyboard input
- Multi-worktree, multi-terminal support
- Phone-fit zoom and smart keyboard
- Background command execution
- End-to-end encrypted pairing
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Orca Mobile is the companion app for Orca, the open-source agentic coding workspace for macOS, Linux, and Windows. Pair your iPhone to your desktop in seconds and pick up a terminal session from the couch, the kitchen, or across the office. WHAT IT DOES • Live mirror of your desktop terminal, including running AI agent sessions (Claude Code, Codex, custom CLIs). • Full keyboard input — type, tab-complete, Ctrl-C, scroll back, all from the phone. • Multi-worktree, multi-terminal: jump between projects with a tap. • Phone-fit zoom and a smart on-screen keyboard with quick Ctrl/Alt accessory keys and shortcuts. • Background long-running commands and get a notification when a TUI goes idle (e.g. when Claude finishes thinking). HOW IT WORKS Orca Mobile is a thin client. Nothing runs on your phone except the viewer. Your code, your shells, your AI agents — all of that stays on your desktop. The phone shows you what's happening and forwards your keystrokes back over an encrypted local-network connection. Pairing is end-to-end encrypted. Your desktop generates a one-time keypair and shows a QR code; you scan it from the app. After that, all traffic between phone and desktop is sealed with that pair's keys. PRIVACY • No analytics SDK, no crash reporter, no third-party SDKs of any kind in the iOS app. • Pairing tokens and your preference list live in the app's own sandbox. The app's traffic to your desktop is end-to-end encrypted on your local network only. • The Orca desktop app collects anonymized usage metrics per the policy at https://www.onorca.dev/privacy. The mobile app itself does not. • Open source: every line is auditable at https://github.com/stablyai/orca. REQUIREMENTS • An iPhone (iOS 16+) on the same Wi-Fi as your desktop. • The Orca desktop app, free, from https://www.onorca.dev/ or https://github.com/stablyai/orca/releases.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Orca IDE at none against Macky's 3. Orca IDE also leads on chart position (#13 vs #205) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Macky sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Orca IDE asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Macky against 4.6 for Orca IDE. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 41 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Macky's written reviews are positive against 83% of Orca IDE's.
Macky ships an update every 4 days, Orca IDE every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Macky | Orca IDE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (22 ratings) | 4.6 (41 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 41 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #205 | #13 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Velosify Private Limited | Lovecast LLC |
Customer experience
Macky
Orca IDE
In-app purchases
Macky
- Lifetime Pro$19.99
- Lifetime Pro$23.99
- Lifetime Pro$29.99
Orca IDE
No in-app purchases









