Comparison

PixelHQ vs Cursor

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

Head to head
About

PixelHQ

Visualize your AI coding agent's activity in a retro pixel art office. See files read, terminal commands executed, and searches performed as animated characters on your device. Connects securely to a local bridge server for real-time insights into your coding sessions.

Highlights
  • Real-time pixel art visualization
  • AI coding agent activity
  • Retro office environment
  • Local network connection
  • Secure pairing
  • Demo mode
Features
Read full description

Watch your coding agents come to life. PixelHQ transforms your Claude Code sessions into a real-time pixel art office. Every file read, every terminal command, every search — animated as tiny characters working away at their desks in a retro startup office. It's the most fun way to see what your AI coding agent is actually doing. Connect PixelHQ to the lightweight bridge server running on your laptop, and your coding sessions instantly appear as live office activity. Characters read files at their desks, run to the terminal, huddle up for planning sessions, and head to the whiteboard when exploring your codebase. The busier your agent, the busier your office. How it works 1. Run the bridge server on your laptop (`npx pixelhq`). 2. Pair your iPhone with a one-time 6-digit code. 3. Start a Claude Code session and watch your office come alive. The bridge watches your Claude Code session files, extracts only the metadata needed for animations (like event type and tool category), and streams it to the app over your local Wi-Fi. Auto-discovery via Bonjour means no IP addresses to type in — just pair and go. Your code stays on your machine. Period. We take privacy seriously. Here's exactly what happens to your data: - The bridge strips everything sensitive before it ever reaches the app. No source code, no prompts, no AI responses, no file contents, no full file paths — none of it is transmitted. - File paths are reduced to just the filename (e.g. "auth.ts", never the full path). - All communication happens entirely over your local network. Nothing is sent to the cloud or to us. - Pairing is protected with a one-time passcode, and reconnection uses a secure token stored in your device's Keychain. - The only data that leaves your device is anonymous, aggregate usage analytics (app opened, session duration) through TelemetryDeck, a GDPR-compliant, privacy-first analytics provider that collects no personal identifiers. We built PixelHQ local-first by design, not as an afterthought. Your code is your business. Features - Real-time pixel art visualization of Claude Code activity - Automatic bridge discovery on your local network — no manual setup - Secure pairing with passcode protection - Multiple animation states driven by live coding events: file reads, writes, terminal commands, searches, planning, and more - Demo mode to preview the office without connecting to a live session Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://paper-swallow-130.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-2f7b6873ae248098b7ead558245be0bf

About

Cursor

Build, review, and ship software from anywhere using AI agents. Implement changes, fix bugs, and manage projects remotely. Verify work with demos and provide visual feedback to agents.

Highlights
  • Launch coding agents from anywhere
  • Track and manage engineering work
  • Review screenshots and videos of changes
  • Annotate images for visual feedback
  • Inspect diffs and merge pull requests
  • Communicate with agents via voice
  • Understand codebases faster
Features
Read full description

Introducing Cursor for iOS: the best way to build, review, and ship software from anywhere. Kick off and manage agents to implement changes, fix bugs, and keep projects moving forward while you're away from your desk. BUILD FROM ANYWHERE With Cursor in your pocket, you can start new work the moment inspiration strikes. Launch agents directly from your phone to implement features, investigate issues, or answer questions about your codebase. Track progress across long-running agents and review completed work no matter where you are. Cursor helps you think through complex problems with a deep understanding of your codebase. VERIFY WORK WITH DEMOS Agents can test changes in their own sandbox and iterate until they've validated their output. Cursor can produce artifacts like videos, screenshots, and logs, so you can quickly verify its work before moving to the next step. By giving agents their own virtual machines with full development environments, they are able to work more autonomously to create merge-ready PRs. POINT AND DRAW TO FIX Take a screenshot, circle an issue, and drop comments to give agents visual feedback directly on images. Cursor understands annotations and uses them as context to make precise updates. Visual inputs help shrink the distance between what you see and what the agent understands. This allows you to iterate faster when refining UI, fixing visual bugs, or communicating design changes. SHIP CODE FROM YOUR PHONE Review pull requests and inspect changes through a focused diff experience designed for mobile. From quick fixes to major features, Cursor makes it easy to move between files and commits. Understand what changed and merge high-quality code with confidence. TALK TO CURSOR Use voice mode to communicate what you want without typing. Brainstorm ideas, explain bugs, plan features, tackle a difficult technical challenge, or request changes out loud. Cursor turns conversations into actionable engineering work, allowing you to stay in flow and capture ideas as they come to you. BUILT FOR MODERN SOFTWARE TEAMS Cursor is designed to help individuals and teams build ambitious software. Always use the best model for the task at hand with access to any frontier model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and more. Cursor's own agentic model, Composer, delivers frontier-level intelligence while optimizing for speed and token-efficiency. With Cursor for iOS, you can: • Launch coding agents from anywhere • Track and manage active engineering work • Review screenshots and videos of changes • Annotate images to provide visual feedback • Inspect diffs and merge pull requests • Talk to agents with voice conversations • Understand unfamiliar codebases faster Whether you’re maintaining production systems or building your next side project, Cursor helps you turn your ideas into working software from anywhere. ——— Terms of Service: https://cursor.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://cursor.com/privacy © 2026 Anysphere, Inc.

Screenshots

PixelHQ3 screens
Cursor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cursor at 4.7 against PixelHQ's 4.0. Cursor also leads on ratings volume (807 vs 2) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). PixelHQ's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Cursor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $25.99 per month. PixelHQ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cursor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cursor has 807 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
PixelHQ versus Cursor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixelHQCursor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings)4.7 (807 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—62.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2807 — better
Update frequency—Every 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank—#2 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB263 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperChun-Wei HsuAnysphere

Customer experience

PixelHQ

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Cursor

All ratings807 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral2.0%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews195 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral4.1%
Negative33.8%

In-app purchases

None

PixelHQ

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Cursor

Subscriptions3
  • Pro$25.991 Month
  • Pro+$77.991 Month
  • Ultra$259.991 Month

Questions

Is PixelHQ free?
PixelHQ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cursor free?
Cursor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PixelHQ or Cursor?
Cursor is rated higher. PixelHQ averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Cursor averages 4.7 from 807 ratings.
Do PixelHQ or Cursor have ads?
Neither PixelHQ nor Cursor shows ads.

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