Control vs Forge Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Control
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Your Mac's coding agent, in your pocket. Control is the only native macOS + iPhone app for driving AI coding agents remotely. Pair your iPhone to your Mac over the local network โ no cloud, no clipboard, no SSH setup. Just tap and code. WHAT MAKES CONTROL DIFFERENT โข Native macOS companion โ not a CLI plugin or web wrapper. A real app that sits in your menu bar and manages your coding sessions. โข WebRTC peer-to-peer โ your prompts and responses travel directly between devices over an encrypted data channel. No relay servers, no third parties. โข True orchestration โ kick off AI coding agent sessions, approve tool calls, answer questions, and stop runs, all from your phone. โข Real-time streaming โ follow every token as it arrives, read code diffs, and review changes without walking back to your desk. HOW IT WORKS 1. Install Control on your Mac and iPhone 2. Both devices discover each other automatically via Bonjour 3. Open a project, write a prompt, and watch your agent work FEATURES โข Streaming markdown โ every token rendered as it arrives, with full code block and syntax support โข File diffs โ review every line changed, with additions and deletions highlighted โข Git-aware projects โ browse all your repos, switch branches, see session history โข Token & cost tracking โ know exactly what each turn costs โข Voice input โ speak your prompts naturally โข Push notifications โ get alerted when your agent needs input or finishes โข Dark & light themes โ designed for any environment โข Haptic feedback โ feel the progress PERFECT FOR DEVELOPERS WHO โข Run long AI coding agent sessions and want to monitor from the couch โข Need to approve tool calls or answer agent questions on the go โข Want to review code diffs and conversation history without sitting at their desk โข Prefer a native, private, peer-to-peer connection over cloud relays COMING SOON โข Apple Watch companion โข Home screen widgets โข Siri Shortcuts integration Control requires a Mac running the Control companion app on the same network. Works with popular AI coding agent CLIs.
Forge Remote
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Forge Remote is the mobile command center for AI coding agents. Connect to Claude Code, Aider, or Codex CLI sessions running on your desktop and take full control from your phone. Monitor Sessions in Real Time Watch your AI agent work โ every message, tool call, and file change streams to your phone instantly. See exactly what Claude is reading, writing, and executing. Approve Permissions Instantly Get a push notification the moment your agent needs permission. See the risk level (Low/Medium/High/Critical), review the command, and approve or deny with one tap โ from anywhere. Send Prompts & Follow-ups Send new prompts or follow-up instructions while your agent is working. No need to be at your desk. Build & Deploy From Your Phone Build iOS, Android, and web apps with one tap. Deploy to Firebase Hosting for instant web previews or distribute test builds to your team via Firebase App Distribution. Git Integration View branch status, changed files, and unified diffs. Create commits and pull requests directly from your phone. MCP Marketplace Browse and install MCP tools for Claude Code with one tap. Manage your configuration from mobile. RPG Character System Choose from 6 character classes โ Forge Knight, Architect, Shadow Script, Artificer, Elementalist, or Chronomancer. Earn XP every time your agent completes a task. Level up, evolve at level 25, and switch classes while keeping your progress. Your Data, Your Firebase Forge Remote runs on your own Firebase project (BYOF). Your code, prompts, and session data never touch our servers. You own everything. Free Features: 1 paired desktop Real-time session monitoring Permission approvals with risk scoring Send prompts and follow-ups Git status and diffs Build and deploy MCP marketplace Pro Features ($9.99/mo or $99.99/yr): Unlimited paired desktops Character progression and class switching Session history and search Scheduled sessions Webhook integrations Custom notification rules Priority support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Control at none against Forge Remote's 2. Forge Remote's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Forge Remote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Control asks for nothing beyond the download.
Control ships an update every 9 days, Forge Remote fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Control | Forge Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days โ better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 197 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sagaya Abdul | Daniel Wendel |
In-app purchases
Control
No in-app purchases
Forge Remote
- Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$99.991 Year









