Comparison

Control vs Forge Remote

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

Head to head
About

Control

Features
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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 โ€ข 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. โ€ข WebRTC peer-to-peer โ€” your prompts and responses travel directly between devices over an encrypted data channel. No relay servers, no third parties. โ€ข True orchestration โ€” kick off AI coding agent sessions, approve tool calls, answer questions, and stop runs, all from your phone. โ€ข 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 โ€ข Streaming markdown โ€” every token rendered as it arrives, with full code block and syntax support โ€ข File diffs โ€” review every line changed, with additions and deletions highlighted โ€ข Git-aware projects โ€” browse all your repos, switch branches, see session history โ€ข Token & cost tracking โ€” know exactly what each turn costs โ€ข Voice input โ€” speak your prompts naturally โ€ข Push notifications โ€” get alerted when your agent needs input or finishes โ€ข Dark & light themes โ€” designed for any environment โ€ข Haptic feedback โ€” feel the progress PERFECT FOR DEVELOPERS WHO โ€ข Run long AI coding agent sessions and want to monitor from the couch โ€ข Need to approve tool calls or answer agent questions on the go โ€ข Want to review code diffs and conversation history without sitting at their desk โ€ข Prefer a native, private, peer-to-peer connection over cloud relays COMING SOON โ€ข Apple Watch companion โ€ข Home screen widgets โ€ข Siri Shortcuts integration Control requires a Mac running the Control companion app on the same network. Works with popular AI coding agent CLIs.

About

Forge Remote

Features
Read full description

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

Control4 screens
Forge Remote4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Control ships an update every 9 days, Forge Remote fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Control versus Forge Remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterControlForge Remote
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days โ€” betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.016.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size197 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSagaya AbdulDaniel Wendel

In-app purchases

None

Control

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Forge Remote

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Control free?
Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Forge Remote free?
Forge Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Control or Forge Remote have ads?
Neither Control nor Forge Remote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Control or Forge Remote?
Control ships an update every 9 days, and Forge Remote fortnightly. Most recently, Control was updated on September 24, 2026 and Forge Remote on October 9, 2026.

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