Comparison

Boxes.dev vs Helmrig Agents

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

Head to head
About

Boxes.dev

Manage your cloud-based development environments from your mobile device. Seamlessly transition coding sessions between your computer and the app. Requires an existing account to begin.

Highlights
  • Cloud development environment management
  • Continue coding sessions on mobile
  • Requires existing account
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

Manage your boxes.dev cloud development environments on the go! Start coding sessions on your computer, then continue them in the app. This app requires an existing boxes.dev account to get started.

About

Helmrig Agents

Features
Read full description

Helmrig is a remote development client for iPhone. It pairs with helmrig-server running on your own laptop and gives you the AI coding agents, terminal, and filesystem of that machine — over an end-to-end encrypted tunnel. FEATURES • AI coding agents — run Claude Code or Codex on your laptop. Tell the agent what to do in plain language; it reads files, runs commands, and edits code on your machine. The app shows the output, diffs of any proposed changes, and approval prompts before anything is applied. You bring your own subscription or API keys; Helmrig doesn't sell or proxy AI access. • Attach files — pull any file from your laptop into the agent conversation in one tap, so the agent has exactly the context it needs. • Terminal — full PTY shell on your laptop with ANSI colors and resize. Use whatever you've installed: bash, zsh, fish, tmux, vim, nano, htop. • Files — browse and view the laptop filesystem with syntax highlighting for common languages. • Multi-project — switch between active projects in one tap; each project keeps its own terminal session and AI thread. HOW IT WORKS 1. Install the server on your laptop: npx helmrig@latest 2. Open Helmrig on iPhone, scan the QR code shown in the server. 3. The pairing key is generated locally on your devices and never leaves them. After pairing, phone and laptop talk directly over LAN or NAT-traversal when possible. When direct connection fails, the encrypted tunnel falls back through one of our regional relays. Relays forward opaque ciphertext only — they cannot decrypt anything. REQUIREMENTS • Laptop: macOS or Linux with Node.js 20+ • iPhone: iOS 17+ PRIVACY No third-party SDKs. No analytics. No crash reporting. Helmrig servers never see code, files, terminal output, or AI conversations. Full policy at helmrig.app/privacy.html CONTACT hi@helmrig.dev Privacy Policy: https://www.helmrig.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.helmrig.app/terms.html

Screenshots

Boxes.dev3 screens
Helmrig Agents4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Boxes.dev at none against Helmrig Agents's 1. Boxes.dev also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). Helmrig Agents's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Helmrig Agents sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. Boxes.dev asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boxes.dev ships an update every 4 days, Helmrig Agents fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Boxes.dev versus Helmrig Agents: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoxes.devHelmrig Agents
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperND Innovations LLCNikita Kislitsin

In-app purchases

None

Boxes.dev

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Helmrig Agents

Subscriptions1
  • Helmrig Pro14 Days trial$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Boxes.dev free?
Boxes.dev is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Helmrig Agents free?
Helmrig Agents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Boxes.dev or Helmrig Agents have ads?
Boxes.dev shows ads; Helmrig Agents does not.
Which is updated more often, Boxes.dev or Helmrig Agents?
Boxes.dev ships an update every 4 days, and Helmrig Agents fortnightly. Most recently, Boxes.dev was updated on September 22, 2026 and Helmrig Agents on September 7, 2026.

Other comparisons