Comparison

Forge Remote vs Helmrig Agents

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

Head to head
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

About

Helmrig Agents

Features
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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 โ€” over an end-to-end encrypted tunnel. FEATURES โ€ข AI coding agents โ€” 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. โ€ข Attach files โ€” pull any file from your laptop into the agent conversation in one tap, so the agent has exactly the context it needs. โ€ข Terminal โ€” full PTY shell on your laptop with ANSI colors and resize. Use whatever you've installed: bash, zsh, fish, tmux, vim, nano, htop. โ€ข Files โ€” browse and view the laptop filesystem with syntax highlighting for common languages. โ€ข Multi-project โ€” 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 โ€” they cannot decrypt anything. REQUIREMENTS โ€ข Laptop: macOS or Linux with Node.js 20+ โ€ข 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

Forge Remote4 screens
Helmrig Agents4 screens

Verdict

The call

Forge Remote and Helmrig Agents are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 and Helmrig Agents sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Forge Remote versus Helmrig Agents: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForge RemoteHelmrig Agents
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS16.015.1 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size78 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel WendelNikita Kislitsin

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Forge Remote

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

Helmrig Agents

Subscriptions1
  • Helmrig Pro14 Days trial$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Forge Remote free?
Forge Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Helmrig Agents free?
Helmrig Agents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Forge Remote or Helmrig Agents have ads?
Neither Forge Remote nor Helmrig Agents shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forge Remote or Helmrig Agents?
Forge Remote ships an update fortnightly, and Helmrig Agents fortnightly. Most recently, Forge Remote was updated on September 22, 2026 and Helmrig Agents on September 7, 2026.

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