Comparison

Forge Remote vs Pi in Pocket

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

Head to head
About

Forge Remote

Features
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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 — 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 — 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 — 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

Pi in Pocket

Features
Read full description

Pi in Pocket is the mobile companion for pi, the open-source coding agent (github.com/badlogic/pi-mono). Control your agent remotely from your iPhone or iPad while it runs on your Mac. Pi is a minimal terminal coding agent that gives an LLM four core tools: read, write, edit, and bash. It supports multiple providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and more), is fully extensible with skills, prompt templates, and extensions, and runs in interactive, RPC, or SDK mode. Pi in Pocket connects to your Mac over your local network or Tailscale VPN through the pi-bridge server, giving you a live window into every running session. What you can do: • Watch the agent think, call tools, and write code in real time • Send messages, steer the agent mid-turn, or queue follow-ups • Browse live and completed sessions across all your projects • Start new sessions in any project directory • Switch LLM models and thinking levels on the fly • Compact context when the conversation gets long • Get push notifications when a task finishes • Read full tool outputs, code diffs, and markdown responses Built for developers who want to stay in the loop while away from the keyboard. Start a long task on your Mac, walk away, and manage everything from your phone. Requires a Mac running the pi-bridge server and the pi coding agent. Connect over your local network or Tailscale VPN.

Screenshots

Forge Remote4 screens
Pi in Pocket4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pi in Pocket at none against Forge Remote's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Forge Remote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Pi in Pocket asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Forge Remote versus Pi in Pocket: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForge RemotePi in Pocket
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel WendelHuy Le

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Forge Remote

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$99.991 Year
None

Pi in Pocket

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Forge Remote free?
Forge Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pi in Pocket free?
Pi in Pocket is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Forge Remote or Pi in Pocket have ads?
Neither Forge Remote nor Pi in Pocket shows ads.

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