Comparison

Thumbdesk vs BYOT Coding Agent

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

Head to head
About

Thumbdesk

Access and manage your servers and projects from your mobile device. This app offers a secure, mobile-first workspace with features like real terminals, file browsing, system monitoring, and a code editor-style environment for your projects.

Highlights
  • Real terminal sessions
  • ProjectSpace code editor
  • System monitoring (CPU, memory, disk)
  • File browsing and transfer
  • Encrypted peer-to-peer connections
  • Local web server previews
Features
Read full description

Reach every computer you own from your iPhone or iPad: terminals, the full screen, files, projects and live stats. Pair a machine by scanning a QR code, or connect to any SSH server with nothing to install. PocketShell is now Thumbdesk. Same app, same account, same hosts, with a new name. Install the lightweight Thumbdesk agent on a Mac, Windows or Linux machine, scan the QR code, and you're connected. No SSH keys to copy, no ports to forward, no VPN to set up. Connections go directly between your phone and your machine over encrypted peer-to-peer links whenever the network allows. Built for developers, on-call engineers, homelab users and self-hosters who need safe access to machines they own, from anywhere. SCREEN SHARING - See and control your Mac, Windows or Linux desktop - Trackpad-style gestures, pinch to zoom and direct touch - Soft keyboard with modifier keys and platform shortcuts - Pick a display and quality, and hear the computer's sound - Clipboard sync between phone and computer TERMINAL - Real terminal sessions with a mobile-friendly key bar - Sessions resume where you left off, even after switching networks - Snap a photo, crop it and drop it straight into the terminal - Works with tmux and long-running jobs SSH HOSTS, NOTHING TO INSTALL - Add any server you can reach over SSH: VPS, Raspberry Pi, NAS - Terminal, SFTP files, stats and projects without installing anything on the server - Host keys are verified before your credentials are sent FILES AND PROJECTS - Browse, preview, upload and download files - Transfers resume after a dropped connection and keep going in the background - Upload from any app with the share sheet - Open projects with a code editor, search, and Git status, diffs, staging and commits - Preview local dev servers in the built-in browser CODING AGENTS - Browse and resume Claude Code, Codex and Grok sessions running on your machines - See which agents are working with a Live Activity and widgets - Get notified when an agent finishes MONITORING - Live CPU, memory, disk, network and process stats for every host - Alerts for the disks and thresholds you care about - Stats history charts HOW IT WORKS 1. Install the Thumbdesk agent on your computer with one command, or add an SSH server 2. Scan the QR code to pair your phone 3. Open terminals, the screen, files, projects and stats from anywhere FREE - Up to 2 hosts - Terminals, files, projects, monitoring and dev previews - Screen sharing in 2-minute sessions - 2 alert rules and your latest 10 agent sessions THUMBDESK PRO - Up to 10 hosts - Unlimited screen sharing - Unlimited alert rules - Full agent session history - Stats history charts - Files over 5 MB - Direct host-to-host file transfers SECURITY Thumbdesk uses device-bound pairing, Ed25519 keys, biometric unlock and trusted-device approval. Terminal contents are never stored on our servers. Terminal I/O, files, screen video and stats flow directly between your phone and your machine whenever the network allows. Thumbdesk is for accessing machines you own or are authorized to operate. Privacy Policy: https://thumbdesk.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

BYOT Coding Agent

This app allows you to control an open-source coding agent running on your computer directly from your mobile device. You can browse projects, send prompts with files, and monitor the agent's progress and output in real-time. It also supports answering permission requests and managing sessions.

Highlights
  • Connect to OpenCode server
  • Send prompts with photos/files
  • Live stream of agent activity
  • Inspect tool inputs and outputs
  • Answer permission requests
  • Manage saved servers and sessions
  • System, Light, or Dark appearance
Features
Read full description

BYOT is a native client for OpenCode, the open-source coding agent. Connect to the OpenCode server running on your own computer and drive coding sessions from your iPhone or iPad. Browse projects and sessions, send prompts with photos or files, and watch assistant text, reasoning, and tool activity stream live. Inspect tool inputs, progress, output, and errors. Answer permission requests and questions from your server, queue follow-up prompts, and choose models from your server's catalog. Review session diffs when your server supports them. Switch between saved servers, group sessions by project or browse them in one list, and find sessions by title, project, or path. Unsent text and attachments stay on this iPhone across session changes and app relaunches. Choose System, Light, or Dark appearance. With the optional BYOT companion running on your computer, get notifications for approvals, questions, completed turns, and errors. Enable the computer queue to keep accepted prompts running in order while BYOT is closed. Your computer must remain awake and the companion connected. Work that has not finished uploading needs BYOT to reconnect; uncertain delivery requires your review. BYOT supports OpenCode 1 and OpenCode 2 beta servers with automatic protocol detection. Available features depend on the server version; some OpenCode 2 beta servers do not expose per-session diffs. Your server does the work. BYOT renders its responses and sends your instructions over HTTPS. There is no BYOT account or sign-up, and no tracking. Anonymous usage data is off until you turn it on, and it never includes your prompts, code, server addresses, or project names. Server passwords are stored in the iOS Keychain. In direct mode, prompts and attachments go to your configured server and the model providers you enable there. Optional notifications and the computer queue use the BYOT relay for device registration, delivery, and encrypted queued content. See the privacy policy for storage and retention details. Requires an OpenCode server you operate, reachable over HTTPS, for example through Tailscale. Notifications and the computer queue also require the BYOT companion. BYOT is an independent client and is not affiliated with the OpenCode project.

Screenshots

Thumbdesk4 screens
BYOT Coding Agent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BYOT Coding Agent at 100% against Thumbdesk's 0%. BYOT Coding Agent also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads, 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. Thumbdesk sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BYOT Coding Agent asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thumbdesk ships an update monthly, BYOT Coding Agent weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Thumbdesk versus BYOT Coding Agent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThumbdeskBYOT Coding Agent
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYash AgarwalBogeybot LLC

Customer experience

Thumbdesk

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

BYOT Coding Agent

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Thumbdesk

Subscriptions2
  • PocketShell Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • PocketShell Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • PocketShell Pro Lifetime$99.99
None

BYOT Coding Agent

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thumbdesk free?
Thumbdesk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BYOT Coding Agent free?
BYOT Coding Agent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Thumbdesk or BYOT Coding Agent have ads?
Neither Thumbdesk nor BYOT Coding Agent shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thumbdesk or BYOT Coding Agent?
Thumbdesk ships an update monthly, and BYOT Coding Agent weekly. Most recently, Thumbdesk was updated on November 5, 2026 and BYOT Coding Agent on November 5, 2026.

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