Comparison

Vato IDE vs Orca IDE

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

Head to head
About

Vato IDE

Features
Read full description

Your desktop development workflow, now in your pocket. Vato IDE turns your iPhone or iPad into a powerful companion for the Vato IDE desktop app. Connect to your computers in real time, open projects and conversations, and direct AI coding agents wherever you are. CODE FROM ANYWHERE Send instructions, follow responses live, attach reference images, or dictate prompts with your voice. Choose your preferred provider, model, reasoning level, and execution mode for every task. MANAGE YOUR DESKTOPS See connected computers, browse active projects, and continue existing conversations. Work across multiple desktops without losing project context. PLAN, REVIEW, AND APPROVE Review proposed implementation plans before execution. Answer agent questions and approve or reject commands, file changes, and other sensitive actions directly from your device. KEEP WORK MOVING Queue follow-up prompts while an agent is busy, change priorities, stop active runs, and return to completed conversations when you are ready. BUILT FOR REAL DEVELOPMENT Ask your agents to inspect files, write code, run tests, explain changes, and handle Git workflows—all through a focused, project-aware chat interface. KEY FEATURES • Real-time desktop-to-mobile connection • Multiple computers and projects • AI model and reasoning controls • Plan and execution modes • Interactive approvals and questions • Image attachments and voice dictation • Prompt queue and run controls (1/2) • Personal and team workspaces • Dark and light themes Vato IDE for mobile is a companion app. A signed-in Vato IDE desktop app must be online and connected for project access and agent execution. Available models and capabilities depend on your desktop configuration and provider accounts.

About

Orca IDE

This app mirrors your desktop terminal sessions, including AI agent interactions, directly to your iPhone. It provides full keyboard input and multi-terminal support for seamless remote coding management. All processing remains on your desktop, ensuring your data stays secure.

Highlights
  • Live desktop terminal mirror
  • AI agent session management
  • Full keyboard input
  • Multi-worktree, multi-terminal support
  • Phone-fit zoom and smart keyboard
  • Background command execution
  • End-to-end encrypted pairing
Features
Read full description

Orca Mobile is the companion app for Orca, the open-source agentic coding workspace for macOS, Linux, and Windows. Pair your iPhone to your desktop in seconds and pick up a terminal session from the couch, the kitchen, or across the office. WHAT IT DOES • Live mirror of your desktop terminal, including running AI agent sessions (Claude Code, Codex, custom CLIs). • Full keyboard input — type, tab-complete, Ctrl-C, scroll back, all from the phone. • Multi-worktree, multi-terminal: jump between projects with a tap. • Phone-fit zoom and a smart on-screen keyboard with quick Ctrl/Alt accessory keys and shortcuts. • Background long-running commands and get a notification when a TUI goes idle (e.g. when Claude finishes thinking). HOW IT WORKS Orca Mobile is a thin client. Nothing runs on your phone except the viewer. Your code, your shells, your AI agents — all of that stays on your desktop. The phone shows you what's happening and forwards your keystrokes back over an encrypted local-network connection. Pairing is end-to-end encrypted. Your desktop generates a one-time keypair and shows a QR code; you scan it from the app. After that, all traffic between phone and desktop is sealed with that pair's keys. PRIVACY • No analytics SDK, no crash reporter, no third-party SDKs of any kind in the iOS app. • Pairing tokens and your preference list live in the app's own sandbox. The app's traffic to your desktop is end-to-end encrypted on your local network only. • The Orca desktop app collects anonymized usage metrics per the policy at https://www.onorca.dev/privacy. The mobile app itself does not. • Open source: every line is auditable at https://github.com/stablyai/orca. REQUIREMENTS • An iPhone (iOS 16+) on the same Wi-Fi as your desktop. • The Orca desktop app, free, from https://www.onorca.dev/ or https://github.com/stablyai/orca/releases.

Screenshots

Vato IDE4 screens
Orca IDE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Orca IDE at every 3 days against Vato IDE's every 6 weeks. Orca IDE also leads on chart position (#17 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vato IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, Orca IDE every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Vato IDE versus Orca IDE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVato IDEOrca IDE
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.6 (41 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—41 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
Best chart rank—#17 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNoah d'hondtLovecast LLC

In-app purchases

None

Vato IDE

No in-app purchases

None

Orca IDE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vato IDE free?
Vato IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Orca IDE free?
Orca IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Vato IDE or Orca IDE have ads?
Neither Vato IDE nor Orca IDE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Vato IDE or Orca IDE?
Vato IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, and Orca IDE every 3 days. Most recently, Vato IDE was updated on October 9, 2026 and Orca IDE on October 19, 2026.

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