# Orca IDE vs Hermex

The clearest difference is update cadence: Orca IDE at every 3 days against Hermex's fortnightly. Orca IDE also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Hermex's advantage is ratings volume (84 vs 25). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Orca IDE against 4.6 for Hermex. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 84 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Orca IDE's written reviews are positive against 86% of Hermex's.

Orca IDE ships an update every 3 days, Hermex fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Orca IDE | Hermex |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-ide/id6766130217/reviews)** | [4.6 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hermex/id6767006319/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 25 | **84** |
| Positive reviews | **93.1% of reviews** | 86.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#19** | #23 |
| Size | 40 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lovecast LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498017204) | [Uzair Ansar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896345663) |

## What reviewers say

### Orca IDE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-ide/id6766130217)

**Currently charting:** #19 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hermex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hermex/id6767006319)

**Currently charting:** #23 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app provides a native mobile interface for interacting with your self-hosted Hermes Agent server. It allows you to manage conversations, control agent settings, and access workspace files directly from your iPhone.

**Highlights:** Connect to your own Hermes server, Manage existing and start new conversations, Control models, profiles, and reasoning, Attach files and photos, Browse workspace files, Offline read-only viewing of recent sessions

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Orca IDE free?

Orca IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hermex free?

Hermex is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Orca IDE or Hermex?

Orca IDE is rated higher. Orca IDE averages 4.7 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Hermex averages 4.6 from 84 ratings.

### Do Orca IDE or Hermex have ads?

Neither Orca IDE nor Hermex shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Orca IDE or Hermex?

Orca IDE ships an update every 3 days, and Hermex fortnightly. Most recently, Orca IDE was updated on September 23, 2026 and Hermex on September 22, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Orca IDE or Hermex?

Orca IDE currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and Hermex at #23. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*