Comparison

Pi Relay vs Hi,buddy

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

Head to head
About

Pi Relay

Features
Read full description

Pi Relay is a companion iPhone app for the Pi coding agent. It lets you connect securely to your own Pi remote-control server, browse active projects and sessions, and continue conversations from your phone. Pairing is simple: install the Pi remote-control extension on the machine running Pi, open the pairing QR code, and scan it with Pi Relay. Once paired, you can switch between remotes, view project sessions, read conversation history, send new prompts, abort running work, and request context compaction with /compact. Pi Relay is designed for users who already run Pi on their own computer or development environment and want a lightweight mobile companion for monitoring and continuing work away from the desktop. Key features: - QR-code pairing with your Pi remote-control server - Remote list with quick switching and unpairing - Project and session browsing - Conversation view with selectable and copyable messages - Runtime status and context usage display - Prompt sending, abort support, and /compact support - Live session updates while the app is active Pi Relay requires a running Pi remote-control extension/server. The extension is available at: https://github.com/zerray/pi-remote-control

About

Hi,buddy

This app transforms your phone into a companion device for Claude Desktop, allowing you to monitor session status, approve requests, and receive important updates via Bluetooth. It eliminates the need for extra hardware, making it convenient for developers and makers.

Highlights
  • Live session status monitoring
  • Permission prompt approval
  • Haptic and sound feedback
  • No extra hardware needed
  • Designed for developers
Features
Read full description

Hi,buddy turns your phone into a Claude Hardware Buddy companion for Claude Desktop. Connect over Bluetooth and keep Claude's work visible in the palm of your hand. Hi,buddy acts as a BLE peripheral compatible with the Hardware Buddy flow, showing live session state, permission prompts, and feedback controls on the device you already carry. What Hi,buddy helps with: โ€ข See Claude status at a glance Track running and waiting sessions, current status, recent activity, and token signals from Claude Desktop. โ€ข Approve faster When Claude needs permission, Hi,buddy surfaces the request so you can approve once or deny from your phone. โ€ข Feel important changes Use haptics, sound, visual states, Live Activities, and notifications to notice waiting approvals and session changes. โ€ข No extra device required Try the Claude Buddy experience without setting up an ESP32 or M5StickC-style hardware accessory. โ€ข Made for makers and developers Hi,buddy is designed for people who keep Claude Desktop running while coding, shipping, testing, or tinkering. Important notes: Hi,buddy works with Claude Desktop's Hardware Buddy Bluetooth flow. For discovery, your device system Bluetooth name may need to start with "Claude". Bluetooth discovery and sensory feedback depend on foreground/background behavior.

Screenshots

Pi Relay4 screens
Hi,buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

Pi Relay and Hi,buddy 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pi Relay ships an update fortnightly, Hi,buddy every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Pi Relay versus Hi,buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPi RelayHi,buddy
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsโ€”0.0% of reviews
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 11 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetizationโ€”Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB17 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperZerui Zhouๅธ† ๆŸฏ

In-app purchases

None

Pi Relay

No in-app purchases

None

Hi,buddy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pi Relay free?
Pi Relay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hi,buddy free?
Hi,buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pi Relay or Hi,buddy have ads?
Neither Pi Relay nor Hi,buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pi Relay or Hi,buddy?
Pi Relay ships an update fortnightly, and Hi,buddy every 11 days. Most recently, Pi Relay was updated on October 31, 2026 and Hi,buddy on October 15, 2026.

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