ColliePWA vs Claude Remote Control
Both let you answer Claude Code from your phone. Claude Remote Control links the Claude app or claude.ai/code to a session, through Anthropic's servers. ColliePWA is an open-source web app that your machine serves to your phone's browser.
Claude Remote Control details checked on 7 November 2026 from code.claude.com.
What ColliePWA brings
Self-hosted, no relay
Your machine serves the app, with no account and no vendor server in the path.
Your desk stays put
It hooks into the multiplexer you already run. No wrapper CLI, no new desktop app.
Pick up mid-turn
The phone shows the same panes as your desk. Answer there, then sit down where you left off.
WalkyTalky messages
Agents send each other short signed messages across your crew, and you can message any session.
Crew failover
If the lead goes down, a deputy you named opens its standby door for your phone.
Large screens
On a tablet or an open foldable, several panes sit side by side beside a sidebar.
Rows led: ColliePWA 6, Claude Remote Control 0.
A green check marks the side that leads on that row.
| Feature | ColliePWA | Claude Remote Control |
|---|---|---|
| What you install | A web app your machine serves | The Claude app for iOS and Android, or claude.ai/code |
| Source code | Leads on this row. Open source, MIT | Proprietary, by Anthropic |
| Price | Leads on this row. Free | Included in Pro, Max and Ultra; Team and Enterprise need an admin |
| Connection | Phone browser to your machine, via Tailscale by default | Through Anthropic's servers; outbound HTTPS only, no inbound ports |
| Multiplexers | Leads on this row. Herdr and the Herdr app; tmux and zellij are experimental | None; it attaches to one claude process |
| Agents | Any terminal agent in your panes | Claude Code only |
| What needs you | Status view lists waiting agents first | Permission prompts and questions are forwarded to the phone |
| Control keys | Leads on this row. Keys tray: Esc, Ctrl+C, arrows, modifiers, F1 to F12 | Chat view; no control-key tray documented |
| Push notifications | Opt-in; on iPhone, only from the home-screen app | Yes, when a task ends or Claude needs a decision |
| Voice input | Leads on this row. On-device dictation with Whistle, or on your host; opt-in | Not documented |
| Lock Screen and Apple Watch | Not available | Not documented |
| Machines and devices | Crews: several machines behind one URL, with failover | Server mode runs many sessions from one process |
| Agents message each other | WalkyTalky: signed messages between sessions, across the crew | Sessions on other machines can message each other |
| If a machine goes down | Leads on this row. A deputy you named takes over for your phone | Not documented |
Claude Remote Control
Where Claude Remote Control is ahead
- It comes in the native Claude apps for iOS and Android, with a QR code and one sign-in. ColliePWA is a web app that you open by its address.
- There is nothing to host or expose. It needs no Tailscale and no network setup, and it works from any browser at claude.ai/code. ColliePWA needs a route to your machine, Tailscale by default.
- It reconnects on its own after sleep or a network loss. A server-mode session can resume for about four hours after it stops.
- It sends photos and files from the phone, has model and effort pickers, and syncs subagent and workflow progress.
- Anthropic also offers cloud sessions that run with your laptop closed. That is a separate product, and ColliePWA has no cloud sessions.
ColliePWA
Where ColliePWA is ahead
- ColliePWA works with any agent in your panes: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, pi and others. Remote Control works with Claude Code only.
- ColliePWA shows every agent in your panes in one list. Outside server mode, Remote Control links one Claude Code session per process.
- Your machine serves the app, and no vendor server sits between your phone and your agents.
- Remote Control is blocked with Bedrock, Vertex, Foundry or a custom ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL. ColliePWA reads the panes, so it works whichever provider the agent uses.
- ColliePWA is free and adds no plan of its own. Remote Control is part of Claude Pro, Max and Ultra, and API keys are not supported.
- WalkyTalky works across any coding agent and any machine in your crew, and you can message any session from your phone. Remote Control's session messages are for Claude Code sessions.
- A crew puts several machines behind one URL. If the lead goes down, a deputy you named opens its standby door and your phone connects through it.
Claude Remote Control · ColliePWA
Which one to pick
Pick Claude Remote Control if you only use Claude Code and want a native app with nothing to host. It suits you if you do not want to set up Tailscale or any route to your machine.
Pick ColliePWA if you run more than one kind of agent, or keep them in Herdr, tmux or zellij. It fits if you want the route to stay on a front door you control, with no vendor server in the path.