ColliePWA vs Happy
Both let you watch and answer coding agents from your phone, and both are open source. With Happy, you start a session through Happy, and the traffic runs through a relay. ColliePWA is a web app that attaches to the panes you already run.
Happy details checked on 7 November 2026 from happy.engineering.
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 5, Happy 0.
A green check marks the side that leads on that row.
| Feature | ColliePWA | Happy |
|---|---|---|
| What you install | A web app your machine serves | Native iOS and Android apps, a web app and a desktop app |
| Source code | Open source, MIT | Open source, MIT |
| Price | Leads on this row. Free | Free; voice minutes beyond a free allowance need a subscription |
| Connection | Phone browser to your machine, via Tailscale by default | Through a relay, end-to-end encrypted; you can self-host it |
| Multiplexers | Leads on this row. Herdr and the Herdr app; tmux and zellij are experimental | None; you start the agent through happy, which wraps it |
| Agents | Any terminal agent in your panes | Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Gemini, OpenClaw and ACP agents |
| What needs you | Status view lists waiting agents first | Approve permissions and review diffs from the phone |
| Control keys | Leads on this row. Keys tray: Esc, Ctrl+C, arrows, modifiers, F1 to F12 | Touch chat UI, not a terminal |
| Push notifications | Opt-in; on iPhone, only from the home-screen app | Yes, when an agent needs input or finishes |
| Voice input | On-device dictation with Whistle, or on your host; opt-in | ElevenLabs voice agent; free minutes, more with a subscription |
| Lock Screen and Apple Watch | Not available | Not documented |
| Machines and devices | Crews: several machines behind one URL, with failover | Sessions on a desktop, laptop or server; switch between them |
| Agents message each other | Leads on this row. WalkyTalky: signed messages between sessions, across the crew | Not documented |
| If a machine goes down | Leads on this row. A deputy you named takes over for your phone | Not documented |
Happy
Where Happy is ahead
- Happy has native iOS and Android apps, and a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux. ColliePWA is a web app in your phone's browser.
- Its hosted relay works with no VPN or Tailscale, because both ends connect outbound. ColliePWA needs a route to your machine, Tailscale by default.
- An invited person can watch and steer the same agent session.
- A voice assistant reads permission requests aloud, and you can allow or deny them by voice. ColliePWA offers dictation only.
ColliePWA
Where ColliePWA is ahead
- Your desktop does not change. With Happy you start a session through its CLI or desktop app. ColliePWA attaches to the panes you already run in Herdr, tmux or zellij.
- Your machine serves the app. The default Happy route is a relay run by the Happy team, and self-hosting it is an extra Docker service. ColliePWA has no relay.
- The phone shows the same panes as your desk. Answer from the phone, sit down again, and the terminal is where you left it.
- Every feature is free, and there is no paid tier. Happy charges for voice minutes beyond a free allowance.
- WalkyTalky lets one agent session send a short signed message to another, on any machine in your crew. You can message any session from your phone too.
- 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.
Happy · ColliePWA
Which one to pick
Pick Happy if you want native phone apps, a desktop app, voice control, or a session you share with another person. It works without Tailscale, through its relay.
Pick ColliePWA if you want to keep starting agents the way you do now, in Herdr, tmux or zellij. It fits if you want no relay in the path, and the same panes on your phone and at your desk.