Waycar vs Blink Shell
Blink Shell is an open source terminal for iPhone and iPad with mosh built in. Waycar is an agent console for coding agents in tmux or herdr.
Facts checked . See the sources.
The short version
Pick Waycar if
- You run coding agents in tmux or herdr and want one list sorted by who needs you, and a push when one is Blocked or Done.
- You want Allow and Cancel in a chat view for Claude Code, Codex, omp, pi or opencode agents you start in Waycar.
- You want the agent to outlive your phone, and a way to bring back one you quit by mistake. Closed Sessions keep it for 30 days.
- You want a free tier with every feature, within 10 Launches in any rolling 30 days.
Pick Blink Shell if
- You want mosh with predictive local echo that you can set for each host.
- You need a general SSH toolkit: any server, SFTP in the Files app and port forwarding.
- You want an open source app and deep hardware keyboard remapping.
- You work on machines that do not run tmux or herdr.
Side by side
| Point of comparison | Waycar | Blink Shell |
|---|---|---|
| How it connects | ||
| Where the agent runs | Your own Mac or Linux machine, in herdr or tmux | Your own server or Mac. Optional Blink Build cloud VM |
| Account needed | None. Optional iCloud Keychain sync between devices | None for SSH or mosh. Blink Build needs a sign-up |
| How your phone reaches the session | Direct mosh or SSH to your machine. No session relay | Direct SSH or mosh to your machine |
| mosh | Yes, in the free tier, with SSH fallback | Yes, built in, with predictive local echo |
| Agent keeps running when your phone drops | Yes. Waycar starts agents inside herdr or tmux | Partial: mosh keeps the session; tmux to reattach |
| What your machine needs | OpenSSH, herdr 0.7.5+/tmux 3.2+, opt. mosh-server. No Node | SSH server. mosh-server and UDP (60000-61000 default) |
| Watching and steering agents | ||
| Agents it works with | 23 launch from the app; any CLI runs in a shell | Any CLI. Prompt Mode for AI prompts; no status or chat |
| Agent status list | Yes. herdr: every agent it knows. tmux: 5 agents | Not documented |
| Push alerts when blocked or done | Yes, Blocked or Done, encrypted. On tmux: 5 agents | Partial: terminal bell and escape codes, not agent-aware |
| Answer a blocked agent from the phone | Yes. Allow or Cancel in Chat Mode (tmux: hooks), or type | Partial: type the answer into the terminal |
| Chat view of the agent | Yes, Chat Mode for 5 agents you start in Waycar | Not documented |
| Full terminal | Yes, a native terminal into the agent or a shell | Yes, a full terminal with tabs and windows |
| Lock Screen Live Activity | Yes, Lock Screen and Dynamic Island | Not documented |
| Send images and files to the agent | Yes, up to 10 per message; files up to 64 MiB | Partial: files via SFTP and the Files app |
| Voice input | Yes, on-device dictation (iOS 26 or later) | Yes, voice input in Prompt Mode |
| Usage and rate limits | Partial: limits via CodexBar; Claude on a Mac not read | Not documented |
| Resume a closed agent | Yes, Closed Sessions are kept for 30 days | Not documented |
| Platforms, price and fit | ||
| iPhone and iPad app | Yes, iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later | Yes, iPhone and iPad, iOS 17.6 or later |
| Android app | No. An Android app is coming soon | No. Apple devices only |
| Desktop or web client | No native app. iPad app on M-series Macs (macOS 26) | No. Blink's FAQ says a macOS version is planned |
| Source code | Closed source app. Host plugin is Apache-2.0 | Open source, GPL v3 with extra terms |
| Price | Free: 10 Launches per 30 days. Pro $5/mo or $40/yr | 14-day trial, then $19.99 a year (US) |
| General SSH tools (SFTP, port forwarding, any server) | No. Your machine must run herdr or tmux | Yes: SSH, SFTP, tunnels, jump hosts, SSH config |
Yes Partial No Not documented: the maker's own pages say nothing either way, so we claim nothing.
What Blink Shell is
Blink Shell is a terminal for iPhone and iPad. Its App Store name is “Blink Shell, Build & Code”. Mosh is built in, next to SSH, SFTP through the Files app, port forwarding, jump hosts and full SSH config support. You can remap a hardware keyboard in detail. The source is public under the GNU GPL v3, with additional terms.
It has a 14-day trial, then $19.99 a year (US). Blink also includes Blink Code, which opens VS Code on local, remote or Codespaces projects. It sells Blink Build, a cloud machine you reach over mosh, as a separate subscription. This page is about using Blink as a client for your own machine.
Mosh: Blink goes further than Waycar
If you searched for Blink Shell and mosh, you want to know how its mosh compares. It is built in, and its docs describe more settings than Waycar has.
Its docs describe predictive local echo. Blink guesses what a key press will show and underlines the guess on slow links. You can set it to Adaptive, Always or Never for each host. Waycar has no local echo prediction. Typed characters appear when your machine echoes them. The Waycar Composer is a local draft, so a prompt you write there is not slowed by a weak signal.
Both apps need mosh-server on your machine and open UDP. Blink’s docs name UDP ports 60000 through 61000 as the default. Waycar starts mosh over its own SSH connection and falls back to SSH when mosh cannot get through.
On sleep, the two differ. Blink’s site says your connections will be intact when you wake your device. Its notifications page also says the system can end an SSH connection after Blink goes to the background. It describes a command called geo that keeps the connection alive for notifications. Mosh sessions resume after a gap. Waycar keeps its terminal for about 20 seconds after you leave the app. Then the session ends, and Waycar re-attaches on its own when you come back. With either app, an agent keeps running if it lives in tmux or herdr on your machine.
What Waycar adds to Blink Shell
Blink is a terminal. Waycar is a console for coding agents that run in tmux or herdr on your own machines.
- One list, sorted by who needs you. The Console shows agents from all your machines as Blocked, Done, Working or Idle. Blocked agents come first, after any you pinned. We did not find an agent status list in Blink’s docs.
- A push that knows about agents. You get a notification when an agent is Blocked or Done. Your machine encrypts it first, so Waycar’s push relay cannot read it. Blink’s alerts come from the terminal bell and escape codes.
- Chat Mode for five agents. Start Claude Code, Codex, omp, pi or opencode in Waycar with Chat Mode on, and it opens as a chat. When one asks for permission, you tap Allow or Cancel.
- Agents that outlive your phone. Waycar starts agents inside herdr or tmux, so they keep going when your phone drops off. Closed Sessions bring back an agent you quit by mistake, for 30 days.
Waycar has no account. Your sessions go straight from your phone to your machine over mosh or SSH, with no cloud server in that path.
Where Blink Shell is better
Blink wins on these:
- Predictive local echo. Blink guesses what a key press will show and lets you set that for each host. Waycar has no local echo prediction.
- Any server. Blink connects to any SSH server. Waycar needs herdr or tmux on the machine and cannot open a plain SSH server with neither.
- Files and tunnels. Remote files show up in the iOS Files app, and Blink supports local, remote and dynamic port forwarding. Waycar has no SFTP file browser and no port forwarding. It uses SFTP to upload the files you attach and to preview files an agent mentions.
- Open source. Blink’s code is public. Waycar’s app is closed source.
- A deep keyboard. Blink lets you remap shortcuts, modifiers and single key presses on a hardware keyboard.
What each costs
Blink has a 14-day trial, then $19.99 a year (US). Its FAQ says the earlier freemium model ended in 2023 and that Blink is no longer sold as a one-time purchase. Blink Build starts at $7.99 a month on top.
Waycar is free for up to 10 Launches in any rolling 30 days, with every feature included. A Launch is starting a new agent or shell from Waycar, resuming a closed agent, or starting an agent by typing its command in a Waycar shell. Opening and watching agents that already run never counts. Waycar Pro removes the limit for $5 a month or $40 a year (US).
Can you use both?
Yes. Use Blink for general SSH and for its mosh features. Use Waycar for the agents on your machine. They reach the same machine over the same SSH.
Questions people ask
Does Blink Shell support mosh?
Yes. Mosh is built in. Blink's docs describe predictive local echo, which you can set to Adaptive, Always or Never for each host, and roaming across networks. Your machine needs mosh-server, and UDP ports must be open, 60000 through 61000 by default.
Is Waycar a Blink Shell alternative?
For coding agents, yes. For general SSH, no. Waycar runs agent terminals over mosh and falls back to SSH, but it needs herdr or tmux on the machine and has no SFTP file browser or port forwarding.
Does Blink Shell send a notification when a coding agent needs me?
Blink's notifications are the terminal bell and escape-code alerts, and its docs say some of them are not supported in mosh. We did not find agent-aware alerts in its docs. Waycar sends a push when an agent is Blocked or Done.
Can I run Claude Code in Blink Shell?
Yes, as a terminal. Blink runs any command line tool, and its 18.5 release added a Prompt Mode for writing AI prompts with voice input. We did not find an agent status list or approve and deny buttons in its docs. Waycar adds a status list and push alerts for agents in herdr, and in tmux for Claude Code, Codex, omp, pi and opencode. It adds Allow and Cancel buttons in Chat Mode.
How does the price compare?
Blink has a 14-day trial, then $19.99 a year (US), with no one-time purchase. Blink Build cloud machines cost extra, from $7.99 a month. Waycar is free for up to 10 Launches in any rolling 30 days, and Waycar Pro is $5 a month or $40 a year (US).
Sources and how we checked
We checked the sources listed below on October 18, 2026. A row says "Not documented" when those pages are silent. Products change. If something here is out of date, email support@waycar.dev and we will fix it.
- Blink Shell
- Blink docs: mosh
- Blink docs: hosts and mosh prediction
- Blink docs: notifications
- Blink docs: SSH, tunnels and jump hosts
- Blink docs: Files app
- Blink docs: Blink Build
- Blink docs: FAQ
- Blink 18.5 release notes: Prompt Mode
- Blink Shell on the App Store
- Blink Shell source
- Blink Shell license terms
Product names are trademarks of their owners. Waycar is an independent app from OTREVA, LLC. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Blink Shell.
Try Waycar on your own machine
Waycar is free for up to 10 Launches in any rolling 30 days. Waycar Pro removes the limit. See pricing for what counts as a Launch.