Waycar vs Claude Code Remote Control
Remote Control is Anthropic's built-in way to steer a Claude Code session on your computer from the Claude app. Waycar works with many agents in tmux or herdr.
Facts checked . See the sources.
The short version
Pick Waycar if
- You use Codex, omp, pi or opencode as well as Claude Code and want one list for all of them.
- You want the agent's real terminal, not only a chat window.
- You want your sessions to go straight from your phone to your machine, with no Anthropic server in the path.
- You sign in to Claude Code with an API key, a cloud provider or an LLM gateway, which Remote Control does not support.
Pick Claude Code Remote Control if
- You only use Claude Code and already pay for a Claude plan.
- You want no SSH setup and no extra price.
- You want an Android app or a browser view of the session today.
- You want to reach a machine that you cannot reach over SSH.
- Your agent machine runs Windows. Claude Code supports it, and Waycar's host tools do not.
Side by side
| Point of comparison | Waycar | Claude Code Remote Control |
|---|---|---|
| How it connects | ||
| Where the agent runs | Your own Mac or Linux machine, in herdr or tmux | Your own machine (terminal, Desktop app or VS Code) |
| Account needed | None. Optional iCloud Keychain sync between devices | A paid claude.ai plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise |
| How your phone reaches the session | Direct mosh or SSH to your machine. No session relay | Through Anthropic's service over outbound HTTPS |
| mosh | Yes, in the free tier, with SSH fallback | No. Uses Anthropic's HTTPS service, not mosh |
| Agent keeps running when your phone drops | Yes. Waycar starts agents inside herdr or tmux | Yes, while the machine is on and claude keeps running |
| What your machine needs | OpenSSH, herdr 0.7.5+/tmux 3.2+, opt. mosh-server. No Node | Claude Code CLI signed in to claude.ai. Run /remote-control |
| Watching and steering agents | ||
| Agents it works with | 23 launch from the app; any CLI runs in a shell | Claude Code only |
| Agent status list | Yes. herdr: every agent it knows. tmux: 5 agents | Partial: a session list with an online dot |
| Push alerts when blocked or done | Yes, Blocked or Done, encrypted. On tmux: 5 agents | Yes, set in /config: proactive or when action needed |
| Answer a blocked agent from the phone | Yes. Allow or Cancel in Chat Mode (tmux: hooks), or type | Yes, permission prompts and questions reach the app |
| Chat view of the agent | Yes, Chat Mode for 5 agents you start in Waycar | Yes, a chat view synced with the terminal |
| Full terminal | Yes, a native terminal into the agent or a shell | No. A chat window into the session, no shell |
| 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 | Yes, photos and files go into the session |
| Voice input | Yes, on-device dictation (iOS 26 or later) | Not documented for Remote Control sessions |
| Usage and rate limits | Partial: limits via CodexBar; Claude on a Mac not read | Partial: /usage and /context text output only |
| Resume a closed agent | Yes, Closed Sessions are kept for 30 days | Partial: from the machine only, about 4 hours |
| Platforms, price and fit | ||
| iPhone and iPad app | Yes, iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later | Yes, the Claude app on iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later |
| Android app | No. An Android app is coming soon | Yes, the Claude app on Google Play |
| Desktop or web client | No native app. iPad app on M-series Macs (macOS 26) | Yes, claude.ai/code in any browser |
| Source code | Closed source app. Host plugin is Apache-2.0 | Closed source, proprietary license |
| Price | Free: 10 Launches per 30 days. Pro $5/mo or $40/yr | Included in paid Claude plans. Pro is $20 a month |
| General SSH tools (SFTP, port forwarding, any server) | No. Your machine must run herdr or tmux | No. Not an SSH tool |
Yes Partial No Not documented: the maker's own pages say nothing either way, so we claim nothing.
What Remote Control is
Remote Control is a feature of Claude Code, made by Anthropic. It connects the Claude app for iPhone, iPad and Android, or claude.ai/code in a browser, to a Claude Code session that runs on your own machine. The session keeps your local files, tools and settings.
It needs a paid claude.ai plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. It has no separate charge. It works with Claude Code only.
How it connects
Your Claude Code session makes outbound HTTPS requests to Anthropic and opens no inbound ports on your machine. The phone talks to the same service. Anthropic’s docs say all traffic goes through the Anthropic API over TLS. They also say the session transcript, including your messages, Claude’s replies and tool activity, is stored on Anthropic’s servers.
Waycar works the other way. Your phone connects straight to your machine over mosh or SSH, and there is no Waycar server in that path. Waycar has an optional push relay. Your machine encrypts each notification first, so the relay cannot read what it says. For Live Activities it does see how many agents are in each status.
What Waycar adds to Remote Control
- More than Claude Code. The Console lists agents from all your machines, sorted by who needs you. That includes Codex, omp, pi and opencode in herdr or tmux, and any other agent herdr knows.
- The real terminal. Remote Control is a chat window into the session. Anthropic’s docs say commands such as
/pluginand/resumework only in the local terminal. Waycar opens the agent’s own terminal, and Chat Mode gives you a chat view for five agents. - Any way of signing in. Remote Control needs a claude.ai login. Waycar attaches to the terminal, so how the agent signs in is up to the agent.
- Closed Sessions. An agent you quit by mistake comes back from the Console for 30 days.
Where Remote Control is better
- Little to set up. It is built into Claude Code. You sign in to claude.ai, run
/remote-controland scan a code with the Claude app. No SSH, no UDP, no install on the machine beyond Claude Code. - No extra price. It comes with the paid Claude plan you already use for Claude Code.
- Reach without SSH. Because it uses outbound HTTPS only, it can reach a machine that you cannot reach over SSH.
- Android and the web. The Claude app runs on Android, and claude.ai/code works in any browser. Waycar is an iPhone and iPad app with no native desktop or web client, and an Android app is coming soon.
- Push and approvals. You can turn on push in
/config. Claude can push when it finishes or needs a decision, and a second setting pushes for permission prompts and questions. You answer prompts in the app. - Photos and files. You can attach a photo or file from the phone, with or without a caption.
- Session controls. From the phone you can switch model, effort and permission mode, read a diff of your changes, and run commands such as
/compactand/context. - Many sessions. Its server mode runs several sessions from one process, 32 by default. With
--spawn worktree, each new session gets its own git worktree.
What each costs
Remote Control costs nothing on its own. Claude Code is included in paid plans, not in the Free plan. Anthropic lists Pro at $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front). Max starts at $100 a month.
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). You still pay for the agent itself, such as your Claude plan.
Can you use both?
Yes. Anthropic’s docs suggest starting Claude Code inside tmux or screen to keep it running after you disconnect from SSH. That is the same place Waycar attaches. Use Remote Control when you only need Claude Code and no setup. Add Waycar when you also run other agents or want the real terminal.
Questions people ask
Can I run Claude Code from my iPhone?
You can steer it from your iPhone. Claude Code itself runs on a computer, or in Anthropic's cloud, not on the phone. Remote Control lets the Claude app steer a session on your own computer. Waycar opens the real terminal of an agent running in tmux or herdr on your computer, and it works with other agents too.
What plan do I need for Claude Code Remote Control?
A claude.ai Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan. API keys, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry and a custom ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, such as an LLM gateway, are not supported. On Team and Enterprise, an Owner has to turn it on first.
Does Remote Control keep working when my laptop sleeps?
Anthropic's docs say your computer has to stay on and the claude process has to keep running. Claude Code reconnects when the machine comes back online after sleep or a network drop. If the machine is awake but offline, server mode gives up after about ten minutes and the process exits. Waycar also needs your machine on and awake.
Is Remote Control the same as Claude Code on the web?
No. Claude Code on the web runs on cloud infrastructure, Anthropic's by default. Remote Control runs on your own machine, and the Claude app is a window into that session.
Does Remote Control use SSH or mosh?
No. Your session makes outbound HTTPS requests to Anthropic's service, and the phone talks to the same service. Waycar connects straight to your machine over mosh or SSH.
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.
- Claude Code docs: Remote Control
- Claude Code docs: Claude Code on mobile
- Claude pricing
- Claude on the App Store
- Claude on Google Play
- Claude Code license
Product names are trademarks of their owners. Waycar is an independent app from OTREVA, LLC. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Claude Code Remote Control.
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.