ColliePWA vs Blink Shell
Both reach your own machine from your phone, and both are open source. Blink Shell is a terminal app for iPhone and iPad with SSH and Mosh. ColliePWA is a web app that your machine serves to your phone's browser.
Blink Shell details checked on 7 November 2026 from blink.sh.
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, Blink Shell 0.
A green check marks the side that leads on that row.
| Feature | ColliePWA | Blink Shell |
|---|---|---|
| What you install | A web app your machine serves | Native app for iPhone and iPad; no Android |
| Source code | Open source, MIT | Open source, GPL-3.0 |
| Price | Leads on this row. Free | Blink+ $19.99/yr after a two-week trial; Blink Build from $7.99/mo |
| Connection | Phone browser to your machine, via Tailscale by default | SSH and Mosh, direct |
| Multiplexers | Leads on this row. Herdr and the Herdr app; tmux and zellij are experimental | None built in; you run tmux yourself |
| Agents | Any terminal agent in your panes | A general terminal, not aimed at coding agents |
| What needs you | Leads on this row. Status view lists waiting agents first | Local notifications on the terminal bell; no approval inbox |
| Control keys | Keys tray: Esc, Ctrl+C, arrows, modifiers, F1 to F12 | Smart Keys bar; remappable hardware keyboard keys |
| Push notifications | Leads on this row. Opt-in; on iPhone, only from the home-screen app | Local notifications from the terminal bell |
| Voice input | On-device dictation with Whistle, or on your host; opt-in | Voice input in Prompt Mode |
| Lock Screen and Apple Watch | Not available | Not available |
| Machines and devices | Crews: several machines behind one URL, with failover | Saved hosts and SSH keys |
| 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 | Each host connects on its own |
Blink Shell
Where Blink Shell is ahead
- Blink is a native app with Mosh, so sessions survive network changes and sleep. ColliePWA is a web app and has no Mosh support.
- It is a full SSH client, with Secure Enclave keys, passkeys, port forwarding, and SFTP through Files. ColliePWA is not an SSH client.
- It needs nothing on your computer beyond sshd, and connects straight to any SSH host. ColliePWA needs Collie running on your machine.
- Blink Code gives you a VS Code editor on local or remote projects, and Blink Build runs remote dev environments. ColliePWA has neither.
- It supports hardware keyboards, external displays and window layouts on iPad.
ColliePWA
Where ColliePWA is ahead
- ColliePWA lists your agents and puts the ones waiting on you first, and you answer a prompt with a tap. Blink shows a terminal on a small screen.
- It opens in any phone browser, on iPhone or Android. Blink is for iPhone and iPad only.
- Push comes from your machine, if you opt in. Blink's notifications come from the terminal bell while the app holds the connection, and iOS can end that connection in the background.
- Every feature is free. Blink+ costs $19.99 a year after a two-week trial.
- 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.
Blink Shell · ColliePWA
Which one to pick
Pick Blink Shell if you use an iPhone or iPad and want Mosh, a full SSH client and good hardware keyboard support. It works with any host that runs sshd.
Pick ColliePWA if you run coding agents in Herdr, tmux or zellij and want the ones waiting on you listed first. It fits if you also use Android, or want one web app for every phone.