ColliePWA vs Orca
Both let you reach coding agents on your own computer from your phone, and both are open source. Orca is a desktop workspace for agents, with an iPhone app and an Android APK as companions. ColliePWA is a web app that attaches to the panes you already run.
Orca details checked on 7 November 2026 from onorca.dev.
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 3, Orca 0.
A green check marks the side that leads on that row.
| Feature | ColliePWA | Orca |
|---|---|---|
| What you install | A web app your machine serves | Desktop app, with an iPhone app and an Android APK |
| Source code | Open source, MIT | Open source, MIT |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Connection | Phone browser to your machine, via Tailscale by default | Pairs with the desktop app: Orca Relay with sign-in, or LAN or Tailscale |
| Multiplexers | Leads on this row. Herdr and the Herdr app; tmux and zellij are experimental | None; Orca runs agents itself, in its own terminals |
| Agents | Any terminal agent in your panes | About 40 built-in launchers, plus any CLI agent |
| What needs you | Status view lists waiting agents first | Approval and question cards in a chat view; an alert for a waiting agent |
| Control keys | Keys tray: Esc, Ctrl+C, arrows, modifiers, F1 to F12 | Terminal accessory row with Tab, Shift+Tab, Ctrl and Alt |
| Push notifications | Opt-in; on iPhone, only from the home-screen app | Push when an agent finishes |
| Voice input | On-device dictation with Whistle, or on your host; opt-in | Dictation with a mic button |
| Lock Screen and Apple Watch | Not available | Not documented |
| Machines and devices | Crews: several machines behind one URL, with failover | One list across paired desktops, SSH hosts and Orca servers |
| 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 |
Orca
Where Orca is ahead
- Orca has a native iPhone app and an Android APK. ColliePWA is a web app in your phone's browser.
- It is a full workspace: a git worktree per agent, diff review, commit and merge, pull requests, Linear and GitHub.
- It shows approval and question cards for many agents, including Claude, Codex, Grok, OpenCode, Pi and OMP.
- It has about 40 agent launchers, usage and rate-limit views, scheduled automations, cloud-VM workspaces and a CLI.
ColliePWA
Where ColliePWA is ahead
- Your desktop does not change. Orca is a desktop workspace that you move your work into. ColliePWA attaches to the panes you already run in Herdr, tmux or zellij.
- Your machine serves the app, with no account and no relay. One of Orca's routes, Orca Relay, needs a sign-in.
- It opens in any phone browser, on iPhone or Android. Orca's Android app is an APK that you install yourself.
- The phone shows the same panes as your desk. Answer from the phone, sit down again, and the terminal is where you left it.
- 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.
Orca · ColliePWA
Which one to pick
Pick Orca if you want a desktop workspace with worktrees, diff review, pull requests and structured approval cards. It is open source too, and it works over Tailscale.
Pick ColliePWA if you run agents in Herdr, tmux or zellij and want your desk to stay as it is. It fits if you want a phone view of those panes with no account.