HB Code and Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop is Anthropic's own app. Its Code tab gives you Claude Code with a graphical interface. HB Code is a separate app by another company, helpful bits GmbH. It runs Claude Code on your Claude account and Codex on your ChatGPT sign-in, on your own Mac or Windows PC.
The main difference
Claude Desktop is the maker's own product for Claude Code. A session in its Code tab runs on your machine, in the cloud, over an SSH connection, or in a WSL distribution. A session can get its own git worktree. HB Code is made by another company. Anthropic didn't make HB Code and doesn't endorse it. HB Code runs Claude Code in your project folders on your own computer only.
HB Code also runs Codex. Both agents work in one app, and a Claude Code session can send a message to a Codex session.
HB Code runs the unchanged Claude Code executable of Anthropic's Claude Agent SDK, which comes inside the app. You get a newer Claude Code with an HB Code update.
Side by side
| Topic | HB Code | Claude Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| License and source | HB CodeNot open source. The source isn't public. | Claude DesktopNot described in the sources below. |
| Price | HB CodeThe desktop app needs no payment. A phone gets a 10-day connected preview and then needs HB Code Pro from the App Store or Google Play. | Claude DesktopThe Code tab needs a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise subscription. The pricing page lists Pro at $20 per month, or $17 per month with annual billing, and Max from $100 per month. |
| Desktop | HB CodemacOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Windows 10 version 1809 or later on x64. No Linux app. | Claude DesktopmacOS as a universal build for Intel and Apple silicon, Windows on x64 and ARM64, and Linux in beta for Ubuntu and Debian. |
| Phone and web | HB CodeiPhone with iOS 18 or later and Android 8.0 or later. No web app. | Claude DesktopThe Code tab in the Claude app, and a web client. The maker states that Claude Code has no separate mobile app. |
| Coding agents | HB CodeClaude Code and Codex. | Claude DesktopClaude Code, Anthropic's own agent. The Code tab can also run on Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry. |
| Agent sign-in and billing | HB CodeClaude Code is the unchanged executable of Anthropic's Claude Agent SDK. Codex is HB Code's own build of OpenAI's open-source Codex app-server. Both run on your own Claude and ChatGPT sign-in, and HB Code includes neither plan. | Claude DesktopThe app includes Claude Code. You sign in with your Anthropic account and a paid plan. |
| Account with the maker | HB CodeNone for work on the desktop. Remote access and the phone apps need an HB Code account. | Claude DesktopAn Anthropic account with a paid plan. Remote Control doesn't support API keys. |
| Where the agent works | HB CodeIn your project folders on your own computer. HB Code creates no worktrees and lists the ones that the repository has. No cloud. | Claude DesktopOn your machine, in the cloud, over an SSH connection, or in a WSL distribution on Windows. A session can get its own git worktree. |
| How the phone reaches the desktop | HB CodeThrough HB Code's relay server over TLS. The connection isn't end-to-end encrypted. The server passes the content and doesn't store it. | Claude DesktopRemote Control reaches a local session from the web or mobile client. The maker states that all traffic travels through the Anthropic API over TLS and that its server routes the messages. |
| Accounts and usage limits | HB CodeSeveral Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions. Settings › Agents lists each one with its limit windows, and the phone apps show the same windows. | Claude DesktopA usage ring next to the model picker shows the context window usage and your plan usage for the period. |
| Usage analytics in the app | HB CodeNo analytics or crash-report SDK in the desktop app or the phone apps. The desktop app sends one daily usage signal, with a random ID not linked to your account, only if you allow it. With remote access on, the server keeps device status data. | Claude DesktopThe Claude Code docs state usage metrics and error reports. They state that the metrics never include your code, prompts, or file paths. They name a variable to opt out of each. |
Claude Desktop: when it fits better
- You want the maker's own app for Claude Code.
- You want sessions in the cloud, over SSH, or in WSL.
- You want a session to get its own git worktree from the app.
- You work on Linux, an Intel Mac, or Windows on ARM64, or you use computer use, connectors, plugins, or scheduled tasks.
HB Code: when it fits better
- You use Codex as well as Claude Code and want both in one app.
- You have more than one Claude account and want each listed with its limit windows.
- You want a Claude Code session and a Codex session to send messages to each other, for example for a review.
Sources
- code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop
- code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop-quickstart
- code.claude.com/docs/en/mobile
- code.claude.com/docs/en/remote-control
- code.claude.com/docs/en/data-usage
- code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt
- claude.com/pricing
We read these pages on October 9, 2026. Prices and features can change after that date. If a statement on this page is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll correct it. Write to support