# HB Code vs Claude Squad

> Claude Squad is an open-source terminal manager that uses tmux and git worktrees. HB Code is a Mac and Windows app with iPhone and Android access.

Both HB Code and Claude Squad run local coding agents on your computer. Claude Squad is an open-source terminal interface that isolates agents in tmux sessions and git worktrees. HB Code is a graphical desktop app for Mac and Windows that connects to iPhone and Android apps.

## The main difference

Claude Squad runs inside one terminal window as a terminal user interface. It requires tmux and the GitHub CLI. For every task, it creates an isolated tmux session with a separate git worktree and branch. You can run tasks in the background and review diffs in the terminal before you check out or push changes.

HB Code is a native desktop app for macOS and Windows. It works directly in your project folders and doesn't create new worktrees, though it lists the worktrees your repository already has. When you leave your desk, you can open your running desktop sessions from the iPhone or Android app.

The two tools also differ in how they run agents. Claude Squad launches your installed CLI for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Aider, OpenCode, or Amp through shell commands and named profiles. HB Code runs the unchanged Claude Agent SDK executable and its own build of the Codex app-server. It also shows usage limit windows for multiple Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions.

## Side by side

| Topic | HB Code | Claude Squad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| License and source | Not open source. The source isn't public. | Open source under the GNU AGPL v3.0 license on GitHub. Contributors sign a Contributor License Agreement that lets maintainers relicense contributions under any OSI-approved open-source license. |
| Price | The 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. | Not described in the sources below. |
| Desktop | macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Windows 10 version 1809 or later on x64. No Linux app. | Runs as a terminal user interface inside one terminal window. It installs as the cs binary via Homebrew or a shell script. It requires tmux and the GitHub CLI (gh) as prerequisites. |
| Phone and web | iPhone with iOS 18 or later and Android 8.0 or later. No web app. | Not described in the sources below. |
| Coding agents | Claude Code and Codex. | Manages Claude Code by default, along with Codex, Gemini, Aider, OpenCode, and Amp. You can also specify custom shell launch commands with the -p flag or named profiles in the configuration file. |
| Agent sign-in and billing | Claude 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. | Launches your installed agent CLI directly through a shell command. For Codex, the documentation instructs you to set the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable. |
| Account with the maker | None for work on the desktop. Remote access and the phone apps need an HB Code account. | Not described in the sources below. |
| Where the agent works | In your project folders on your own computer. HB Code creates no worktrees and lists the ones that the repository has. No cloud. | Agents run locally in isolated tmux sessions, with each task in its own git worktree and branch. Tasks can run in the background with an experimental auto-accept mode. You can review diffs in the terminal interface before you check out or push changes to GitHub. |
| How the phone reaches the desktop | Through 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. | Not described in the sources below. |
| Accounts and usage limits | Several Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions. Settings › Agents lists each one with its limit windows, and the phone apps show the same windows. | Not described in the sources below. |
| Usage analytics in the app | No 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. | Not described in the sources below. |

## Claude Squad: when it fits better

- You want to run terminal coding agents other than Claude Code and Codex, such as Gemini, Aider, OpenCode, or Amp.
- You prefer a terminal user interface that isolates every task in its own tmux session and git worktree.
- You need open-source software licensed under GNU AGPL v3.0.
- You want to launch agents with custom shell commands or switch between named profiles in a configuration file.

## HB Code: when it fits better

- You want a graphical desktop app for Mac or Windows instead of a terminal interface that requires tmux.
- You want to open and control your running desktop sessions from an iPhone or Android phone.
- You want agents to work directly in your project folders and don't want a new git worktree for each task.
- You use multiple Claude accounts or ChatGPT subscriptions and want to check their usage limit windows on your desktop and phone.

## Sources

- https://github.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad
- https://smtg-ai.github.io/claude-squad/
- https://github.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad/blob/main/README.md
- https://github.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad/blob/main/CLA.md
- https://github.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad/releases

We read these pages on October 24, 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](https://www.hbcode.ai/support)

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## Guides

- [How to check usage limits and use more than one account](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-usage-limits.md)
- [How to check what Claude Code or Codex did](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-ui.md)
- [How to run several Claude Code and Codex sessions](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-sessions.md)
- [How to use Claude Code or Codex on your phone](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-mobile.md)
- [How to see what the subagents of Claude Code do](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-subagents.md)
- [How to try Claude Code and Codex on the same task](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-vs-codex.md)
- [How to run Codex in a desktop app on Mac and Windows](https://www.hbcode.ai/codex-desktop-app.md)
- [Download HB Code](https://www.hbcode.ai/downloads)