HB Code and Nimbalyst
Nimbalyst is a visual workspace for Codex and Claude Code by Nimbalyst, Inc. It puts sessions, tasks, docs, diagrams, mockups, commits, and code in one place. HB Code is a desktop app for Mac and Windows by helpful bits GmbH. It runs Claude Code and Codex on your own computer, and its iPhone and Android apps open the same sessions.
The main difference
Nimbalyst calls itself the visual workspace for Codex and Claude Code, and it has git built in. In HB Code the agent thread is the main view. Each command, file, and diff in the thread opens in a viewer.
Nimbalyst's desktop and iOS apps are open source under the MIT License, and its Individual plan costs $0. HB Code isn't open source, and a phone needs HB Code Pro after a 10-day connected preview.
Nimbalyst states end-to-end encryption for the data synced between your devices, and its mobile app is available for iPhone. HB Code's phone connection goes through HB Code's relay server over TLS and isn't end-to-end encrypted. HB Code has iPhone and Android apps.
Side by side
| Topic | HB Code | Nimbalyst |
|---|---|---|
| License and source | HB CodeNot open source. The source isn't public. | NimbalystThe desktop and iOS apps are open source under the MIT License. The collaboration sync server is a separate project. |
| 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. | NimbalystIndividual: $0. Teams: $20 per user per month or $200 per user per year, free during Beta. |
| Desktop | HB CodemacOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Windows 10 version 1809 or later on x64. No Linux app. | NimbalystmacOS on Apple silicon and Intel, Windows, and Linux. |
| Phone and web | HB CodeiPhone with iOS 18 or later and Android 8.0 or later. No web app. | NimbalystAn iPhone app. The maker states that Android support is planned for a future release. |
| Coding agents | HB CodeClaude Code and Codex. | NimbalystClaude Agent, OpenAI Codex, and the Claude Code CLI as an opt-in. In Alpha: OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, Grok Build, Cursor Agent, and Gemini through Antigravity. |
| 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. | NimbalystClaude Agent is its integrated Claude coding agent, and OpenAI Codex is on by default in new installations. You sign in with a Claude subscription or a Codex or ChatGPT subscription, or you enter an API key. |
| Account with the maker | HB CodeNone for work on the desktop. Remote access and the phone apps need an HB Code account. | NimbalystThe maker states that the Individual plan needs no account. Phone sync needs a Nimbalyst sign-in on the desktop and on the phone. |
| 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. | NimbalystOn your machine. Parallel sessions can be isolated in git worktrees. |
| 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. | NimbalystThrough the maker's sync servers. The maker states end-to-end encryption with a key exchanged by QR code, and that the servers can't read your content. Session data is stored on Cloudflare for a limited number of days. |
| 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. | NimbalystIt has an AI Usage Report. For subscription limits, the maker points to the dashboard of the model provider. |
| 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. | NimbalystAnonymous usage analytics to PostHog, on by default. You can opt out in Settings → Advanced → Analytics. |
Nimbalyst: when it fits better
- You want docs, diagrams, and mockups in the same workspace as your sessions, and git with branches, worktrees, and staging built in.
- You want open-source desktop and iOS apps under the MIT License.
- You want end-to-end encrypted sync to your iPhone.
- You work on Linux or an Intel Mac, or you use OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, Grok Build, or Cursor Agent.
HB Code: when it fits better
- You use an Android phone.
- You want each Claude account and each ChatGPT subscription listed with its limit windows, on the desktop and on the phone.
- You want a desktop app and phone apps with no analytics or crash-report SDK.
Sources
- nimbalyst.com
- nimbalyst.com/pricing/
- nimbalyst.com/privacy-policy/
- nimbalyst.com/mobile-agent-management/
- nimbalyst.com/docs/getting-started/quickstart/
- nimbalyst.com/docs/setup-nimbalyst/ai-provider-setup-and-notifications/
- nimbalyst.com/docs/mobile/mobile-app/
- nimbalyst.com/docs/session-management/ai-usage-report/
- github.com/Nimbalyst/nimbalyst/blob/main/README.md
- github.com/Nimbalyst/nimbalyst/blob/main/LICENSE
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