HB Code and Paseo
Paseo is a free and open-source app that runs many coding agents at once on your own machines, from your desk and from your phone. 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
Paseo is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0, and its maker states no telemetry and no forced login. HB Code isn't open source, and a phone needs HB Code Pro after a 10-day connected preview.
Paseo states that all traffic between your phone and its daemon is end-to-end encrypted and that its relay can't read your messages. HB Code's phone connection goes through HB Code's relay server over TLS and isn't end-to-end encrypted.
Paseo runs the agent CLIs that you installed. HB Code includes a runtime for Claude Code and for Codex in the app, and it runs these two agents only.
Side by side
| Topic | HB Code | Paseo |
|---|---|---|
| License and source | HB CodeNot open source. The source isn't public. | PaseoOpen source under the Apache License 2.0. The repository is public. |
| 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. | PaseoFree. Paseo Hub, a separate optional service, has a hosted Free plan and a Pro plan at $15 per seat per month. |
| Desktop | HB CodemacOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Windows 10 version 1809 or later on x64. No Linux app. | PaseomacOS 13 or newer on Apple silicon and Intel, Windows on x64 and ARM64, and Linux as AppImage, DEB, or RPM. |
| Phone and web | HB CodeiPhone with iOS 18 or later and Android 8.0 or later. No web app. | PaseoiOS and Android apps, and a web app. |
| Coding agents | HB CodeClaude Code and Codex. | PaseoClaude Code, Codex, Copilot, OpenCode, Pi, Antigravity, and Muse Code, as its README lists them, and more agents through ACP. |
| 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. | PaseoIt runs the official claude and codex CLIs with your existing installation and account. Claude Code usage counts against your Claude plan limits. |
| Account with the maker | HB CodeNone for work on the desktop. Remote access and the phone apps need an HB Code account. | PaseoThe maker states no forced login for the apps. The hosted Paseo Hub needs an account. |
| 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. | PaseoWhere its daemon runs: your laptop, a Mac Mini, a VPS, or a Docker container. A git worktree can give each agent a separate directory and branch. |
| 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. | PaseoThrough the Paseo relay, which is off on new installations, or directly with Tailscale. The maker states end-to-end encryption and that the relay can't read your code, prompts, or agent conversations. |
| 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. | PaseoSeveral profiles of one provider, each with its own credentials and models. |
| 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. | PaseoThe maker states none: no analytics, telemetry, advertising identifiers, or crash reports. |
Paseo: when it fits better
- You want a free app that is open source under the Apache License 2.0.
- You want the connection between your phone and your computer to be end-to-end encrypted.
- You use Copilot, OpenCode, Pi, or other agents next to Claude Code and Codex.
- You work on Linux, an Intel Mac, or Windows on ARM64, or you run agents on a VPS or in a Docker container.
HB Code: when it fits better
- You want each Claude account and each ChatGPT subscription listed with its limit windows, on the desktop and on the phone.
- You want the agent to make speech audio or a short explainer video of its work. Both need your own Gemini API key.
- You want the agent to work in your own Chrome through the Browser Bridge extension.
Sources
- paseo.sh
- paseo.sh/download
- paseo.sh/hub
- paseo.sh/privacy
- paseo.sh/docs/security
- paseo.sh/docs/connectivity
- paseo.sh/docs/worktrees
- paseo.sh/docs/claude-code
- paseo.sh/docs/codex
- paseo.sh/docs/custom-providers
- paseo.sh/docs/hub/hosted
- github.com/getpaseo/paseo/blob/main/README.md
- github.com/getpaseo/paseo/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