HB Code vs Vibe Kanban
Both HB Code and Vibe Kanban run coding agents on your own computer. Vibe Kanban starts from the terminal and opens a local web interface that runs ten agents in git worktrees. HB Code is a desktop app for Mac and Windows that runs Claude Code and Codex in your project folders. You can open those desktop sessions on your phone with the iPhone and Android apps.
The main difference
You start Vibe Kanban from the terminal with npx vibe-kanban, which opens a local web interface on Linux as well as macOS and Windows. You install your own agent CLIs from ten supported options and run them in automatic git worktrees. HB Code is a desktop app for Mac and Windows that works directly in your project folders without creating worktrees. It includes Anthropic's unchanged Claude Agent SDK executable and HB Code's own build of the Codex app-server.
Vibe Kanban is open source under the Apache 2.0 license on GitHub. Following Bloop's April 2026 shutdown announcement, the project is retiring its hosted cloud services and moving to a community-maintained local architecture. To reach Vibe Kanban from a phone browser after that transition, you use a self-hosted relay or a tunnel like ngrok. HB Code isn't open source, and it connects native iPhone and Android apps to your desktop through HB Code's TLS relay server.
In Vibe Kanban, each workspace provides a git branch alongside a terminal and a dev server. HB Code lets you connect several Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions and view their usage limit windows on your desktop and phone. HB Code sessions can also send tasks to other sessions and work in your Chrome browser through the Browser Bridge extension.
Side by side
| Topic | HB Code | Vibe Kanban |
|---|---|---|
| License and source | HB CodeNot open source. The source isn't public. | Vibe KanbanVibe Kanban is open source on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license. In April 2026, Bloop announced that it is shutting down and the project continues as community-maintained open source. |
| 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. | Vibe KanbanVibe Kanban is free for individual users. The pricing page lists Pro at $30 per user per month and Enterprise plans. In April 2026, Bloop terminated paid subscriptions and refunded invoices from the last 30 days. |
| Desktop | HB CodemacOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Windows 10 version 1809 or later on x64. No Linux app. | Vibe KanbanYou start Vibe Kanban from the terminal with npx vibe-kanban, which launches a local Rust backend and opens the interface in your browser. It runs on Linux as well as macOS and Windows. |
| Phone and web | HB CodeiPhone with iOS 18 or later and Android 8.0 or later. No web app. | Vibe KanbanYou can open a host instance from a phone browser through Remote Access. Bloop's hosted remote services stay available for 30 days after its April 2026 shutdown announcement. |
| Coding agents | HB CodeClaude Code and Codex. | Vibe KanbanVibe Kanban supports ten coding agents. These are Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Amp, Cursor, OpenCode, Factory Droid, Claude Code Router, and Qwen Code. |
| 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. | Vibe KanbanYou install and authenticate each coding agent CLI yourself before you start Vibe Kanban. Claude Code uses its own CLI login flow, and Codex authenticates with a ChatGPT plan or the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable. |
| Account with the maker | HB CodeNone for work on the desktop. Remote access and the phone apps need an HB Code account. | Vibe KanbanNone needed to run local workspaces. GitHub and Google OAuth sign-in supported Vibe Kanban Cloud features such as issues and projects, which Bloop is removing during the shutdown. |
| 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. | Vibe KanbanAgents run locally on your host machine or on a remote server that you manage. When you create a workspace, Vibe Kanban automatically creates isolated git worktrees for your selected repositories. Each workspace gives the agent a branch alongside a terminal and a dev server. |
| 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. | Vibe KanbanRemote Access paired your host computer with a browser session using locally signed requests or a self-hosted relay server. With Bloop's hosted remote services shutting down, you self-host the relay or expose the web UI through a tunnel like Cloudflare Tunnel or ngrok. |
| 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. | Vibe KanbanSessions run up to the AI model's context window. When you reach the token limit, you start a new session. The former Cloud plans had 1 user on Free, 2 to 49 users on Pro, and 50 or more on Enterprise. |
| 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. | Vibe KanbanVibe Kanban uses PostHog for product analytics and has a toggle in Global Settings to enable or disable telemetry collection. When you build from source, leaving POSTHOG_API_KEY and POSTHOG_API_ENDPOINT empty disables analytics. |
Vibe Kanban: when it fits better
- You want to run coding agents beyond Claude Code and Codex, such as Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Amp, Cursor, OpenCode, or Qwen Code.
- You work on Linux in addition to macOS and Windows.
- You want an Apache 2.0 open-source app that you can audit and build from source.
- You want your tool to create isolated git worktrees automatically for each workspace with a dedicated branch and dev server.
HB Code: when it fits better
- You want native iPhone and Android apps that reach your desktop sessions through a relay server without setting up your own tunnel.
- You want a native Mac or Windows app that runs Claude Code and Codex directly in your project folders without creating git worktrees.
- You use several Claude accounts or ChatGPT subscriptions and want to check their usage limit windows on your desktop and phone.
- You want your sessions to send tasks to other sessions and work in your Chrome browser through the Browser Bridge extension.
Sources
- www.vibekanban.com
- www.vibekanban.com/pricing
- www.vibekanban.com/security
- www.vibekanban.com/blog/shutdown
- www.vibekanban.com/blog/remote-access
- www.vibekanban.com/blog/introducing-vibe-kanban-cloud
- www.vibekanban.com/docs
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/getting-started
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/remote-access
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/supported-coding-agents
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/agents/claude-code
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/agents/openai-codex
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/cloud/authentication
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/workspaces/managing-workspaces
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/configuration-customisation/global-settings
- www.vibekanban.com/docs/self-hosting/local-development
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/README.md
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/LICENSE
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/docs/supported-coding-agents.mdx
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/docs/configuration-customisation/agent-configurations.mdx
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/docs/workspaces/sessions.mdx
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/docs/workspaces/git-operations.mdx
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/docs/browser-testing.mdx
- github.com/BloopAI/vibe-kanban/blob/main/docs/integrations/vibe-kanban-mcp-server.mdx
- vibekanban.com
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