Compare
Not another
remote desktop.
Remote desktop, SSH and remote mouse apps each solve part of the problem. Nimlet is built for one job: keeping the work on your own Mac moving from your iPhone — words to the right place, just enough to see, and answers for your coding agents.
Side by side
Tools in each group differ; this compares what each kind of app is built to do.
| Nimlet | Remote desktop | SSH terminal | Remote mouse | Agent remote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where text goes | The app, window or tmux pane you choose | Whatever has focus | The terminal | Whatever has focus | The agent session |
| What you see | One window live; tmux panes as text | The whole screen, scaled down | Terminal text | Usually nothing | Agent output |
| Other Mac apps | Yes: trackpad, keys, app switching | Yes | No | Yes: pointer and keys | No |
| Agent approvals | Claude Code commands; Claude Code and Codex alerts | On the mirrored screen | In the terminal | No | Usually |
| Mac audio | Yes | Some | No | No | No |
| Away from home | VPN, direct route or encrypted relay | Usually | With a VPN or open port | Usually not | Varies |
Examples of each group: remote desktop apps such as Apple’s Screen Sharing and Chrome Remote Desktop; SSH apps such as Blink Shell and Termius; remote mouse and keyboard apps; and apps or notification hooks built only for coding-agent sessions.
When another tool fits better
- Long stretches of desktop work. A remote desktop app shows the whole screen at once.
- A shell on a server. An SSH app reaches machines that aren’t your Mac.
- A PC or an older iPhone. Nimlet needs a Mac with macOS 14 and an iPhone with iOS 26.
- Only one ping, from one agent. A notification hook may be all you need.
Nimlet fits when the work is already open on your Mac and you want to keep it moving from across the room or across town: send a prompt to the right pane, check one window, approve a command, hear the build finish.
Questions
Is Nimlet a remote desktop app?
No. A remote desktop app mirrors your whole screen. Nimlet sends input to a target you choose — an app, a window or a tmux pane — and shows a live preview of one window when you need to see it. It also has a trackpad for pointing and clicking.
Does Nimlet work with Tailscale?
Yes. After you pair on the same local network once, Nimlet can reconnect over Tailscale or another private VPN. It can also use a direct route or Nimlet’s end-to-end encrypted connect relay. Remote access details.
Does Nimlet work with Windows or Linux?
No. Nimlet needs an iPhone with iOS 26 or later and a Mac with macOS 14 or later. The Mac companion runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Try it on your own Mac.
Every feature is open during the public TestFlight beta.