Ways to use your computer's terminal from your phone (2026)
You start a build, a deploy or a coding agent, then walk away, and it stops to ask a question. Here are the tools that let you answer from your phone, what each one is good at, and where each falls short. We make PandaSend, so we've tried to be fair: every claim about other tools comes from their own documentation, linked below, as of October 2026.
At a glance
| Works with | Computers | Away from home | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PandaSend | Any terminal program | Mac, Windows (beta), Linux | Built-in end-to-end encrypted relay | Free on your network; remote $4.99/month after a 14-day trial |
| VibeTunnel | Any terminal program | Mac (Apple silicon, macOS 14+), Linux via npm | You add Tailscale, ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel or similar | Free, open source (MIT) |
| mtmux | Your tmux sessions | macOS, Linux, WSL (needs tmux and Node 22+) | End-to-end encrypted tunnel | Free for 1 server and 3 devices; $10/month Pro |
| Happy | Claude Code and Codex | Wherever those agents run (Node) | Its own end-to-end encrypted sync server | Free, open source (MIT) |
| Claude Code Remote Control | Claude Code only | Wherever Claude Code runs | Through Anthropic's servers | Needs a paid Claude plan |
| SSH + tmux | Any terminal program | Any machine with an SSH server | VPN, port forwarding or a tunnel | Free (phone apps vary) |
The two kinds of tool
Terminal tools (PandaSend, VibeTunnel, mtmux, SSH) show you the real terminal. Anything that runs in it works the same way: a coding agent, a test suite, a deploy script, a dev server, a database console. You type the way you would at your desk.
Agent tools (Happy, Claude Code Remote Control) understand one or two coding agents and give you a chat-style view with buttons for approvals. That's nicer for those agents, and no help for anything else you run.
PandaSend
A desktop app (Mac, Windows beta) or service (Linux) that keeps your terminal sessions running in the background. You open the same live sessions in your phone's browser or Home Screen app.
- Remote access without networking setup. Your computer and phone both connect out to PandaSend's relay. Everything is end-to-end encrypted, so the relay can't read it (how). It works behind carrier-grade NAT, with no ports opened.
- Notifications when any session stops at a prompt or rings the bell. Tap one to open that session.
- A phone-friendly terminal: a key bar with Esc, Tab, Ctrl and arrows, and a compose box where autocorrect and dictation work. You can attach images for agents.
- Limits: it isn't open source; there's no native phone app (it's a web app); sessions end if the computer restarts; and it can't take over a terminal already open in another app.
VibeTunnel
An open-source (MIT) tool that shows your terminal sessions in a browser. On a Mac, a menu bar app runs a local server, and the vt command makes any command visible. It records sessions in asciinema format and has Git features like following your editor's branch. Its native app needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later. Linux uses the npm package, and Windows isn't supported yet. To reach it from outside your network, you set up Tailscale, ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel or similar. Its iOS app is described as a work in progress. Source. PandaSend vs VibeTunnel.
mtmux
An MIT-licensed command-line tool that serves the tmux sessions you already run to any browser, over an end-to-end encrypted tunnel, with touch-friendly keys and per-device revocation. It needs tmux and Node 22 or later, and runs on macOS, Linux and WSL. It's free for one server and three devices, and Pro is $10 a month. Source. PandaSend vs mtmux.
Happy
An open-source (MIT) mobile and web client for Claude Code and Codex. You run happy instead of claude. It syncs the session through an end-to-end encrypted server to apps for iOS, Android and the web, with push notifications. It's built for those agents: a chat view, not a general terminal. Source. PandaSend vs Happy.
Claude Code Remote Control
Anthropic's built-in way to continue a local Claude Code session from the Claude app or claude.ai. It needs Claude Code 2.1.51 or later, and a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan. Your machine connects out to Anthropic's servers, and the local process must stay running. It's the obvious choice if Claude Code is all you run, and it doesn't cover anything else. Source. PandaSend vs Claude Code Remote Control.
SSH and tmux
The classic setup, free and universal: an SSH server on the computer, an SSH app on the phone, tmux so sessions survive disconnects, and a VPN or tunnel to reach home. It's the right tool for administering servers. It's more setup than the others for "check on my laptop", and phone keyboards make tmux shortcuts awkward. SSH and tmux vs PandaSend, or set it up step by step.
Which should you use?
- Everything you run in a terminal, from anywhere, with no networking setup: PandaSend.
- Free and open source, and you already use Tailscale: VibeTunnel or mtmux.
- You live in tmux: mtmux, or SSH with tmux.
- Only Claude Code or Codex, with a chat-style app: Happy, or Claude Code Remote Control if you only use Claude Code and have a paid plan.
- Servers you administer: SSH.
Questions
What's the easiest way to use my computer's terminal from my phone?
An app that runs the terminal sessions on your computer and gives you a phone-friendly view of them. PandaSend, VibeTunnel and mtmux do this for any terminal program; Happy and Claude Code Remote Control do it for specific coding agents. The main difference is how your phone reaches the computer when you're away from home: PandaSend includes an end-to-end encrypted relay, VibeTunnel expects you to set up Tailscale or a tunnel, and mtmux provides an encrypted tunnel for tmux sessions.
Is there a free way to do it?
Yes. VibeTunnel, Happy and mtmux's free tier cost nothing, and PandaSend is free on your own network with no account. SSH with tmux is free too. Paid options buy you remote access without setting up a VPN or tunnel yourself.
Which of these work on Windows?
PandaSend has a Windows app (beta). mtmux runs under WSL. VibeTunnel's documentation says Windows isn't supported yet. Claude Code Remote Control and Happy run wherever their agents run. SSH works with Windows' built-in OpenSSH server.
Do I need Tailscale?
Not for PandaSend, whose relay reaches your computer from any network, and not for Happy or Claude Code Remote Control, which use their own servers. VibeTunnel's documentation recommends Tailscale (or ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel and others) for access from outside your network, and SSH usually needs a VPN or port forwarding.