Thumbs vs Orca.

Orca brings parallel agents, terminals, worktrees, and a browser into a free desktop app. It also has mobile access and remote servers. Thumbs focuses on a simpler starting point: an iPhone app connected to a computer already prepared for you.

Product details checked 27 October 2026

Thumbs vs Orca: a comparison of setup, agents, computers, and mobile workflows
What matters to you	Thumbs	Orca
Getting started	Download the iPhone app through your invite, connect the prepared cloud computer, and sign in.	Install the desktop app. For remote servers, set up the host, agents, credentials, and a private connection.
Where work runs	A cloud computer provisioned through your invite, or hardware you pair.	Your desktop or a remote Orca server you configure. Orca is not a hosted VPS service.
Choice of agents	Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode are preinstalled on invite-provisioned computers.	A broad set of CLI agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, Copilot, and OpenCode.
Working from your phone	The phone is the main interface for tasks, questions, previews, and squads.	The mobile companion connects to local and remote hosts for chats, replies, status, and source control.
Coordinating a job	A squad can plan, build, and have a separate provider review the result.	Parallel worktrees let agents work independently, compare approaches, and review changes in the desktop environment.
Availability	Invite-only early access for iPhone. Public pricing is not announced.	Free and open source. Mobile and remote servers are documented as beta.

From the maker’s own documentation

Features and availability can change. Check the linked product pages for the latest details.

The useful answer

Which one fits you?

Orca is a strong choice if you want a full desktop development environment and control over its setup. Thumbs suits people who want to start from their phone, have a computer provisioned for them, and direct the work in a conversation.

Get started with Thumbs See how it works

Still exploring?