An HB Code alternative with more agents, flows and checks
HB Code, from helpful bits GmbH in Germany, is a desktop app for Mac and Windows that runs Claude Code and Codex in one workspace on your own computer, with your own Claude and ChatGPT plans. You pick the agent when you start a session, and both can work on the same project at once. Each search, file, command and diff shows on one timeline, and you can steer a turn or queue the next message. You can add several Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions, see the limits of each and switch with one tap, and iPhone and Android apps control the sessions that run on the desktop. Its changelog lists work through 30 September 2026. AgentVera runs agent CLIs in real terminals side by side, and adds flows, acceptance checks and team tools. Below is how they differ and where HB Code is the better fit.
HB Code and AgentVera side by side
| Feature | HB Code | AgentVera |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS (Apple silicon, macOS 12 or later) and Windows (x64, Windows 10 version 1809 or later, also in the Microsoft Store); its downloads page also offers an experimental Linux preview (.deb and .rpm, x64 and ARM64). iPhone (iOS 18 or later) and Android (8.0 or later) apps control the sessions that run on the desktop. | macOS, Windows and Linux desktop app. |
| Supported agents | Claude Code, run through Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK, and Codex, run through its own build of OpenAI’s Codex app-server. You pick one per session. | 18 CLI coding agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor Agent, opencode, Amp and Aider, plus plain terminals. Each uses its own CLI install and login. |
| Open source / license | Closed source; its support page says the source code isn’t public. | Closed source. |
| Pricing model | The desktop app is free and needs only the agent’s own sign-in. Phones get a 10-day connected preview, then need HB Code Pro, a subscription bought in the App Store or Google Play; we did not find its price on the site. | Free plan with unlimited agents; Pro and Team plans are paid. |
| Git worktrees | Partly. HB Code lists the git worktrees that already exist and starts a session in one of them; its docs say it never creates one. | Yes. Create a worktree per task from the Git panel and start an agent in it; night-shift tasks get their own worktree. You are warned when two agents edit the same file. |
| Kanban | not confirmed | Team kanban shared across your organization; hand a card to Claude, Codex or another agent and the reply lands on the card (Pro and Team). |
| Flows and pipelines between agents | One session can send a message to another, for example a Claude Code session asking a Codex session to check its change, and the answer lands in its thread; the Agents list shows Claude subagents and the phases of a workflow. We did not find saved pipelines or scheduled runs. | Flows pass one agent’s output to the next; a team view of open agents led by a manager; a parallel team that ends in one PR; staged task line; night shift (Pro and Team). |
| Acceptance checks | not confirmed | Verify extracts acceptance criteria from your request and a separate read-only verifier checks each one after the agent’s turn; automatic code review. |
| Database manager / SSH | not confirmed | Database manager for PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and SQLite (Pro and Team); SSH/SFTP panel; agent SSH and database access with your rules. |
| Token savings | not confirmed | Context profiles, automatic /compact, bundled RTK output compression, automatic per-task model routing and a project map (code graph) for agents. |
| Team features | not confirmed | Organizations, team kanban, client boards, AgentVera Runner on your own server, automatic account switching. |
A dash means we could not confirm the feature on HB Code’s own pages. It may exist or arrive later; check their site.
When to pick HB Code
- You only use Claude Code and Codex and want a free desktop app that runs both, with every command, file and diff of a turn on one timeline.
- You pay for several Claude or ChatGPT plans and want the 5-hour and weekly limits of each account side by side, switched with one tap on the desktop or the phone.
- You want native iPhone and Android apps that read the timeline of a desktop session and send it the next message.
- You want Claude subagents and workflows listed with their status, sessions that message each other, and bundled tools such as a Chrome browser bridge and narrated explainer videos.
When to pick AgentVera
- You use more than Claude Code and Codex: AgentVera runs 18 CLIs, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor Agent and opencode among them, in real terminals side by side.
- You want AgentVera to create the worktree for a task from the Git panel, with a warning when two agents edit the same file.
- You want flows that pass one agent’s output to the next, acceptance checks (Verify) after each turn, night shift and a team kanban.
- You want automatic account switching when a limit is reached, and the interface in one of seven languages, Turkish and Russian among them.
Moving from HB Code to AgentVera
- Download AgentVera and open the project folders you use in HB Code.
- Add Claude Code and Codex. AgentVera starts the CLIs you already installed, so your logins and subscriptions carry over.
- Claude Code conversations stay in ~/.claude/projects, so you can continue them in AgentVera; HB Code keeps Codex history in a profile folder inside its own app data, not in ~/.codex.
- Add your Claude and Codex accounts to account switching; to follow agents away from your desk, use the AgentVera mobile app or Telegram.
Questions
Is HB Code free?
The desktop app is free and needs only the sign-in of Claude Code or Codex. The iPhone and Android apps get a 10-day preview and then need HB Code Pro, bought in the App Store or Google Play. AgentVera has a free plan with unlimited agents; Pro and Team are paid.
Is HB Code open source?
No. Its support page says the source code isn’t public. AgentVera is closed source too.
Which agents does HB Code support?
Claude Code and Codex. You pick one when you start a session, and both can work on the same project at once. AgentVera runs 18 CLI agents next to plain terminals.
Which languages is HB Code in?
Its website is in eight languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese and Simplified Chinese; we could not confirm the interface languages of the app. AgentVera’s interface is in seven: English, Turkish, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Russian.
Can I use HB Code and AgentVera on the same repository?
Yes. Both work on plain git branches and worktrees, so you can try AgentVera without changing your HB Code setup.
Sources
Facts about HB Code come from its own pages, checked on the date below. Products change quickly; check them for the current state.
- hbcode.ai
- hbcode.ai/downloads
- HB Code handbook: setup, accounts and HB Code Pro
- HB Code handbook: architecture and worktrees
- HB Code handbook: engineering changelog
- HB Code support: questions
- hbcode.ai/llms.txt
Last checked:
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Try AgentVera next to HB Code
The free plan has unlimited agents. Open the same repository, add the CLIs you already use and compare for yourself.