Happy Valley

Beam vs Inyon

Beam and Inyon are both developer tools tools. Beam is aimed at developers and creators, while Inyon is aimed at developers and freelancers. Both have a free plan.

Beam

Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another

Inyon

Open-source phone and browser remote for terminal coding agents

PricingFreemium · $12Open source
Starting price$12/moNot published
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forDevelopers, Creators, Freelancers, Small businessesDevelopers, Freelancers
Platformsmacosweb, android, macos, linux, windows
Country——
Rating——

Choose Beam if

Developers and creators with two Apple silicon Macs who want a remote app to behave like a local window instead of a full screen share.

  • Uses one remote app without taking over the whole desktop
  • Window traffic goes directly between your Macs, not through Beam's servers
  • Free plan has no card requirement and no limit on host Macs

Look elsewhere if: People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).

Choose Inyon if

Developers who run Claude Code, Codex or other terminal agents for long stretches and want to steer them from an Android phone or browser.

  • Free and MIT-licensed with code on GitHub
  • Works across six agent CLIs, not just one vendor
  • No account or cloud service required

Look elsewhere if: Developers who want a polished commercial iOS app or do not use tmux (Claude Code remote access).

Beam vs Inyon pricing

Beam

  • Free$0Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use
  • Monthly$12/moUnlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links
  • Yearly$84/yrSame as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually
  • Lifetime$199One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections
  • Team$12/seat/moOr $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice

Inyon

  • Open source$0MIT license; self-hosted, no account needed

Beam · Key features

  • Single windows from another Mac open as native windows with Dock and Command-Tab entries
  • Beam several windows at once or share an entire display
  • Direct typing, shortcuts, two-way resizing, app audio and clipboard sync
  • Works with headless Mac minis and Mac Studios that have no display
  • Encrypted Mac-to-Mac connection on local Wi-Fi or over Tailscale
  • Guest share links open one window in any browser, view-only by default

Cons

  • macOS only, with Apple silicon and Sonoma or later required on both Macs
  • Free use is capped at 20 minutes a day
  • Devices without the Mac app, such as phones, only get browser links

Inyon · Key features

  • Agents running in tmux become phone or browser chats
  • Permission prompts and menus turned into tap buttons
  • Model, effort and permission mode changes plus rewind and compact
  • Context, cost and 5-hour and weekly plan limit tracking
  • File and git tree browsing, diff comments, commit and push
  • Live subagent and background shell output with a Stop control

Cons

  • No iOS app; iPhone users need the browser hub
  • Depends on agents running inside tmux
  • Three of six agent readers still in beta

Beam vs Inyon: FAQ

Do Beam and Inyon have a free plan?

Yes, both Beam and Inyon have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Which is better for small businesses, Beam or Inyon?

Beam lists small businesses as a core audience, while Inyon is aimed more at developers and freelancers.

Not sure yet?