Mobilerun alternative # Zeptap vs Mobilerun: your own iPhone, no developer setup Mobilerun runs cloud phone fleets for agent builders. Zeptap gives your agent the iPhone already on your desk. * Your signed-in apps on your iPhone * No Xcode, no Developer Mode * Pay once with Lifetime: no subscription needed, no per-phone fees [Download Zeptap for Mac](https://github.com/Saransh29/zeptap-releases/releases/latest/download/Zeptap.dmg)[See the comparison ↓](#compare) Lifetime from $99 · First hour free · macOS 14 or later __Zeptap and Mobilerun, key differences__ | Key differences | ZeptapZeptap | MobilerunMobilerun | | --------------- | ------------- | ------------------ | | Where it runs | Your Mac | Its cloud | | AI | Your own plan | Its credits | | Developer Mode | Stays off | Required | | Price | $99 once | Plan plus usage | From each product's public pages[Full comparison ↓](#compare) ## Zeptap vs Mobilerun at a glance | | **Zeptap** | **Mobilerun** | | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | What it is | A Mac app that lets AI agents use your iPhone | A cloud platform of phones for AI agents, plus the open-source mobilerun framework (published by Droidrun) | | Where your agent works | Your own iPhone, in your own apps and accounts | Hosted Android phones, dedicated hosted iPhones, or your own phone connected to its cloud | | What you need | A Mac on macOS 14+, an iPhone on iOS 15+, your AI plan | A Mobilerun account. Your own iPhone also needs a Mac, Developer Mode and, below iOS 27, a signed runner app on the phone | | Pricing | $25/mo, or $99 once (1 iPhone), $149 once (up to 5) | Free tier; plans $20–299/mo; your own phone $4–5/mo each; hosted iPhone $160–200/mo | | Best for | People who want an agent working in their real iPhone apps | Teams running many cloud phones, Android, IPs and SMS numbers at scale | **Choose Mobilerun if** you need Android or cloud phones, residential IPs and SMS numbers, or an API to run fleets around the clock. **Choose Zeptap if** you want your agent on your own iPhone and apps, with no developer setup and one payment. ## What Zeptap does that Mobilerun doesn't ### nothing leavesyour Mac. No account, no Zeptap cloud. The MCP server only listens on this Mac, and screenshots go straight to the AI you picked. Mobilerun: Your agent's runs go through its cloud, and feed its AI models. * It runs in its cloud. Even your own iPhone connects to it through a Mac. * It collects your commands, the sequences of actions its AI takes and what they produce. * Once anonymised, that data trains its AI models, and may be kept indefinitely. Source: [Its privacy policy, section 3.5](https://cloud.mobilerun.ai/legal/privacy-policy) * ### bring your own AI.no credits to buy. The built-in chat runs on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for, or an OpenRouter key. Or connect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or any MCP client. **Mobilerun:** Its Assistant and Task Runner are billed in credits, on top of the plan. * ### dev mode stays off.on the phone that matters. Other tools make you switch it on so unreviewed code can run. That's fine on a test device, not on the iPhone with your accounts, 2FA codes and bank. **Mobilerun:** Required on your iPhone. * ### nothingto sign. Other tools put a helper app on your iPhone that only runs with a valid signing profile, and free ones expire every 7 days. Zeptap installs nothing on the phone. **Mobilerun:** Below iOS 27, a WebDriverAgent runner signed with Xcode or a paid team's key. ## Full comparison | | **Zeptap** | **Mobilerun** | | ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Real iPhone | Yes, your own | Yes: a hosted iPhone ($160–200/mo) or your own connected phone | | Android and cloud phones | No | Yes, on-demand cloud Android phones | | Your App Store apps and signed-in accounts | Yes, the apps already on your phone | On your connected phone, yes; a hosted iPhone is a separate device | | Setup on your iPhone | Plug in your iPhone and pair it | Install a CLI on your Mac and enable Developer Mode; below iOS 27, also trust the runner’s developer profile | | Xcode or developer signing | Not needed | Below iOS 27, a WebDriverAgent runner signed with Xcode or a paid team’s App Store Connect key | | Anything installed on the iPhone | Nothing | Below iOS 27, a runner app; iOS 27+ can use native control without it | | AI agents | Built-in chat on your Claude or ChatGPT plan or an OpenRouter key; Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, Hermes, OpenClaw, any MCP client | Its own Assistant and Task Runner (billed in credits), an MCP server, API and SDK; works with Claude, Hermes, OpenClaw | | Number of phones | Up to 5 iPhones at once | 1 to 100 concurrent cloud phones by plan; unlimited on Enterprise; dedicated phones billed separately | | Where it runs | On your Mac (macOS 14+), any iPhone on iOS 15+ | In Mobilerun’s cloud; your own iPhone connects through a Mac | | Pricing model | Monthly, or one-time Lifetime | Monthly plan plus usage (device minutes, credits, traffic) and per-phone add-ons | | Lifetime option | Yes, $99 or $149 | No | | Free tier | First hour free | Yes: 60 device minutes and 500 credits a month | | Open source | No | Yes, the framework is MIT licensed | Sources: [Mobilerun pricing](https://mobilerun.ai/pricing), [Mobilerun home](https://mobilerun.ai/), [Connect an iPhone](https://docs.mobilerun.ai/guides/connect-iphone), [setup and verify](https://docs.mobilerun.ai/mobilerun-ios/setup-and-verify), [MCP server](https://docs.mobilerun.ai/mcp-server), [GitHub](https://github.com/droidrun/mobilerun), [Zeptap pricing](https://zeptap.com/pricing). Checked October 14, 2026. ## What it costs over a year Mobilerun bills per phone each month on top of a plan. Zeptap Lifetime is one payment. | Setup | 1 iPhone, year one | 5 iPhones, year one | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------- | | Mobilerun, your own phone ($4/mo per phone, billed yearly) | $48 + plan | $240 + plan | | Mobilerun, same, with the Developer plan ($20/mo) | $48 + $240 = **$288** | $240 + $240 = **$480** | | Mobilerun, hosted iPhone ($160/mo billed yearly, includes 5,000 credits a month) | **$1,920** \+ plan | 5 × $1,920 = **$9,600** \+ plan | | **Zeptap Lifetime** | **$99 once** | **$149 once** | **Break-even.** Against Mobilerun’s $4 own-phone add-on alone, Mobilerun is cheaper for about 25 months ($99 ÷ $4). Add the Developer plan ($24 a month in total) and Zeptap pays for itself in month 5\. Against a hosted iPhone, it pays for itself in month 1. Mobilerun does not state whether its free plan can carry the add-on. Both need an AI model: Mobilerun’s Assistant and Task Runner draw on credits (plans and add-ons include some), while Zeptap uses your own AI plan. ## Where Zeptap is different ### No developer setup No Xcode, Apple developer account or Developer Mode, and nothing to install on the iPhone. Plug it in, pair it and ask. > “Open Settings on my iPhone and tell me which apps can use my location.” ### Your phone, your accounts Your agent works in the apps you are already signed in to, across several apps in one task. > “Find the restaurant in my latest screenshot and send its Maps link to the Friday dinner group on WhatsApp.” ### Built-in chat, or your own agent Use Zeptap’s chat on your Claude or ChatGPT plan, or connect [Claude Code, Codex or Cursor](https://zeptap.com/docs/agents/connect). > “Open my app from TestFlight, go through sign-up as a new user and tell me where it breaks.” ## When Mobilerun is the better pick * You need **Android**, or phones that live in the cloud and stay on around the clock. * You run **dozens of phones** and want an API, webhooks and team seats. * You need **residential IPs, SMS numbers or mailboxes** for your agents. * You want an **open-source framework** you can run and modify yourself. ## Switch in 3 steps 1. **[Download Zeptap](https://github.com/Saransh29/zeptap-releases/releases/latest/download/Zeptap.dmg)** and open it on your Mac. 2. **Plug in your iPhone and pair it.** Nothing is installed on the phone, and your passcode stays on your Mac. 3. **Ask your agent**, in Zeptap’s chat or by [connecting your agent](https://zeptap.com/docs/agents/connect). ## questions? The [docs](https://zeptap.com/docs) go deeper, and they're written for agents to read too. Is Mobilerun free? Mobilerun has a free plan with 60 device minutes, 500 credits and 1 GB of residential traffic a month. It stops at the limit. Paid plans start at $20 a month, and phones you connect or rent are billed on top. What does Mobilerun cost for an iPhone? A dedicated hosted iPhone costs $160 a month billed yearly ($1,920), or $200 monthly. Connecting your own iPhone costs $4 a month billed yearly, or $5 monthly, on top of a plan. Does Mobilerun work on iPhone? Yes. It offers hosted real iPhones and can connect your own. Your own iPhone needs a Mac, Developer Mode and, below iOS 27, a signed WebDriverAgent runner installed on the phone. Does Mobilerun need Xcode? Not always. For your own iPhone below iOS 27, its runner must be signed through Xcode with an Apple Account or a paid team’s App Store Connect key. iOS 27+ can skip the runner. Zeptap needs neither. Is there a Mobilerun alternative without a subscription? Yes. Zeptap Lifetime is $99 once for one iPhone, or $149 once for up to five at the same time. There are no per-phone fees. You bring your own AI plan. ## pay once and give your agent an iPhone. No developer setup and no monthly phone bill. [Download Zeptap for Mac](https://github.com/Saransh29/zeptap-releases/releases/latest/download/Zeptap.dmg)[See pricing](https://zeptap.com/pricing) Lifetime from $99 · First hour free · macOS 14 or later More: [AI app testing on a real iPhone](https://zeptap.com/use-cases/app-testing) · [Test your app with Claude Code on iPhone](https://zeptap.com/use-cases/app-testing/claude-code) · [All use cases](https://zeptap.com/use-cases) · [All comparisons](https://zeptap.com/vs)