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Alternative
Two differences, pointing opposite ways: we drive with agents, they embed anywhere — and both capture traffic now.
Appetize streams iOS/Android apps in any browser in seconds, embeds anywhere with a JS SDK, automates via Playwright and is SOC 2/ISO/GDPR compliant. For sales demos and support-driven previews it is superb.
But Appetize is a streaming surface, not an agent loop: no Xcode build (upload a binary), no CLI verbs or skill file for agents, no TV/Roku, no record-replay testing, and paid tiers start at $59/mo for starter minutes.
$ sidekick agent-setup # skill + MCP, one command $ sidekick xcode build . --scheme MyApp # no Mac needed $ sidekick ios create # agent drives, you watch in the browser
| What you are deciding | Sidekick | Appetize |
|---|---|---|
| Build | ||
| Remote Xcode build (no Mac needed)Sidekick: Claim-logs-finish loop unit-tested (fakeRunner); no Mac fleet witnessed | 🛣️ Roadmap | ❌ No |
| Signing handled (certs, profiles, keystores)Sidekick: No signing code yet | 🛣️ Roadmap | ❌ No |
| Store submit from terminal (TestFlight + Play)Sidekick: Play dry-run validated in unit tests only; no live upload witnessed | 🛣️ Roadmap | ❌ No |
| Devices | ||
| iOS simulatorsSidekick: Provision/verb loop unit-tested (fakeDevice); needs a Mac fleet | 🛣️ Roadmap | ✅ Yes |
| Android emulators + adb tunnel | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Apple TV / tvOS + Android TVSidekick: No TV code yet | 🛣️ Roadmap | ❌ No |
| Roku (real hardware)Sidekick: Backlog: needs real hardware pool | 🛣️ Roadmap | ❌ No |
| Foldables (posture + rotate verbs) | ➖ Partial | ❌ No |
| Real physical devices | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Agent control | ||
| CLI with device verbs (tap, type, screenshot) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Agent skill file (skill install) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| MCP server | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| UI / accessibility tree reads | ✅ Yes | ➖ Partial |
| Batch actions (ms precision) | ➖ Partial | ❌ No |
| Session video recording | ✅ Yes | ➖ Partial |
| App logs + network capture | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Sharing | ||
| Live share links (no login needed) | ➖ Partial | ✅ Yes |
| Embeddable player (iframe / SDK)Sidekick: No iframe/SDK implemented | 🛣️ Roadmap | ✅ Yes |
| Live collaboration + human takeoverSidekick: Not implemented | 🛣️ Roadmap | ➖ Partial |
| Testing | ||
| Record once, replay everywhere | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Visual regression per step | ✅ Yes | ➖ Partial |
| AI / plain-English testing | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| CI runner + GitHub checksSidekick: Actions + checks | 🛣️ Roadmap | ➖ Partial |
| Platform | ||
| Self-hostable (BYO Mac minis) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Source-available (FSL → Apache-2.0) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Public pricing + free tier, no card | ✅ Yes | ➖ Partial |
| Devices | ||
| Labels + reuse-if-exists (idempotent reattach) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Session timeouts (idle + hard cap, auto-reap) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Sharing | ||
| Build artifact registry (upload once, install by name) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Platform | ||
| Health + region discovery (no auth) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Instance lifecycle webhooks (push, HMAC-signed) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Audit logs + export (CSV/JSON) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| SSO (OIDC connection + domain allowlist) | ➖ Partial | ❌ No |
| Agent control | ||
| Per-instance MCP server (scoped to one device) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Build | ||
| Gradle cloud build (assembleDebug default) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Sharing | ||
| Live device stream (HLS + MJPEG fallback) + click-to-tap relay | ➖ Partial | ✅ Yes |
| Devices | ||
| Camera/mic simulation (media push) | ➖ Partial | ❌ No |
| Testing | ||
| Maestro / Appium / XCTest harness verbs | ➖ Partial | ❌ No |
| Platform | ||
| Per-instance sandbox tokens + region pin | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Sidekick 22 Yes · 9 Roadmap · 7 Partial · 1 No · Appetize 7 Yes · 0 Roadmap · 6 Partial · 26 No. ✅ Yes · 🛣️ Roadmap = public, lands in the open (self-host nightlies available) · ➖ Partial · ❌ No. Last updated 27 Sep 2026 — Appetize claims checked at https://appetize.io. Appetize pricing: Free 30 min (public) · Starter $59/mo · Premium $319/mo.
Sub-minute cold starts, public embed URLs, kiosk mode, allowlists, auto-updates of latest builds. A decade of 'put the app in a browser tab' polish.
Inspect UI hierarchy, device logs and network traffic while debugging. We capture too now (pcap pull, witnessed); their edge is live in-session inspection next to the stream, not capture itself.
You need the app embedded in docs/support tooling this week: Appetize's embed SDK, kiosk mode and access controls are the mature choice for non-agent embedding.
An agent must build and verify from source: Appetize takes binaries; Sidekick takes git repos — builds, boots, drives, verifies, posts the preview link itself.
You need TV, Roku or foldables: Appetize is phones. Sidekick covers TV devices and foldables today; Roku is backlog.
Budget under $59/mo matters: Sidekick Dev is $15/mo with 200 minutes; self-host is $0. Appetize Starter is $59/mo.
No — you upload a signed .ipa/.apk. Sidekick builds from source on hosted Macs, then installs on the device in the same command chain.
Via Playwright scripts against the stream. Sidekick exposes agent-native verbs (ui-tree, tap, type, screenshot) plus a skill file and MCP server — no browser-automation layer in between.
Appetize shows live capture alongside logs in the browser. Sidekick captures pcap from the CLI and streams app logs — both witnessed; because we're source-available, you can watch either improve.
Published Sep 2026 · Appetize homepage and docs verified 27 Sep 2026 ·t Scores count roadmap as delivered because every roadmap item is public and source-available.