At a glance
- One computer, one AI app at your desk: Desktop Commander is a simple, free choice.
- An app that only works through clicks: computer use.
- Several computers, any AI, from anywhere — including your phone: Local Commander.
Side by side
| Local Commander | Desktop Commander | Claude computer use | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the AI works | Runs commands, reads and edits files, uses Git; can take a screenshot when it needs to see (beta, on request) | Runs commands, reads and edits files | Looks at screenshots, moves the mouse, types |
| Where it reaches | Every computer you connect, from one chat | The computer it runs on; remote devices as an add-on | The screen of the machine it controls |
| Which AI | ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Claude Code, Codex and any app with remote MCP and sign-in | Claude Desktop, Cursor and other MCP apps; ChatGPT and Claude on the web through its remote option | Claude |
| From your phone | Yes, in the ChatGPT or Claude mobile app | Through its remote option | Depends on the app; built for the machine in front of it |
| Best for | Everyday jobs across your own PCs, Macs and servers | Coding and file work on the machine in front of you | Apps with no command line or API |
Desktop Commander
Desktop Commander is a well-known open-source MCP server. It gives Claude Desktop, Cursor and similar apps a terminal and file editing on the computer where it runs, and it does that job well. A remote option now lets web AI apps reach your devices too.
The difference is the starting point. Local Commander was built for the moment you have more than one machine: the laptop on the train, the home PC with your sessions and databases, the office server, your mother's computer in another city. You connect each one once. After that a single message — “check disk space on all my servers and tell me which one needs attention” — goes to the right machines, and independent jobs run side by side.
Long jobs keep running while you're away; you check on them later from your phone. If a computer drops mid-task, the work is never re-run on a guess — it waits for you. And for each computer you decide what the AI may touch: your whole user account or only the folders you pick.
Claude computer use
Computer use gives the AI a screen, a mouse and a keyboard. It takes a screenshot, decides where to click, clicks, and takes another screenshot. That is the only way into an app with no command line, no API and no files to read — and there it is the right tool.
For everything else it is the long way round. Checking a log, freeing disk space, deploying a fix or updating packages are one or two commands. Through the screen they become dozens of clicks, each one a chance to misread a button. Local Commander does the command directly and tells you the result, so the job is faster and you can see exactly what ran. When the AI does need to see the screen, screenshots are in beta: we turn them on for your account on request.
Which one to pick
- You work on one machine in Claude Desktop or Cursor. Desktop Commander is enough.
- The job lives inside an app you can only click. Computer use.
- Your work is spread over several computers, or you want to start jobs from your phone, or you switch between ChatGPT, Claude and other AI apps. Local Commander. One connection per computer, any AI, every machine in one chat.
They don't exclude each other. Keep a local tool for the machine you sit at and add Local Commander for the rest. Setup takes a couple of minutes per computer: npx local-commander-agent@latest, approve in your browser, add localcmd.app/mcp to your AI app.
Questions
What is the difference between Local Commander and Desktop Commander?
Both let AI read files and run commands. Desktop Commander started on one computer with Claude Desktop and added a remote option later. Local Commander is built around many computers from the start: connect your PCs, Macs and Linux servers once and reach all of them from ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor or any app with remote MCP.
Is Local Commander the same as Claude computer use?
No. Computer use works through the screen. Local Commander runs commands and reads files directly, which is faster and more predictable.
Can I use them together?
Yes. They are separate connections. Many people keep a local tool for the machine they sit at and use Local Commander to reach their other computers.
Which systems does Local Commander support?
Windows 11 x64, macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon, and Linux with a systemd user session (Ubuntu 24.04 x64 or arm64), plus Node.js 20 or later.
More worked examples: use cases and how to control multiple computers with AI.