Pick Limrun if you need an agent on a cloud simulator this week and want the build sandbox in the same tool. Pick EAS Simulator if you are an Expo team already on EAS Build and can get access: Expo currently admits select partners and invites teams from a waitlist in batches. If your app runs on a TV, or you want your agent's check saved as a test, read the VibeView section first.
Expo now lists the product as Expo Simulators. This page keeps the name it launched with.
Who this comparison is for
Teams whose coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or anything built on an MCP client) makes mobile UI changes it cannot see, and who want it to install the build on a device, tap through the change and report back. Both products are built for exactly that. Expo's product page says "Simulators built for agents"; Limrun's homepage says "Unlock cloud agents for mobile dev teams".
Where VibeView fits
Disclosure: this section is about VibeView. We also mention it in the introduction, one FAQ answer, the last section and the closing call to action. The image and buttons at the top are ours too. Everything about Expo and Limrun comes from their own pages, with the date we checked them.
- Phones, tablets and TVs. Cloud iOS simulators, Android emulators, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku devices, available now with a free tier that needs no card.
- Agent control. Your coding agent drives the device through the VibeView CLI, a skill or the MCP server, and can save what it checked as a test.
- Tests. Record or describe plain-language steps. A No AI run replays recorded and learned steps without calling a model; Smart uses AI (beta) only where the screen changed or a step has no path yet. A visual check is on by default in every new group, results can post to GitHub checks, and test runs record a video kept for 30 days.
- Build and ship. Cloud builds compile the
simulator and emulator builds with no Mac, and
vibeview submitsends a production build to TestFlight, a Google Play track or the Amazon Appstore.
Our limits: live sessions are not recorded as video, and there is no camera injection, per-instance credentials or jurisdiction pinning. Our phones and tablets are simulators and emulators, not physical devices.
How an agent drives each
EAS Simulator. Per its announcement, it runs a remote iOS Simulator or Android Emulator on EAS infrastructure, streams a live web preview, and runs an EAS build or one you upload. An agent drives it through agent-device, Argent or computer use, with an eas-simulator skill for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex; Expo's docs also cover an Appium client, and its pricing page lists MCP.
Limrun. Its CLI guide is written for the agent: a hosted Xcode sandbox compiles
the app, lim ios create --attach boots a simulator, and the agent reads
lim ios element-tree and acts by accessibility ID. The homepage adds batch actions
"for millisecond precision".
What each buys you
| If this is your constraint | Lean | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Using it this week | Limrun | Install with npm, pnpm or bun. Expo describes a limited-access preview opened from a waitlist in batches. |
| Building the iOS app without a Mac, in the same tool | Limrun | A hosted Xcode sandbox compiles it, with the Xcode version picked per command and build logs streamed. EAS Simulator runs a build from EAS Build or one you upload. |
| Agent commands built by the vendor | Limrun | Limrun's own CLI reads the element tree and acts by accessibility ID. Expo's control runs through agent-device, Argent or an Appium client. |
| A recording on the pull request | Either | Expo: "a session recording lands on the PR", with a full video and a timeline of every interaction. Limrun's guide has the agent record video and attach it to the pull request. |
| Faking the camera | Either | Expo lists camera feed injection from a test pattern, photo or video. Limrun lists camera and microphone simulation on every plan. |
| Several people on one session | Either | Expo says you, your coworkers and your agents can all work on the same device at once. Limrun's signed stream URL lets anyone who has it watch and use the simulator without signing in. |
| Sandboxing an agent you do not trust with the org | Limrun | A sandboxed agent gets a per-instance URL and token with no org-level key, and instances can be pinned to a US, EU or Asian jurisdiction. |
| Shipping to the stores | Either | Limrun uploads to App Store Connect and TestFlight, and to Google Play's internal track. Expo has EAS Submit, a separate product on every EAS plan. |
| An Expo project with EAS Build and Workflows already in place | EAS Simulator | It takes an EAS build ID and runs on the infrastructure behind EAS Build, Submit and Workflows. |
| A Swift, Kotlin or Flutter project | Either | Expo names SwiftUI, Kotlin and Flutter builds. Limrun's remote builds list Swift, React Native and other frameworks. |
| Apple Watch apps | Limrun | Limrun's simulator models include a watch, alongside iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad. |
| TV apps | Neither documents it | Expo does not document TV testing: its iOS image includes Apple TV and Vision Pro simulators, but its docs describe no TV workflow, remote or focus control, and nothing for Android TV or Roku. Limrun says "tvOS and visionOS are device builds only". |
| Physical devices | Neither hosts them | Limrun's preview can install a build to your own phone over WebUSB. |
| Knowing the price before you start | Either | EAS lists $0.10 a minute for iOS and Android (beta pricing, billed per second). Limrun bills credits at $0.04 inside a plan, $0.05 past it; an iOS minute is 2 credits, an Android minute 1. |
Which to pick
Ask who reads the result. If a reviewer reads it on the pull request, Expo puts a session recording there. If the agent reads it and keeps working, Limrun documents the commands for that today. If the app runs on a television, or you want the agent's check saved as a test, see where VibeView fits.
Published 20 September 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 · Expo EAS Simulator pages verified 23 October 2026 · Limrun pricing page and documentation verified 23 October 2026