CRS vs Happy
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Self-hosted relay that lets a small group share Claude, OpenAI, Gemini and Droid subscriptions through one ser
Open source · MIT
A multi-model coding agent app that runs Claude, Codex and Grok, with a phone companion, using your existing s
The short answer
Choose CRS if you need…
- Developers comfortable running a Node.js server and Redis themselves
- Small groups who want to split one shared Claude subscription with known members
- People who want usage tracking and per-user keys for their own AI tool access
- Users who are willing to maintain the server and handle OAuth setup
Choose Happy if you need…
- Developers who already pay for Claude, Codex or Grok subscriptions and want one interface for them
- People who want to check on a running coding agent from their phone
- Small teams who want to watch and steer the same agent session together
- Users who want an MIT-licensed codebase they can read or fork
Side-by-side
| CRS | Happy | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.8k | 24.4k |
| Setup difficulty | Advanced | Intermediate |
| How you get it | See the README | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | Swift |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
CRS
Claude Relay Service is a server you host yourself that sits between tools like Claude Code and the official AI APIs. You add your subscription accounts to it, create separate API keys for each person, and point your tools at your server instead of the vendor directly. It tracks token usage per key and rotates across accounts when one has a problem.
Happy
Happy is an open-source (MIT) app that lets you run AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Grok from one place, and watch or steer them from a phone. According to its README, you sign in with the subscriptions you already pay for rather than buying new access. The README also describes a simple terminal CLI (npm install -g happy) that wraps Claude Code and Codex and can continue sessions on your phone.
Best for
CRS
- Developers comfortable running a Node.js server and Redis themselves
- Small groups who want to split one shared Claude subscription with known members
- People who want usage tracking and per-user keys for their own AI tool access
- Users who are willing to maintain the server and handle OAuth setup
Happy
- Developers who already pay for Claude, Codex or Grok subscriptions and want one interface for them
- People who want to check on a running coding agent from their phone
- Small teams who want to watch and steer the same agent session together
- Users who want an MIT-licensed codebase they can read or fork
Strengths
CRS
- Keeps requests between your own server and the upstream API rather than a third-party mirror, as the README describes
- Supports multiple accounts with automatic switching when one fails
- Provides per-key limits and usage statistics in a web admin panel
Happy
- Free and MIT-licensed, with the source code available on GitHub
- Reuses existing Claude, Codex and Grok subscriptions rather than adding a separate bill, per the README
- Projects remain ordinary folders on your own machine, as the README describes
Not ideal for
CRS
- Anyone who wants a turnkey hosted service with no server to maintain, since the README describes self-hosting only
- Users who need guaranteed access, because the README warns that using the project may violate Anthropic's terms and may lead to account bans
- Beginners with no command-line experience, since setup involves Redis, environment files and OAuth steps
Happy
- People who need a fully audited, production-grade security tool: the README does not describe a security review and says little about threat models beyond end-to-end encryption of device sync
- Users who only want a single model and a simple terminal command: the original CLI covers that more directly, and the multi-model features point to the desktop app and Happy Harness
- People without any existing agent subscription or API access, since the README centers on reusing those logins
Trade-offs
CRS
- The README includes a security notice that versions v1.1.248 and below have an admin authentication bypass, so you must run a recent release
- The README states that using the project may violate Anthropic's terms of service and that users bear the risk
- Cloud servers in some regions may be blocked by Cloudflare, according to the README's experience notes
Happy
- The README is truncated and the multi-model features are described mainly at a high level, so exact behavior is unclear
- The repository covers only the mobile app, original CLI and relay server; the desktop app and agent runtime live in separate repositories
- The latest release tag listed here (cli-1.2.5) has no binaries attached, so installation relies on npm or building from source
Getting started
CRS
Run the management script installer (recommended)
curl -fsSL https://pincc.ai/manage.sh -o manage.sh && chmod +x manage.sh && ./manage.sh installClone the repository for manual setup
git clone https://github.com/Wei-Shaw//claude-relay-service.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between CRS and Happy?
CRS: Self-hosted relay that lets a small group share Claude, OpenAI, Gemini and Droid subscriptions through one ser. Happy: A multi-model coding agent app that runs Claude, Codex and Grok, with a phone companion, using your existing s. CRS suits developers comfortable running a node.js server and redis themselves, while Happy suits developers who already pay for claude, codex or grok subscriptions and want one interface for them.
Are CRS and Happy free?
CRS: Free and open source. Happy: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, CRS or Happy?
Happy is easier to get started with (rated intermediate); CRS is rated advanced and usually needs more setup.
Is CRS or Happy more popular?
Happy has more GitHub stars (24.4k) than CRS (12.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to CRS and Happy?
Other options people compare them with include magpie, OmniRoute, AI Website Cloner, Claude HUD, OpenHands.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.