Polylane (site) is an AI agent that monitors your code so you don't have to be on call for it. It has a free tier (2 team members, 2 cloud accounts, 50 PR reviews/month), but paid plans start at $80/month billed monthly, or $64/month billed annually, with higher tiers above that. If you want similar agent-monitoring or oversight without that price tag, here are cheaper options, ordered from free up to $16/month.
Comparison
| Product | Free tier | Starts at | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AgentWake | Yes (fully free) | Not stated (free, open source) | Mac users already on Claude Pro/Max who want a no-cost way to wake and resume agents |
| Evlat | Yes (fully free) | Not stated (free) | macOS users who just want to see which agent is waiting on them |
| AgentWatch | Yes | $4.99/mo | Monitoring and remote control from your phone |
| relayd | Yes | $5/mo | Push notifications when Codex agents finish, with mobile continuation |
| Grove | Yes (3-day trial) | $5 one-time | Developers who want a single terminal for themselves and an agent, no subscription |
| Dock Agent | Yes (3-day trial) | $14.99 one-time per device | Approving agent commands in one panel without a recurring fee |
| CodeAgent Mobile | Yes | $16/mo | Running and supervising agents across local, cloud, or your own machine |
AgentWake
AgentWake (site) wakes an agent with one file, giving it lasting memory and remote access. It's free and open source under an MIT license, with no subscription fees for the tool itself. It suits developers already paying for Claude Pro or Max, since AgentWake requires that subscription and macOS to run. The limitation: it's not a standalone product — you're relying on an existing Claude plan, and it only works on Mac.
Evlat
Evlat (site) is a free native macOS app that tells you which AI coding agent is waiting on you, so you're not switching windows to check. It's explicitly free with no pricing model stated beyond that. It suits solo developers or small teams on Mac who want a lightweight status monitor rather than full remote control. The limitation: it's macOS-only, and there's no stated roadmap for paid features or cross-platform support.
AgentWatch
AgentWatch (site) monitors and controls AI coding agents from your phone, with a menu bar Dynamic Island UI and push notifications. The free tier includes unlimited monitoring and 5 free remote operations; AgentWatch Plus is $4.99/month for unlimited remote operations. It suits developers who want cheap mobile oversight without committing to a subscription first. The limitation: the free tier caps remote operations at 5, so active use quickly requires the paid plan.
relayd
relayd (site) sends push notifications when Codex agents finish and lets you continue them from your phone. The free tier includes 1 relay connection and 1 workspace; Pro is $5/month for unlimited relays and workspaces. It suits anyone running multiple agents who keeps missing completion notifications. The limitation: the free tier's single relay/workspace cap means multi-project users will likely need to upgrade right away.
Grove
Grove (site) gives you one terminal for you and your AI agent to share. It's a one-time purchase of $5 with a 3-day free trial, no subscription or renewal. It suits developers who prefer paying once over a recurring fee for a lightweight shared-terminal workflow. The limitation: the description doesn't mention ongoing monitoring or mobile alerts, so it's narrower in scope than Polylane's full oversight approach.
Dock Agent
Dock Agent (site) monitors and approves AI coding agent commands in one panel, including bash command approval and rate-limit tracking. The free tier is for personal use with a 3-day trial; the paid tier is a one-time $14.99 payment per device for unlimited concurrent sessions. It suits individual developers who want command-level approval without a subscription. The limitation: it's priced per device, so teams with multiple machines pay multiple times.
CodeAgent Mobile
CodeAgent Mobile (site) runs and supervises AI coding agents locally, in the cloud, or on your own box. The free tier allows 3 agent tasks/day with limited devices and workspaces; Pro is $19.99/month ($16/month billed annually), plus pay-as-you-go credits starting at $10. It suits developers who want flexibility across environments and are willing to pay closer to Polylane's territory for it. The limitation: at $16-20/month it's the priciest option here, and heavy use adds metered credit costs on top.
How to choose
If you just need visibility into agent status on a Mac, start with the free AgentWake or Evlat. If you want mobile push notifications and remote control at low cost, AgentWatch or relayd cover that for under $5/month. If you'd rather pay once than subscribe, Grove or Dock Agent avoid recurring fees. If you need full cross-environment supervision closer to what Polylane offers, CodeAgent Mobile is the nearest paid option, though still cheaper than Polylane's $80/month.
FAQ
Is there a truly free alternative to Polylane? Yes, AgentWake and Evlat are both stated as fully free.
What's the cheapest paid option? AgentWatch at $4.99/month is the lowest recurring price listed.
Are any alternatives one-time purchases instead of subscriptions? Yes, Grove ($5) and Dock Agent ($14.99) are both one-time, per-device or per-purchase fees rather than monthly plans.