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Petal is presented as a free, open-source desktop app for pair programming and collaborative screen sharing, with remote mouse and keyboard control. The project offers a hosted option using LiveKit infrastructure and a self-hosted setup; Linux support is listed as coming next.
Petal is being introduced as a free, open-source desktop app for pair programming and collaborative screen sharing, offering remote mouse and keyboard control alongside shared application windows. The project says users can join a hosted service or point the app at a LiveKit server they operate, giving teams a choice between a managed setup and keeping media traffic on their own infrastructure.
The Petal project page describes a different approach from conventional tiled video calls: shared windows appear as movable, resizable windows on participants’ desktops. It says the shared content is high-resolution and low-latency, and that users can see labeled cursors and provide remote mouse and keyboard input. These are descriptions from the project, not independently verified performance results.
Petal also says multiple people can share windows at the same time and that teams can create persistent rooms, such as a room for an engineering sync, so members can join without circulating a meeting link or scheduling a call. The page presents the app as requiring a desktop installation, with downloads listed for Mac and Windows.
Users can choose among three operating approaches. Petal Cloud uses the project’s LiveKit video infrastructure; self-hosting uses the same app with a LiveKit server run by the user; and the source-code option allows developers to fork, build and modify the app and use their own stack. The project describes the self-hosted route as a Docker Compose setup with a server URL to configure. Linux support is marked as coming next, rather than listed as currently available.
More Control Over Pairing Sessions
Petal’s pitch combines two features teams often have to assemble through separate products: shared, interactive application windows and remote input for collaborative work. If the advertised behavior works reliably, it could make it easier for distributed teams to review code, troubleshoot software or work together in the same desktop application without relying only on a conventional screen-share view.
The deployment choices may matter to organizations with different privacy and operations requirements. Petal Cloud is positioned as the simplest route, while self-hosting is aimed at teams that want media traffic to remain on infrastructure they run. The source-code option gives teams scope to change the app, but also leaves them responsible for building and maintaining their own version. The project page does not provide independent testing, pricing details beyond describing the offering as free, or evidence about performance at scale.
screen sharing software for remote teams
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Cloud, Self-Hosting and Source Code
The announcement is framed around making a desktop collaboration tool available as open-source software, with options for teams that want a hosted service as well as those that want to operate the media server themselves. The project page links to GitHub for both self-hosting information and the source, and describes the managed service as using LiveKit for video. It does not provide further technical documentation in the supplied material about the application’s architecture or licensing.
The product’s name and the “Show HN” framing refer to alternatives for screen sharing and remote collaboration, but the available source does not establish a direct technical relationship to CoScreen or ScreenHero. The claim that Petal is “finally free” is also not accompanied by a pricing history or details of earlier availability. The confirmed development is the project’s presentation of Petal as a free, open-source offering and the deployment paths it lists.
““Real windows””
— Petal project website
pair programming collaboration tools
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Availability and Performance Details
The supplied project page does not specify when Linux support will arrive, which open-source license Petal uses, or whether cloud use has limits or costs beyond the “free” description. It also gives no independent benchmarks for latency, image quality, simultaneous sharing capacity or reliability. Those product characteristics remain project claims until supported by technical documentation or outside testing.
It is also unclear how the app handles permissions for remote keyboard and mouse input, what safeguards users can apply, and which platforms or configurations are supported beyond the listed Mac and Windows downloads. The source material does not include user numbers, customer examples, release notes or a dated launch announcement, so the scope and maturity of the project cannot be established from the page alone.
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Linux and Product Documentation
The next stated platform milestone is Linux support, although the project has not supplied a release date. Readers interested in trying Petal can consult the project page for the listed Mac and Windows downloads, or use its GitHub links to review the source and self-hosting options.
Further details that would help teams evaluate the app include its license, supported operating-system versions, security and permission model, cloud-service terms, and independently measured performance. Until those are available, organizations should treat the page’s feature and performance descriptions as claims from the project and verify that the app meets their operational needs.
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Key Questions
What is Petal?
Petal is a desktop collaboration app presented for pair programming and screen sharing. Its project page lists shared windows, labeled cursors and remote mouse and keyboard input.
Is Petal open source and free?
The project describes Petal as free and open source and links to its source on GitHub. The supplied page does not specify the software license or give detailed pricing terms for the hosted service.
Can teams host Petal themselves?
Yes. Petal describes a self-hosted option using the same app with a LiveKit server operated by the team, with setup described as using Docker Compose and a server URL.
Which operating systems are listed?
The project page lists downloads for Mac and Windows. It says Linux support is coming next but does not provide a release date.
Are Petal’s performance claims independently verified?
Not in the supplied material. Low latency, high resolution and simultaneous sharing are descriptions from the Petal project; no independent benchmarks or testing results are provided.
Source: hn
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