A normal PinDrift session dies when your laptop goes to sleep. PinDriftBox fixes that with a tiny computer that stays on all the time. A Raspberry Pi is the most popular host, but the same PinDriftBox software runs on a mini-PC, a NAS, or any small server you have lying around.
Why a Pi works for this
A Raspberry Pi draws about 3 watts. That's roughly $4 a year on your electric bill. A desktop running 24/7 is closer to $80. The Pi is silent, fanless, and the size of a deck of cards.
It also has a clean USB setup that handles iPhone connections without dropping the link. We've seen NAS boxes and old PCs struggle here, so the Pi just makes life easier. That said, if you already own a mini-PC, an Intel NUC, a Beelink, or a Mac mini, PinDriftBox runs on those too. Pick whatever quiet computer you already have.
What you actually need
One PinDriftBox license is $249, one time. That includes a $50 Lifetime PinDrift desktop license, so you net out at $209 for the always-on piece. No subscription, no maintenance fee, all future updates included, forever.
Hardware you supply yourself:
- Raspberry Pi 4 (2 GB), about $100. A Pi 5 also works.
- Official Pi USB-C power supply, about $10. Cheap chargers cause reboot loops.
- High-endurance microSD card, about $12. SanDisk High Endurance or Samsung PRO Endurance.
- Passive aluminum case, about $15. Argon NEO or Flirc.
- The Apple cable that came with your phone, for the one-time pairing.
Total hardware investment for the recommended build comes to about $135. If you already have a microSD card and case lying around, you can do it for under $115.
Setup in 5 steps
- Flash the Pi. Use the official Raspberry Pi Imager. Pre-fill your Wi-Fi name, password, and a username inside the Imager so the Pi joins your network on its own.
- Power it on. Plug the SD card in, plug in power, walk away for two minutes. No screen needed.
- Run the installer. Copy the one-line install command from your purchase email and paste it into a remote login session from your laptop. About 5 minutes.
- Pair your iPhone once. Plug the phone into the Pi with your Apple cable. Tap "Trust this Computer" on the phone. The Pi remembers it. Unplug, you won't need the cable again.
- Open the dashboard. In any browser, go to
http://pindriftbox.local. Drop a pin, hit Spoof. Done.
Install Tailscale on both the PinDriftBox and your phone, sign in with the same free account on both. Now you can open the PinDriftBox dashboard from a hotel in Tokyo and change the spoof while you're on the road. It's free, takes 5 minutes, and is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade. See the wireless guide for the walkthrough.
PinDriftBox is in active development and is not yet shipping. The desktop PinDrift app is what you can run today. Drop your email on the PinDriftBox waitlist to get notified when the image is ready.
Frequently asked questions
Why does PinDriftBox cost $249?
$249 buys the PinDriftBox software and includes a $50 Lifetime PinDrift desktop license. You bring your own Pi (or mini-PC, or NAS). No subscription, no maintenance fee, all future updates included.
Does it need an HDMI screen?
No. You flash the Pi with Wi-Fi and remote login already set up, plug it into power, and open the PinDriftBox dashboard from any browser. No screen, no keyboard, no monitor.
How many phones can one PinDriftBox handle?
Four to six phones per Pi is comfortable. To go higher, add a second PinDriftBox on the same network. They show up together as one big device list.
What if the power goes out?
The Pi reboots, rejoins Wi-Fi, and resumes the last saved spoof on its own. The phone reconnects in about a minute. A cheap UPS keeps it running through outages.
Try PinDrift today
$4/mo · $20/yr · $50 Lifetime · A True Free Trial · all future updates included, forever.
Download for Windows + macOS See pricing