TL;DR - Vibe Coding for Mobile Apps: The Reality
Vibe coding is useful for exploration and prototyping, but does not replace professional development. While it can accelerate certain initial phases, the majority of projects started with vibe coding end up requiring a complete rewrite to become viable production applications.
Best approach: Use vibe coding for throwaway prototypes, then hire real developers to build the final application.
- Tools for prototyping: Replit Agent (beginners), GitHub Copilot ($10/month), Cursor ($20/month)
- Good for vibe coding: Rapid prototypes, concept exploration, personal learning
- Requires professional developers: Architecture, authentication, payments, security, optimization, maintenance, scalability
- Frameworks: React Native (more resources) or Flutter (better performance) - but AI doesn't replace expertise
Real speed: Initial prototypes are fast (hours/days), but complete rewrite needed for production. Time "saved" is often lost (and multiplied) during the rebuild phase.
Who should use it: Throwaway prototypes to validate concepts, personal learning projects, mockups for investors (provided you accept throwing away the code afterward).
Do NOT use for: Production applications (any category), anything involving real users, sensitive data, or actual business needs. In these cases, hire a professional team from the start.
In recent months, we've been receiving many questions about vibe coding: can you really build a mobile app with this approach?
The answer: yes, but with realistic expectations. Vibe coding is a powerful tool for certain phases of development, particularly for prototyping and learning.
Important: Before diving in, read our article The Vibe Coding Illusion to understand the limitations of this approach and avoid common pitfalls. This technical article will then show you how to use it effectively.
In this practical guide, you'll discover:
- What vibe coding is and how it works in practice
- The best tools for 2025 (Replit, Copilot, Cursor)
- A step-by-step guide to creating your first application
- React Native vs Flutter: which framework to choose
- When this approach is appropriate (and when it's not)
- Real-world examples with actual timelines and results
What is Vibe Coding?
Vibe coding uses natural language prompts to generate code with AI assistance. Instead of writing each line manually, developers describe features in plain language, and AI tools create the implementation.
The process:
- Write a prompt describing your feature
- AI generates the code
- Review and adjust the result
- Test and iterate
➤ AI generates the components, state management, and data storage logic. You review the code, make adjustments, and test the result.
Key difference from traditional coding:
Traditional development requires manually writing each function, component, and integration. Vibe coding accelerates this process by automatically generating base code and common structures, allowing developers to focus on customization and specific business logic.
This approach can accelerate the creation of basic components like lists, simple navigation, and certain standard API calls.
Important: Critical features always require professional development: authentication, payments, security, application architecture, complex state management, performance optimization, testing, and long-term maintainability.
1. Top 3 Platforms for 2025
1. Replit Agent
Beginners and rapid prototyping
- Cost: Free plan, Pro at $20/month
- Strengths: Browser-based, instant setup
- Mobile support: React Native, web apps
- Ideal for: Learning, throwaway prototypes, exploring ideas
➤ Perfect for non-technical entrepreneurs testing their ideas. Describe your concept and instantly get your project structure.
2. GitHub Copilot
Experienced developers
- Cost: $10/month for individuals
- Strengths: Works in any IDE, context-aware
- Mobile support: React Native, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin
- Ideal for: Assisting professional developers, accelerating development
➤ Assists experienced developers in real-time. Auxiliary tool that accelerates professional development, but doesn't replace human expertise.
3. Cursor
AI-assisted development
- Cost: Free version, Pro at $20/month
- Strengths: Conversational interface, understands your code
- Mobile support: All mobile frameworks
- Ideal for: Advanced AI assistance
➤ Next-generation IDE with integrated AI. Chat with your code and generate complex multi-file features.
2. Quick Comparison
➤ Choose Replit for rapid prototypes, Copilot to assist professional development, or Cursor for maximum AI assistance.
Building Your First Mobile App with Vibe Coding
1. Quick Start Guide
Step 1: Choose a Simple Project
Start with basic applications to learn the workflow (learning projects only):
- To-do list with local storage
- Weather app using a free API
- Note-taking app with categories
- Simple expense tracker
Avoid complex features at first. Focus on understanding how AI generates code and where manual intervention is helpful.
Step 2: Set Up Your Development Environment
Choose one of these three platforms:
- Replit Agent
- GitHub Copilot
- Cursor
Each tool offers a different approach to vibe coding. Choose the one that matches your experience level.
Step 3: Write Effective Prompts
• Bottom tabs: Tasks, Completed, Settings
• Task list with swipe to delete
• Add button opening a modal form
• Local storage using AsyncStorage
• Material Design styling"
Step 4: Review and Test Generated Code
Always examine the code produced by AI:
Security:
- Check authentication logic
- Verify data validation
- Secure API key management
- Ensure secure storage
Performance:
- Spot unnecessary re-renders
- Detect memory leaks
- Optimize data structures
- Test with large data volumes
Error Handling:
- Add missing try-catch blocks
- Anticipate network failures
- Validate user inputs
- Display clear error messages
➤ Test on real devices, not just simulators. iOS and Android have specific behaviors that emulators don't always reproduce.
2. Common Challenges
Context-Free Code: AI tools don't understand all your business logic. Always adapt the generated code to your specific needs.
Inconsistent Styles: Each prompt can produce a different code style. Define your conventions from the start and maintain them.
Forgotten Edge Cases: AI generates code that works under ideal conditions. Add error handling, empty data cases, and unexpected behaviors yourself.
Outdated Libraries: AI training data isn't always up to date. Verify that suggested packages are recent and maintained.
➤ Start simple, test regularly, and gradually increase complexity while observing how your tool responds to prompts.
Cross-Platform Development with Vibe Coding
Cross-platform frameworks work well with vibe coding tools. React Native and Flutter let you build for iOS and Android from a single codebase, and AI models have extensive training on these technologies.
Single codebase benefits
- Generate code once, deploy everywhere
- Faster development compared to native apps
- Lower maintenance burden
- Consistent user experience
AI advantages
- More training data on JavaScript/Dart than Swift/Kotlin
- Web development patterns transfer well
- Component-based architecture suits AI generation
- Larger community creating more examples
React Native + Vibe Coding
JavaScript's popularity means AI tools excel at React Native generation. Use prompts like:
✓ React Native works well for business apps, social features, and content-driven applications.
Flutter + Vibe Coding
Flutter offers better performance and beautiful default components. AI tools handle Flutter well but may need more specific prompts:
✓ Flutter excels for apps needing smooth animations, custom UI, and near-native performance.
➤ Choose based on your background: JavaScript developers find React Native easier. Those wanting better performance prefer Flutter.
When to Use Vibe Coding vs Traditional Development
Use Vibe Coding For
- Throwaway Prototypes
Quickly validate concepts before investing in professional development. Consider this code temporary. - Personal Learning
Understand how components work and accelerate your development learning curve. - Concept Exploration
Test interface ideas or simple features for personal or academic projects. - Investor Mockups
Create visual demonstrations to present a vision, knowing the code will need to be rebuilt. - Experimental Projects
Hackathons, testing new technologies, or POC (proof of concept) without production goals.
Use Professional Development For
- Production Applications
Any application intended for real users requires solid architecture and professional development. - Commercial Applications
If your app generates revenue or represents your business, invest in a qualified team. - Sensitive Data
Finance, healthcare, personal data: security and compliance require professional expertise. - Critical Features
Authentication, payments, high performance, complex algorithms require professional code. - Long-term Vision
Scalable projects requiring maintenance, updates, and scalability need professional foundations.
The Realistic Approach
Vibe coding and professional development are not equivalent alternatives: they serve different purposes.
Exploration Phase
Use vibe coding to rapidly prototype and validate your concept (a few days).
Validation
Test your prototype with users. Adjust your vision. Throw away the code.
Professional Development
Hire a professional team to build the real application with solid architecture.
Myth of the 70/30 "Hybrid" Approach
Contrary to what some claim, you cannot build 70% of an application with vibe coding and 30% with professional code. A production application requires coherent architecture from the start. Vibe coding is for exploring, not building.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What exactly is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is an approach that uses natural language prompts and AI tools to generate code quickly. It's particularly useful for prototyping, learning, and exploring concepts. However, the generated code generally requires a complete rewrite by professional developers to create viable production applications.
2. Do I need coding experience to get started?
A basic understanding obviously helps. You should know:
- Programming concepts (variables, functions, loops)
- How mobile apps work (screens, navigation, data)
- Common development tools (code editors, version control)
Beginners can create simple prototypes with tools like Replit, but understanding the generated code is essential for debugging and adjustments. Vibe coding is an excellent learning tool, but doesn't replace learning programming fundamentals.
3. Can I create production applications with vibe coding?
No, not with vibe coding alone. While you can create functional prototypes quickly, production applications require:
- Solid and scalable architecture
- Robust security and audits
- Comprehensive testing and rigorous QA
- Professional state management
- Performance optimization
- Long-term maintainability
The recommended approach:
- Use vibe coding to create a quick prototype (a few days)
- Validate your concept with users
- Throw away the prototype code
- Hire a professional team to build the real application
4. What are the main limitations?
Lack of architecture: Generated code lacks scalable structure and overall project vision.
Variable code quality: Requires thorough review for security, performance, and best practices.
No contextual memory: AI forgets previous decisions and can create inconsistencies between components.
Technical debt: Code accumulates quickly without clear structure, making maintenance impossible.
False speed: What seems fast at first becomes slow when everything needs to be rewritten for production.
5. What does vibe coding really cost?
Tool costs: $0 to $20/month (Replit, Copilot, Cursor)
But the real cost includes:
- Vibe coding prototype: $5,000 - $10,000
- Required complete rewrite: $40,000 - $60,000
- Total cost: $45,000 - $70,000
Compare with professional development from the start:
- Complete application with solid architecture: $50,000 - $60,000
- Shorter timeline (no rewrite)
- Maintainable and scalable code from the start
Conclusion: Vibe coding generally costs more and takes longer than professional development from the start.
6. Which framework works best?
React Native is easiest for vibe coding:
- JavaScript has the most AI training data
- Large community and resources
- Web development patterns transfer well
- Easier learning curve
Flutter offers better performance:
- Beautiful components by default
- Near-native speed
- Growing AI tool support
- Better for complex interfaces
Choose React Native for quick prototypes if you know JavaScript. Choose Flutter if you prefer Dart or need better performance in your prototypes.
Conclusion
Vibe coding allows you to explore ideas in a few hours or days, which facilitates concept validation before investing in professional development.
However, this guide has shown that vibe coding does not replace professional development for creating production applications. Commercial applications require solid architecture, robust security, and long-term maintainability that only an experienced team can provide.
The recommended approach: Create a quick prototype with vibe coding to validate your concept, then hire a professional team to develop the final application. This approach is more cost-effective than attempting a hybrid construction that will inevitably require a complete rewrite.