Vibecode accelerates mobile app development with Claude
Industry:
Software
Company size:
Small
Product:
AI Platform
Location:
North America
Build apps for $100
vs. traditional development typically costing $10K–$50K
Months to under 1 hour
Time from idea to App Store publication
The problem
The solution
"Claude has consistently been the best AI model that we've used. It's not really close."
Co-founder, Vibecode
Vibecode is a platform that teaches people how to design, build, and publish production-ready apps entirely from their phone through natural conversation with Claude, without writing a single line of code.
With Claude, Vibecode:
- Created the first mobile-native app builder, eliminating the need for computers or coding knowledge
- Reduced average app development cost from $50,000 to $100
- Compressed app development timelines from months to under one hour
- Enabled software development 100% via mobile app—no desktop required
The challenge
The vast majority of people have never written a line of code. Mobile development is even more specialized. Traditional mobile apps require significant investment—$10,000 to $50,000 or more—and months of work with development teams, making custom software unrealistic for many small business owners, creators, and entrepreneurs.
Vibecode's mission is to change that and democratize mobile app development by meeting users where they already are. "Most SMB owners run their business on their phone,” said Riley Brown, Vibecode co-founder and an early adopter of vibecoding. “It's most convenient for them to build apps on their phone." CEO and co-founder Ansh Nanda added: "For humans, 80% of their attention is on mobile. Building for mobile was obvious."
Selecting Claude as the engine for mobile app creation
Vibecode's journey with Anthropic began when the founding team observed early Claude models (Sonnet 3.5 through 3.7) generating high-quality web applications. If Claude could build for the web, they reasoned, it should be able to build for mobile too.
The team needed a model that could reliably produce clean React Native code, handle complex backend systems, and orchestrate multi-file projects—all while maintaining consistency on mobile devices. Claude's capabilities in code generation, multi-file reasoning, tool use, and agentic workflows made it the choice for production-quality mobile app development.
After evaluating other leading AI models, the choice was clear. "Claude has consistently been the best AI model that we've used,” Brown said. “It's not really close. Claude has always been the best for us, and we use it as the default model within the Vibecode app. Without it, people wouldn't be able to build apps directly on their phone."
Vibecode uses Claude to power end-to-end app creation
Vibecode runs Claude Code programmatically under-the-hood, which serves as the complete engine behind Vibecode's app-building experience. The model handles React Native/ Expo code generation with production-ready front-end code, backend creation for APIs, databases, and authentication, multi-file code orchestration across complex project architectures, and tool-based workflows optimized for mobile interaction. The result is a polished interface where users simply describe what they want in plain language, and Claude translates that into working mobile applications.
Implementation moved quickly. Claude's reliable code generation meant Vibecode didn't need extensive error-handling infrastructure. The API integration was straightforward, with predictable outputs that allowed rapid movement from testing to production.
The outcome
Since adopting Opus 4.5 as the default model, Vibecode grew its business 3x to 10M in annualized revenue. Users who would never have considered building software are now creating production-ready mobile apps. One user built a marketplace app for land sales in Australia with property listings and full transaction capabilities. Another created a virtual sensory board designed for children with autism or sensory processing needs, turning their phone into an accessible therapeutic tool.
Users have built wellness apps, internal business tools, AI-powered applications, health and fitness trackers, and retail platforms. Each represents a category that previously required professional development teams. "Business owners are building apps that directly support and grow their businesses," Brown said. "Multiple users highlight how Vibecode and Claude let them build apps they never thought they could create."
The platform has also cultivated a community where users share their creations, learn from each other, and push the boundaries of what's possible with mobile-native development.
Looking ahead, Vibecode's vision extends beyond building apps with AI to enabling users to create agentic apps with Claude Agent SDK—applications with AI capabilities built directly into them. "We don't want people to just be able to build apps with AI," Nanda said. "We want people to push the edges of possibility and actually create agentic apps. We believe vibe coders will be pushing the boundary with what is possible, not just creating simple applications."
As Anthropic releases new models, Vibecode plans to integrate them immediately. The company expects Claude to remain at the core of its product, using it to create customized subagents and skills and proving that the future of software development is fundamentally more accessible.
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"Claude has consistently been the best AI model that we've used. It's not really close."
Co-founder, Vibecode
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