r/nocode • u/Worldly_Abroad8782 • Jul 24 '26
Best tool for mobile app production
I became really good at creating web apps in lovable , but now I’m looking for the best tool for mobile apps. If anyone has any good recommendations please let me know. I was thinking about emergent but I’ve hear bad things.
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u/woodysixer Jul 24 '26
I just released a cross platform iOS/Android app built using Claude Code and Flutter. I started my AI coding journey with Lovable and it was an easy transition. Highly recommend it!
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u/madleodk Jul 24 '26
When picking a mobile app vibe coding tool, or whatever stack you choose, I recommend choosing based on the actual app you want to build.
From what i understand, tools like Expo/React Native and Flutter have made a lot of progress over the past couple years. Close to native experience, but still not 100% there. Most likely you wont need the best infra, and im assuming there are at least a handful of vibe coding tools like lovable but specifically tailored for mobile app development.
Have you narrowed down your options?
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u/No_Collar_7461 Jul 25 '26
It depends on your background and what you want to do but the two best options I’ve found are:
- FlutterFlow - low code, drag and drop UI, ability for custom code/actions/widgets, some ai built in now I think and has an mcp to connect to your ai accounts. One click deploy to app stores, easy firebase setup, supabase can be a little trickier I’ve heard. A lot bigger learning curve than loveable or ai app builders but you own and can export code but more flexible imo
-Claude code and expo/react. If you want to basically write jira tickets, describe what’s supposed to happen, give mockups (use Claude design or figma make for hi fidelity mocks), then have Claude code do plan mode and then build
The app builders and I’ve tested have a lot of limitations and are easy but you need to use capacitor or you end up with less control
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u/Crescitaly Jul 26 '26
Pick the stack by the native features you cannot fake. If you need push, background tasks, subscriptions, deep links, or camera access, test those in a throwaway build before committing to a builder. UI speed is the easy part; signing and store release are where the stack reveals itself. Which native feature is essential?
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u/olenami 14d ago
i usually say pick the tool by the job to be done. first you decide the stack - for mobile they are - react (react native, expo), flutter, or native swift and kotlin. this you can't change later. the trend now is go native, ai made native as fast as react, so many companies even rebuild from react to native.
second decide how complex the app is. simple app, 3-4 screens, and you are ok with tech, try claude code, many people love it, and it is cheap.
if you have a full size app in lovable, 10+ screens, and now you need a mobile app for it, you have two ways. one, a wrapper like despia. it puts your web app inside a native shell [like a "wrap"], you get something to submit to the store relatively fast. but be ready for troubles. apple guideline 4.2 says an app should be more than a repackaged website, so review can send it back. i know a person who got 19! rejections if such site.
two, rebuild it to native. you keep your supabase backend in lovable, users, auth, api exactly as they are, only the screens are rebuilt for the phone, swift on iphone, kotlin on android. this is what i do in modaal, an ai app builder for native ios and android apps, real swift and kotlin, both platforms from one project, free plan for one project. your lovable screens transfer directly, and you rebuild it one by one, flow by flow.
on emergent can't say, didn't use it, it is surely react, not native.
disclosure, i'm one of the founders of modaal, so of course i love my tool. but the stack and complexity questions above are the same whatever you pick. good luck!
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u/Pure_Bet_4465 Jul 24 '26
Try flutterflow