Fifteen builders that turn a description into a working app, plus one coding assistant that belongs in the conversation, compared on the three things that actually differ: whether you get a native mobile app, whether you get a real backend, and whether you end up owning the code.
Published by Appifex, which is one of the sixteen. Every capability below is quoted from the vendor's own pricing or documentation page and dated on its comparison page.
Almost every one of these tools will produce something impressive in the first ten minutes. The differences show up in week three. Four questions separate them:
Most AI app builders generate web apps. A web app on a phone is not an App Store listing, and no amount of responsive design makes it one. If the answer is yes, six of the fifteen alternatives here drop out before you compare anything else.
Anything with accounts, payments, background jobs or private data needs server-side logic and a database. Some builders give you a managed layer you rent; some give you a server you own and host. Both work — but only one survives you leaving the platform.
Exportable source means you can hire a developer, move hosts, or keep shipping if the vendor changes direction. A proprietary runtime means the app exists only while you are paying. Neither is wrong; picking without knowing which one you chose is.
Generated code fails to compile, dependencies conflict, deploys reject. Whether the tool diagnoses and repairs that itself, or hands you a stack trace, is the single biggest difference in how long a project actually takes.
A check mark means the tool generates this for you — not that it generates it the same way Appifex does. Hosting something you wrote yourself does not count. The text next to the mark is what matters.
| Tool | Native mobile | Backend | Code ownership |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appifex | React Native and native Swift (from Pro), submitted to the stores | FastAPI (Python) with its own PostgreSQL database | Full source in a GitHub repo, yours when you connect GitHub |
| Bolt.new | Expo support (no guided App Store workflow) | Node.js + Express + Server Functions | Two-way GitHub sync |
| Bravo Studio | Native shell over your Figma design | Convex backend via the Bravo MCP beta included in Solo; none in Bravo Studio itself | Studio exports build bundles only; the Solo MCP beta emits React Native |
| FlutterFlow | Flutter iOS + Android | Cloud Functions or external BaaS | Flutter/Dart export on paid plans |
| Replit | React Native and Expo, with a guided App Store path; no native Swift | Various languages | Code export to GitHub available |
| Rork | Native SwiftUI for iPhone and Kotlin for Android, as separate codebases | Managed Rork Cloud functions, Supabase or Firebase | Two-way GitHub sync on paid plans; app code |
| Base44 | Web apps only — no native binaries | Managed Deno server functions on Base44 | GitHub sync on Builder plan and above, app code only |
| Bubble | Native mobile editor, published to both stores on paid plans | Proprietary workflows | No code export |
| Draftbit | React Native iOS + Android | No generated backend — a built-in Supabase project you configure | React Native export |
| Lovable | Web apps only — no native binaries for the App Store or Play | Lovable Cloud edge functions, Supabase underneath | Two-way GitHub + GitLab sync |
| v0 | Web only (Next.js) | Next.js server actions inside the same app | GitHub integration, Vercel-centric |
| Adalo | Adalo runtime, published to stores | No custom server-side logic | No code export |
| Thunkable | Thunkable runtime, published to stores | No custom server-side logic | No code export |
| Webflow | Not available — responsive web only | No backend generated — Webflow Cloud hosts one you write | Code export (limited) |
| Glide | Web view wrapper | No generated backend; workflows and integrations are configured, and Pro adds custom agents via MCP | No code export |
| Coding assistants — a different product, scored on the same axes for reference | |||
| Cursor | Requires manual setup | Must write manually | Full local ownership |
Generates a React Native app for iOS and Android, native Swift for Apple Watch and Vision Pro, and a FastAPI backend with its own PostgreSQL database — all as source code in a GitHub repository, deployed to your own Vercel, Railway or Fly.io accounts. Connect GitHub and the repository is created in your own account and stays there. Choose something else if you only need a web app, in which case a web-first tool will get you there faster.
Choose Bolt.new if you want to iterate on a web app in the browser with instant previews, and Node.js and Express running on Bolt's own hosting is the right shape for your backend. Choose Appifex instead if you want the backend and database generated as code you own and host, rather than as managed services you rent. Appifex vs Bolt.new →
Choose Bravo Studio if you already have a finished, well-structured Figma file and an API, and want the design turned into a native shell quickly. Choose Appifex instead if you do not have a finished Figma file or an API to bind to, and you would rather generate both than assemble them. Appifex vs Bravo Studio →
Choose FlutterFlow if you want pixel-level control over every screen, prefer Flutter and Dart, and are comfortable assembling the UI yourself. Choose Appifex instead if you would rather describe the app than assemble it, and you want React Native and TypeScript shared with your web stack instead of Dart. Appifex vs FlutterFlow →
Choose Replit if you want a full cloud IDE where you can drop into the code at any moment, across many languages, and you value exploration over a fixed pipeline. Choose Appifex instead if you need native Swift for Apple Watch or Vision Pro, or you want the app to live in your own repository and hosting rather than a cloud IDE. Appifex vs Replit →
Choose Rork if you want hand-written-quality native Swift and Kotlin rather than React Native, your app leans hard on platform-specific Apple APIs, and maintaining two codebases is a price you are happy to pay for it. Choose Appifex instead if you want one codebase shipping to both stores rather than two, or you want the backend and database as source code you deploy to your own infrastructure rather than a managed cloud. Appifex vs Rork →
Choose Base44 if you are building a web app, you want the database, auth and hosting handled for you in one place, and Wix's SOC 2 and ISO 27001 posture matters to your buyers. Choose Appifex instead if you need the app on the App Store and Google Play, or you want the backend and database as source code you can run on your own infrastructure instead of the vendor's. Appifex vs Base44 →
Choose Bubble if you want a mature visual programming environment with a decade of plugin ecosystem behind it, you are comfortable building logic in a workflow editor, and owning the source code is not a requirement. Choose Appifex instead if anyone will ever need to open the code — a developer joining, an investor asking what you own, or a migration off the platform — because Bubble does not export any. Appifex vs Bubble →
Choose Draftbit if you want a visual React Native canvas and already have a backend you are happy to host and maintain. Choose Appifex instead if you want the backend, database and auth generated alongside the React Native, rather than supplied and hosted by you. Appifex vs Draftbit →
Choose Lovable if you are building a web app and want the fastest possible path from prompt to a polished, responsive site, and Lovable Cloud — edge functions with Supabase underneath — covers what you need server-side. Choose Appifex instead if you need the app on the App Store and Google Play, not just on the web, and you want a Python backend you can put custom logic into rather than edge functions. Appifex vs Lovable →
Choose v0 if you mainly need beautiful React interfaces to drop into an existing codebase, and you already have a backend and design system. Choose Appifex instead if you need the whole application — screens, API, database, mobile builds — rather than interfaces to wire into something that already exists. Appifex vs v0 →
Choose Adalo if you want a straightforward visual mobile builder for a simple app and do not need the source code or a custom backend. Choose Appifex instead if you need the source code, a real database and a backend you control, rather than an app that only runs on someone else's runtime. Appifex vs Adalo →
Choose Thunkable if you are learning, teaching, or prototyping, and a visual block editor is the point rather than a limitation. Choose Appifex instead if the logic has outgrown visual blocks and needs to live in code that a developer can read, review and extend. Appifex vs Thunkable →
Choose Webflow if you need a marketing site or CMS-driven content where visual control is the point, and the application logic either does not exist or lives somewhere else. Choose Appifex instead if you need the application rather than the site — accounts, a queryable database, server-side logic, and something you can put on the App Store. Appifex vs Webflow →
Choose Glide if your data already lives in a spreadsheet and you need a simple internal app on top of it quickly. Choose Appifex instead if your data has outgrown a spreadsheet and needs a real relational schema, or you need a native app rather than something spreadsheet-shaped. Appifex vs Glide →
Choose Cursor if you are a developer who wants AI assistance inside a familiar editor, with full manual control over every change. Choose Appifex instead if you want the project to exist before you start editing it: repository, backend, database, mobile builds and deployment, generated together. Appifex vs Cursor →
There is no single winner, because the tools split cleanly by what they can produce. If you need a web app fast, Lovable and Bolt.new are the shortest path. If you need an app on the stores with a real backend behind it, that narrows to Appifex plus Bolt.new, Bravo Studio, Bubble, FlutterFlow, Replit and Rork — and of those, only Appifex and Rork generate native Swift alongside React Native. If you already have a codebase and a backend, v0 and Cursor fit better than any of them. Pick by the output you need, not by the demo.
Bubble for web applications with a mature plugin ecosystem, Glide when the data already lives in a spreadsheet, and Adalo or Thunkable for a simple mobile app you want published for you. The tradeoff is consistent across all four: they are fast because they run your app on their runtime, and none of them let you export working source code. If you expect to outgrow the platform or hire a developer later, that is the cost to weigh.
Most AI app builders generate web apps and stop there. Counting Appifex, 10 of the 16 tools here produce something you can submit to a store: Appifex, Adalo, Bolt.new, Bravo Studio, Bubble, Draftbit, FlutterFlow, Replit, Rork and Thunkable. They get there very differently. Appifex, Draftbit, Replit and Bolt.new emit React Native or Expo source; Rork emits native SwiftUI and Kotlin as two separate projects; FlutterFlow emits Flutter; Bravo Studio wraps a Figma design; and Adalo, Thunkable and Bubble publish their own runtime under your name, which means less work for you and no project to take away. Narrow it to the ones that also generate a backend and you are left with Appifex plus Bolt.new, Bravo Studio, Bubble, FlutterFlow, Replit and Rork. Appifex and Rork are the two that also generate native Swift, which is what Apple Watch and Vision Pro require — the difference between them is that Appifex covers both stores from one React Native codebase while Rork writes iPhone and Android separately.
Every tool on this list has a free tier, and every free tier is metered — by credits, messages or build minutes. What they let you do with it varies more than the marketing suggests: Rork's free plan is design mode only, and its own documentation says you have to pay before a design becomes an app you can build and publish. Appifex's free plan includes 1,000 credits a month and generates and previews working apps. None of them are enough to run a real product. What matters more than the free tier is what happens when you stop paying: with an exportable-source tool your app keeps running on your own hosting, and with a runtime-based one it does not.
Appifex, Base44, Bolt.new, Bravo Studio, Draftbit, FlutterFlow, Lovable, Replit, Rork, v0 and Webflow all hand you code, but not the same amount of it, and rarely on the free tier. FlutterFlow's Dart export is paid-plan only, Base44's GitHub sync needs the Builder plan or above, Rork's needs any paid plan, and Webflow exports a site's markup rather than an application. Adalo, Bubble, Glide and Thunkable do not export app source at all — the app is a configuration running on their runtime. Exporting a front end is also not the same as exporting an application: check whether the database, the auth and the server logic come with it, because on most of these tools they do not.
This list is published by Appifex, which is one of the tools on it — treat the recommendation accordingly, and use the per-tool comparisons to check the claims. Every capability in the table is quoted from each product's own pricing or documentation page, linked from that product's comparison page, with the date it was last checked. The rival verdicts are the same text used on the head-to-head pages, so nothing here is softened for the roundup.
Build a real iOS and Android app with a Python backend behind it. Free to start.
One caveat we hold ourselves to, because this page holds others to it. Connect your GitHub and Expo accounts and almost all of this is yours outright. Skip that step and several pieces stay ours, so it is worth saying which.
Provisioned rather than generated: your database is PostgreSQL on Neon, and authentication — when you enable it — is Neon Auth. The schema and the migrations live in your repository, so the database moves to any Postgres by changing a connection string. Neon Auth does not; swapping it means replacing an auth provider, which is a day of work rather than a rewrite.
Ours until you connect an account: without GitHub repo scope the repository is created in Appifex's organisation rather than yours, and without a connected Expo account TestFlight builds ship under ours. Both are one connection away from being yours, and the ownership claims on this page assume you have made it.
A platform component in mobile apps: generated React Native projects contain a _system/ folder — error handling, Sentry reporting and a floating Appifex button — that the agent will decline to remove on request. It is ordinary TypeScript in your repository and you can delete it yourself after cloning, but while you are working inside Appifex it is not optional, and calling that "no shim to work around" would be too generous.