The reason is simple: software development automation powered by AI has dramatically changed how fast any developer can build applications.

However, different developers pass these efficiency gains on to their clients to varying degrees.

If you are planning to build custom software, understanding how AI development cost dynamics work can help you avoid overpaying and choose the right development partner.

Here’s how we’ve broken it down:

• How developers are using AI in modern coding workflows
• The traditional factors that affect software development pricing
• How software development automation changes development timelines
• The real AI impact on software development costs
• How to choose a developer who actually passes those savings on to you

By the end, you will understand how to get the most out of your software development budget in the age of AI.

Let’s begin.

How Software Developers Use AI

Yes, some developers incorporate non-tech vibe coding tools like Replit or Dreamflow into their suite of services.

But we’re talking about developer AI tools that help us build custom software faster, and it includes every aspect of the software development lifecycle:

• Code generation
• Bug detection and fixing
• Testing automation
• Project management assistance
• Documentation generation
• Code refactoring and optimization
• Security vulnerability detection
• DevOps and CI/CD automation
• UX and interface generation
• Software architecture recommendations

Because AI can be used across the entire process, it has a huge effect on both factors that have and will forever determine custom software development costs.

Factors Affecting App Development Costs

Even with AI tools transforming the industry, the core drivers of development pricing still exist.

App development costs generally fall into two groups:

1. Developer hourly rates
2. Total development hours

How AI Reduces Total Development Hours

AI may not eliminate the work required to build software but dramatically reduces the amount of manual work.

Instead of writing every line of code themselves, developers now:

• Prompt AI tools to generate code structures
• Review and refine AI-generated outputs
• Optimize architecture and performance
• Validate security and system behavior

This workflow allows development teams to complete projects significantly faster.

For us at Upstack Studio, AI has reduced coding-related development time by around 50 percent.

For example, a project with 20 features that previously required 100 hours of development work may now be completed in about 50 hours, and we can (and do) bill clients accordingly.

How AI Reduces Developer Hourly Rates

This is more indirect than total hours but is still significant.

Before AI-supercharged software development, smaller teams like us would have to turn down tight deadlines or projects beyond out immediate capacity.

These clients would have to hire larger agencies which almost always charge significantly higher hourly rates.

Because AI increases developer output so dramatically, we can now accept projects we previously had to decline, giving businesses access to more affordable development teams.

Choose Developers with the Best AI Development Cost

If you want to benefit from lower AI development cost, you need to evaluate developers carefully.

Two questions matter most.

How Do They Use AI in Their Workflow?

Ask developers how they integrate AI into their development process.

A strong answer usually includes:

• Humans handling architecture, security, and system design
• AI assisting with repetitive coding tasks
• AI generating test cases and development scaffolding
• Senior developers reviewing all final code

The best teams combine human expertise with software development automation.

How Much of the Efficiency Is Passed to Clients?

AI increases development capacity without increasing operating costs.

Some developers use this efficiency purely to increase their margins.

Others pass part of those gains to clients through faster timelines and better pricing.

To determine the best AI development cost, you should:

• Contact several developers from the same region
• Ask how they use AI
• Request project quotes

Developers offering extremely low prices may cut corners.

Those charging extremely high prices may simply be keeping all the efficiency gains.

Teams priced around the regional market average often provide the best balance of cost and quality.

The Future of AI Development Cost

The productivity gap between developers who use AI and those who do not is already significant.

As software development automation continues to evolve, that gap will grow even larger.

Businesses that understand the AI impact on software development will gain major advantages:

• Faster product launches
• Reduced development timelines
• Lower AI development cost for custom software

If you choose a development team that effectively uses AI tools, your software project could be delivered in half the time traditional development once required.

And if you compare multiple providers carefully, you can find a development partner that delivers both high-quality software and competitive AI development cost.

If you have a custom software project that needs rescuing, get in touch and we’d be happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

Anecdotally, based our experience helping businesses automate, it’s almost always the same problem.

Businesses love the potential of AI automation.

But struggle with strategy, execution, and employee buy-in.

If you want to belong to the 5% that automate with AI the right way, our strategic process below will help you:

• Identify bottlenecks in your processes
• Determine which tasks to automate
• Implement automation while minimizing disruption

You’ll walk away with clarity on how to automate business processes, and options for implementation whether internally or with professional AI automation services.

Let’s begin.

Step 1: Understand How Your Company Actually Works

Before you automate, you need to understand how work actually happens in your business.

Many companies have employee handbooks and SOPs, but in reality, people often create unofficial workflows.

So, get busy interviewing and visually map out:

• What every department actually does
• Core workflows and processes
• How information moves through your company
• Where employees spend the most time

Use flow charts or mind maps and involve team members so their input shapes the map.

Also, if you sense employees are hesitant to share everything, consider a neutral facilitator.

Don’t rush this step! Without a an accurate understanding of processes, you end up automating the wrong things or the wrong way.

Step 2: Identify Bottlenecks

Approach this department by department, looking for tasks that are repetitive AND time-consuming.

In our experience, this usually boils down to some variation of:

• Repetitive typing or data entry
• Copying information between systems
• Searching through files or emails

These small inefficiencies add up to hundreds of wasted hours and are often practiced simply because that’s how employees were taught to do it.

By mapping everything out, you can create a master list of bottlenecks ready for automation.

Step 3: Decide If Bottlenecks Can Be Automated

Not every task should be automated, but we think most of them can.

Ask these questions for each bottleneck:

1. Does the task follow a clear pattern?
2. Is the input predictable?
3. Is the output standardized?
4. What happens if AI makes a mistake?
5. Does a human need to review the result?

These questions will sort tasks into three categories:

1. Full automation: Processes handled entirely by AI, with no human input. Ideal for low-risk, repeatable tasks, like generating internal meeting summaries.
2. Semi-automation: AI performs the work but a human reviews it.
3. No automation: Tasks that require human judgment or problem-solving and can’t be standardized.

About 95% of tasks fall into semi-automation.

Step 4: Prioritize Bottlenecks by Impact

With your list of automation opportunities, prioritize based on potential time saved.

Consider:

• Number of employees involved
• Hours spent per day on the task
• Frequency of the task

Processes that save the most time should go to the top of your list.

Once prioritized, you know exactly what to automate first!

Implementing AI Automation

Businesses of every size have three options for implementing automation:

1. Ready-Made Tools

Plug-and-play AI tools and platforms (like Zapier) can handle common use cases like:

• Customer support chatbots
• Document summarization
• Content creation
• Internal knowledge assistants
• Automated email responses

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even try to connect these workflows, but their flexibility is limited and if the platform doesn’t support the specific flows you want, most of the time you’re out of luck.

That said, they are unmatched for speed, cost, and are super effective for simple automations.

2. Build Custom Workflows

Custom workflows connect different tools to match your business needs exactly. For example, an AI agent might:

• Read emails
• Extract information
• Update a database
• Trigger another agent to generate invoices

This is highly flexible but requires technical knowledge.

Complex automation can become very time-intensive, and simple workflows might as well be done with the previously mentioned Zapier.

3. Hire Automation Specialists

Engaging a specialist is the smartest move for businesses with complex processes.

Automation specialists design workflows that fit your team’s existing habits, ensuring smooth adoption.

They also communicate the benefits clearly, reducing resistance from employees.

Remember, most bottlenecks fall under semi-automation, meaning human oversight – and therefore employee adoption – is essential for this to work.

Final Advice for Business Owners

Businesses that decide to implement automation internally should remember you can’t get everything perfect on day one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have standards!

Start with a Minimum Lovable Product (MLP) – a small, high-impact automation that delights your team, most commonly, this is achieved by addressing their most painful problem.

Seriously, automate something that makes them say, “Where has this been all my life?”

If you can do that, you’re well on your way to employee buy-in, and then half the battle is won.

That’s all from us, and we wish you all the best with your workplace process automations!

If you’re dealing with complex or large-scale projects, The Second Team specializes in helping businesses with enterprise-wide automation orchestration. Claim your free AI automation audit today and let us help you develop a clear automation strategy tailored to your business processes.

Below, we share 10 high-impact workflow automations that drastically cut down time spent on repetitive tasks.

We go through them in ascending order of impact and provide sample workflow from n8n, one of the most powerful automation platforms available today.

10. Meeting Summary & Action Item Tracking

Let’s start with something everyone hates: meetings.

People lose focus, get distracted, or interpret things differently. A few days later everyone remembers a slightly different version of:

• What was discussed
• What decisions were made
• Who was responsible for what

This workflow automation solves that problem.

Example Automation Workflow

After a meeting ends:

1. The transcript from Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams is sent to an AI model
2. The AI summarizes the discussion
3. The AI extracts action items and responsibilities

Then the automation platform:

• Saves the meeting summary to Notion
• Sends action items to team members in Slack
• Emails a recap to everyone involved

Result: no more confusion about next steps.

While useful, meetings usually aren’t the biggest bottleneck, which is why this example sits at number ten.

9. Social Media Marketing

Most companies agree on one thing about marketing.

“We should post more content.”

But in reality, content creation often falls behind because teams are busy with other work.

Automation can solve this by generating and publishing content automatically.

Workflow Automation Examples For Marketing

There are three common automation approaches.

Social Media Post Automation

• AI generates posts tailored for platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X
• An image generator creates a matching visual
• Automation publishes the posts on a schedule

Short Video Content Automation

• AI generates a video idea and script
• A video generation tool creates the clip
• The automation publishes the video across multiple platforms

Automated SEO Blog Publishing

For B2B businesses especially, blogs are powerful lead generators.

A typical automation workflow can:

• Analyse your website content
• Generate a full SEO-optimised article
• Create supporting images
• Allow optional human review
• Automatically publish the post to your CMS

Instead of social media being a chore, your content pipeline runs quietly in the background.

8. Lead Follow-Up

One of the fastest ways for a business to lose revenue is slow lead response time.

If you reply to a lead too late, you might as well not reply at all.

Automation ensures every lead receives an instant response.

Example Lead Follow-Up Automation Workflow

When a lead submits a form or enquiry, the automation immediately:

• Sends a WhatsApp message
• Sends an SMS through Twilio
• Sends a follow-up email
• Logs the contact into your CRM

The lead receives a tailored response within seconds regardless of when they contact your business.

For companies handling international enquiries, it’s like having a junior assistant who never sleeps.

7. Invoicing & Payment Reminders

In many companies, invoicing still follows a slow manual process:

1. Someone completes a job
2. Someone manually creates an invoice
3. The invoice is emailed
4. Payment reminders are sent manually

This wastes time and delays cash flow.

Example Invoicing Automation Workflow

Once a job is marked complete in your system, the automation can:

• Generate an invoice automatically
• Email the invoice to the customer
• Track payment status
• Send scheduled payment reminders

This removes repetitive admin work while improving cash flow consistency.

6. Sales Reporting

Most business owners ask the same question every day.

“How much did we sell today?”

Unfortunately, the answer often requires someone manually compiling data from spreadsheets or dashboards.

Automation removes that manual step.

Example Sales Report Automation Workflow

A simple workflow can:

• Pull sales data from your systems
• Generate a daily report
• Send the report to WhatsApp or email

Every morning you automatically receive:

• Daily revenue
• Number of new sales
• Key performance metrics

This provides instant visibility into business performance.

5. Inventory Management

For businesses selling physical products, inventory mistakes are expensive.

Two common problems occur:

• Stockouts that lead to lost sales
• Overstocking that locks cash into excess inventory

Automation helps balance supply and demand.

Example Inventory Management Automation Workflow

Every few hours, the system:

1. Pulls live sales and inventory data
2. Sends the data to an AI forecasting model
3. Predicts future demand

The workflow can then:

• Flag products that need reordering
• Generate purchase orders
• Send them to suppliers automatically
• Log orders inside ERP systems
• Notify the team

This significantly reduces guesswork in inventory planning.

4. HR Service System

HR departments spend a large portion of their time answering the same questions repeatedly.

Typical employee enquiries include:

• Leave requests
• Attendance issues
• Company policies
• Internal complaints or requests

Automation can dramatically reduce this workload.

Example HR Automation Workflow

An AI HR system routes employee questions to specialised agents handling:

1. Leave management
2. HR FAQs
3. Attendance issues
4. Complaints and requests
5. Candidate shortlisting

Employees receive responses instantly through messaging platforms like WhatsApp.

The result is faster HR support with less repetitive work.

3. Customer AI Chatbot

AI chatbots are one of the most common workflow automation examples used by businesses today.

They allow companies to provide 24/7 customer interaction without requiring staff to be constantly online.

Example Customer AI Chatbot

Customers can:

• Ask questions
• Browse products or menus
• Make bookings
• Place orders

For example, a restaurant chatbot might allow customers to reserve a table or place an order.

But the same concept applies to many businesses, from appointment bookings to service consultations.

2. Customer Support Ticketing

Customer support delays damage trust and often lead to negative reviews online.

Automation ensures no customer message gets lost.

Example Customer Support Automation Workflow

When a message or email arrives, the automation:

• Creates a support ticket
• Sends an acknowledgement email
• Routes the request to the appropriate team
• Tracks resolution status

This prevents inbox chaos and improves response times.

1. Automation Monitoring

The most important automation isn’t a business process but monitoring the automations themselves.

If workflows fail silently, operations can break without anyone noticing, especially as you add more and more.

For example:

• Leads stop receiving replies
• Invoices stop sending
• Reports stop updating

That’s why automation monitoring is critical.

Example Automation Monitoring Workflow

The system periodically:

1. Collects workflow execution data through the platform API
2. Sends the data to a monitoring database such as InfluxDB
3. Displays dashboards showing automation health

Teams can monitor:

• Workflow failures
• Error rates
• System activity trends

If something breaks, you know immediately instead of discovering it weeks later.

Final Thoughts

These examples focus on processes that meet two key criteria:

• Highly repetitive tasks that don’t require deep human thinking
• High time or cost savings that significantly improve productivity

However, pretty soon these automations will be standard practice for businesses of all sizes, which means they won’t really help businesses get ahead so much as stay competitive.

That’s all from us, and we wish you all the ebst in your workflow automation journey!

If you’re dealing with complex or large-scale projects, The Second Team specializes in helping businesses with enterprise-wide automation orchestration. Claim your free AI automation audit today and let us help you develop a clear automation strategy tailored to your business processes.

The proposition is the same: Build entire apps effortlessly by spamming AI prompts.

This makes the user completely reliant on the AI agent under the hood, and to find out which ones are worth using, we tested 10 popular vibe coding tools using the same prompt and compared results based on:

• Prompt accuracy
• Design aesthetics
• Value for money
• Code quality

Click here to skip to the platform rankings, but we encourage reading on to understand the methodology behind our testing and scoring.

Our Methodology

We kept things as simple as possible, and there are just three key parts to this:

1. Tool selection
2. Prompt
3. Scoring system

The Vibe Coding Tools Tested

For this comparison, we focused on beginner-friendly vibe coding tools that allow users to build applications primarily through AI prompts.

The platforms tested were:

• Replit
• Bolt
• Lovable
• Base44
• Floot
• v0
• Mocha
• UI Bakery
• Rocket
• DreamFlow

With the exception of DreamFlow, most of these platforms encourage users to rely almost entirely on AI prompting instead of manual coding.

The list also includes a mix of:

• Established names like Replit and Lovable
• Newer tools like Mocha and Floot

This makes it easier to see how new entrants compare against well-known platforms.

Our Prompt

Ultimately, we decided on the following prompt (including specific requirements):

Generate a production-ready SaaS task management web application.

Requirements:

• Email/password authentication
• Dashboard showing tasks grouped by status (todo, in progress, done)
• Ability to create, edit, and delete tasks
• Task fields: title, description, priority, due date
• Relational database schema
• Responsive UI with modern styling
• Backend API routes for CRUD operations
• Optimistic UI updates
• Error handling and loading states
• Full project structure with key code files

Provide the following:

• Architecture explanation
• Database schema
• Frontend components
• Backend routes
• Styling approach
• Deployment instructions

As we’re a B2B software development agency, we wanted a B2B use case so we could provide more detailed instructions and evaluate the results more accurately.

We let the platforms generate the app and evaluated the first version produced.

This doesn’t showcase every capability of each platform, but it ensures a fair head-to-head comparison.

Scoring System

Each platform was evaluated across four metrics, each worth 10 points.

Maximum score: 40 points

Design ratings are subjective but this is our list!

Our Vibe Coding Tool Ranking

Before diving into the list, let’s clarify it doesn’t mean the lower-scoring tools are bad choices.

But it does mean others delivered better immediate results in our test.

And we think it’s a fair way to compare them, since they all market themselves as tools that allow beginners to build with equally low effort.

Note: We link to our published app in each tool where possible, but a few don’t allow it on a free plan so we just show screenshots of those!

10. Floot (14 / 40)

We included Floot because multiple Reddit discussions suggested it was surprisingly good, but unfortunately, it was the only platform that generated a broken application on the first attempt.

Even ignoring the bugs, the UI looked dated and outdated compared to the other tools.

Because the app didn’t function properly, Floot had to take the lowest spot in the ranking.

9. UI Bakery (16 / 40)

UI Bakery performed better than Floot because the app at least worked.

The design was fairly clean, but most of the requested features were missing, and ironically, the generated UI included a notification saying some features were “coming soon.”

At that point, it would have been more helpful if the AI simply built those features!

8. v0 (19 / 40)

Like Floot, v0 showed product thinking as instead of just building the app, it generated a full marketing landing page with:

• hero section
• headline
• dual call-to-action buttons

However, the actual app UI was extremely minimal to the point of looking unfinished, and the interface felt closer to a wireframe prototype than a finished application.

7. Bolt (22 / 40)

Bolt is heavily advertised as an all-in-one AI coding environment, so expectations were high.

The result was decent but somewhat underwhelming, and issues included:

• missing search functionality
• error icons appearing before input
• UI that felt slightly outdated

Considering Bolt costs $25 per month, several cheaper tools performed just as well or better.

6. DreamFlow (24 / 40)

DreamFlow delivered a solid all-round result. Its dark mode interface was particularly strong, with consistent styling across:

• login screen
• dashboard
• task editing modals

Priority badges were color coded, dates displayed properly, and overall the feature set wasn’t groundbreaking but worked reliably.

It had a distinctly mobile-ish looking UI, but it’s mobile-app focused so we won’t make too much of a fuss.

See our deep dive review of DreamFlow here to see why we like it so much!

5. Mocha (24 / 40)

Mocha is a lesser-known vibe coding platform that receives a lot of praise in online communities.

In testing, it performed relatively well compared to more established names as the app included:

• functional task management features
• decent UI design
• reasonably structured code

Mocha didn’t introduce anything revolutionary, but it delivered reliable results with good token efficiency.

4. Lovable (26 / 40)

Lovable generated a surprisingly robust backend and although the UI looked fairly simple, it implemented real email verification rather than a simulated login system.

This means the underlying infrastructure was stronger than many other tools.

For beginners, fixing design issues is often easier than fixing architecture, so Lovable’s backend approach gives it a clear advantage.

3. Base44 (26 / 40)

This was our first time testing Base44, and the results were impressive.

By far, it delivered the best feature-to-prompt ratio and the generated application included:

• Kanban and list views
• Google SSO
• OTP verification
• colour-coded priority badges

Many tools delivered only the requested features but Base44 delivered several extra features without being asked on top of an extremely modern and attractive UI.

2. Replit (27 / 40)

Replit produced a strong first draft and its light-mode interface featured a split-screen login layout with:

• marketing panel on the left
• clean login form on the right

Key task management features such as:

• search
• editing
• deletion
• task metadata

all worked correctly.

Overall, Replit delivered a well-designed and functional application – the font colors blending in are unfortunate, but an easy enough fix. Too bad Agent 3 didn’t work its magic the way it did in our dedicated Replit review.

1. Rocket (35.5 / 40)

Rocket easily took the top spot, generating an app with a wide range of features many of which were not even requested in the prompt:

• drag-and-drop task management
• four status columns including “In Review”
• statistics bar
• filters
• overdue indicators
• full task editing interface with activity logs
• demo login credentials

The UI may not be as modern as the others, but it was still attractive, intuitive, and production-ready.

At $25/month tool, Rocket is on the higher side but produced the most complete application by far.

Token Usage Comparison

Non-tech friendly vibe coding tools encourage heavily relying on AI prompting, which means heavy token use.

In general, platforms are similarly priced but offer very different token allocations, making it hard to determine cost-effectiveness.

For example:

To measure cost efficiency, we calculated how many tokens each platform used to generate the app and estimated the real cost of that generation.

Here’s how much the prompt cost across different platforms.

Rocket not only delivered the best application, but also the lowest cost per generation!

Code Quality

Interestingly, all tools scored almost the same on code quality.

Common issues included:

• exposed passwords
• poor token storage practices
• potential crashes from invalid input

These are easy to fix for prototypes, but production apps would require additional security work.

Final Thoughts

While most vibe coding platforms offer similar capabilities, the differences in detail with usability, token efficiency, and generated features are huge.

Based on this test, Rocket produced the best overall app AND at the most cost-effective price.

We hope this has helped, and we wish you all the best with your vibe coding journey!

If you have a custom software project that needs rescuing, get in touch and we’d be happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

We’ll cut to the chase. 

For non-techs who want to vibe code MVPs and prototypes, here’s what we’d recommend as the safest options:

If you want to vibe code web apps: Replit

If you want to vibe code mobile apps: DreamFlow

If that’s all you need, go ahead and click into them, we wish you the best.

If you’d like to hear our rationale and get some advice from a group of humble app developers, keep reading.

What’s a Vibe Coding Platform?

To make this accessible to everyone, we’re starting with a basic explanation of vibe coding.

If you already know, click here to skip straight to our main points.

Otherwise, a vibe coding platform is a software development tool that lets users build by issuing natural language prompts to an AI agent that then gets to work building your software.

The AI agent is typically fine-tuned to understand:

• the platform’s features
• how to code
• not to question your ideas however ‘interesting’

As a result, it can produce specific apps the way AI copywriting tools can produce specific marketing content based on what you ask for.

This relatively low-effort approach to software development is known as vibe coding, and tools that facilitate it are known as vibe coding platforms 🙂

Vibe Coding vs No Code Platforms

Both target non-techs who want to build software without having to write code.

So to a user, no code tools like Bubble and vibe coding tools like Lovable may appear the same at first glance: Visual app builders.

However, under the hood, things are very different:

1. No-code: Users manually drag and drop pre-written blocks of code (by platform owners or community) into working software
2. Vibe coding: AI writes code from scratch based on user prompts and platform capabilities

As a result, users are typically more limited by what they can do with no-code, but what can be done is of a higher quality than a vibe coded equivalent. 

Inversely, vibe coding platforms are less limiting, but in inexperienced hands, the final product is of lower quality.

For normal use cases, check out our no code app builder suggestions.

 If you’re in the mood to build something freaky, read on 🙂

How to Choose a Vibe Coding Platform

Ask yourself what you’d want to do if your vibe coded idea takes off.

1. Do you want to keep working on it yourself?
2. Do you want to hire a real developer to work on it?
3. Do you just want your bloody MVP, never mind what happens?

Non-tech founders who go through this process and own their decisions gain tremendous insight into how to deal with developers later on. 

Yes, like it or not, developers will still be part of the picture for many, even those going DIY. 

Again, more on that later, 

Before that, let’s address the different use cases a non-tech founder might foresee, and what features they should look for in a no-code app builder.

Let’s cover the outcomes a non-tech might foresee, and what features they should look for in a vibe coding tool.

First use case: Vibe Code MVP with AI Only

You don’t want to learn shit. 

You have an idea, and you want to prompt AI until you get a minimum viable product.

Almost any vibe coding tool will get it done so just do a requirements gathering first to make sure your MVP is ACTUALLY an MVP, and not something that requires specialized functions.

Things to look for:

• A simple interface
• Native hosting and database support
• Easy publishing on app stores for mobile apps

And some nice templates and a competitively priced plan wouldn’t hurt. 

For you, we’d suggest Lovable for web and Bolt for mobile.

Second use case:

Second Use Case: Iterate Past MVP Yourself

If it works, you’ll want to take your MVP from viable to loveable…just not with Lovable.

Blind AI prompting won’t cut it anymore – you need to…learn shit! 

Basically, you go from pure vibe coding to something like manual no-code development, and for this, future proof your project with a vibe coding platform that has functionality and room for growth, offering:

• Everything in the previous use case, plus
• Multiple LLM models 
• Ample documentation in both text and video formats
• A large user community

Our recommendation: Bolt for web and DreamFlow for mobile apps, because both are designed to be newbie-friendly but also cater to those who get serious.

Not Sure What You Want to Do Post-MVP?

It’s not ideal, but don’t let that delay your vibe coding journey.

You can decide later, and in the meantime, go with the safest choice: the one that provides the biggest potential for product development, whether or not you choose to use it.

For web: Replit

For mobile: DreamFlow

Eventually, you will squeeze out all the value vibe coding tools can offer and truly understand…

Limitations of vibe coding

With software development, you always get what you pay for. 

Vibe coding may cost less money but users pay in other ways. 

Not SEO-Friendly

A lot of vibe coding tools use client-side rendering instead of server-side rendering to load the app and page contents, and search engines like Google are not as good at reading that.

In fact, they may just see a blank page.

It doesn’t stop your app from getting indexed, but your ranking can suffer.

So you’ll appear on Google’s search results for the right search terms, but be banished to the shadow realm of page 4 or 5.

Zero IP Protection

Everything about your app can be copied, and if it’s any good, it probably will be copied.

That’s the nature of vibe coding. 

Not a big deal when you just want an MVP or if your app is a minor extension of your business.

If you want to start iterating a validated idea into a full-fledged money-making app, you’ll be a lot more protective of your software. 

And the sad truth is that it cannot be protected. 

You’re NOT Vibe Coding the Next Hubspot

The most complex app vibe coded app cannot come close to enterprise grade software on the scale of Uber

There’s so much going on under the hood that you have teams of developers that focus on just specific features, not even the whole app.

You’re not going to build and maintain an entire DoorDash with Lovable.

What you can do is build a much simpler version of DoorDash, launch it, and if your app gets traction, you decide when it’s time to invest in developing a custom solution

Or you could just skip to that from the start and…

Pay a Developer to Vibe Code Your MVP

Even full-stack developers like me are embracing vibe coding tools to help us code faster.

Like we said, software development is not a coding problem, it’s a thinking problem.

So the AI helps with the coding, giving us more time to focus on thinking, and developers are pretty good at thinking like developers.

Almost as if we develop software for a living or something. 

Whatever you can do on a vibe coding platform, believe us, a proper developer can too.

Not just faster, but we can make sure:

• to test and roll out new features safely 
• back up everything
• security is good enough 
• backend architecture aligns with the app’s purpose
• the stack can handle the number of users you plan

Upstack Studio offers this, so get in touch if you want to focus on your business instead of an app.

Just an idea!

Anyways, that’s it from us, and we wish you all the best in your vibe coding adventures–remember not to make changes to live environments.

If you have a custom software project that needs rescuing, get in touch and we’d be happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

Their interfaces are DESIGNED to encourage you to keep prompting and spending more.  

Which is why using DreamFlow was a breath of fresh air: It doesn’t want us to just vibe code an MVP.

To be clear, it’s definitely a vibe coding tool, specifically one that specializes in mobile apps.

In addition to that, it WANTS users to get better and it’s designed for users who go past casual prompting.

Here’s our argument for why it should be a serious consideration for basically anyone looking to vibe code a mobile app.

UI Prioritizes App Building Over Prompting

This is the main reason we love DreamFlow by a country mile, and instead of telling you, let us show you.

Let’s see what Lovable’s app builder interface looks like.

Now let’s see what Replit’s app builder interface looks like.

Now let’s see Bolt’s.

They’re all the same, and not in a good way!

Most vibe coding tools are designed to make users completely dependent on AI for everything…forever.

Not just the coding. EVERYTHING.

Sure, that’s the appeal, but there’s a hard limit to how far one can go this way.

Now let’s see DreamFlow’s UI.

DreamFlow’s UI focuses first on foremost the widget tree to break down how on-screen elements are structured.

The platform then prioritizes a property panel so users can edit individual widget parameters themselves.

The AI is positioned as an additional tool users can pull up manually as and when required.

This is how software developers use AI to build apps too–and it’s why DreamFlow’s approach to non-technical vibe coding is such a breath of fresh air. 

Again, we want to clarify that if you just want to use the AI to prompt, you can too!

DreamFlow basically gives users all the convenience of a vibe coding platform but doesn’t actively try to pigeonhole them like basically every other option.

App Store Publishing Support

Compared to the web apps, publishing on Apple and Google app stores is much harder.

As one of the few vibe coding platforms specializing in mobile apps, DreamFlow allows users to publish to app stores directly from its builder interface (already more than most)

In addition to that, it has what we think is the most complete walkthrough on how to get your app compliant with app store requirements:

• Google Play Store Deployment
• Apple App Store Deployment

In fact, their entire series of documentation deserves praise.

Actively Discourages Casual Vibe Coding

While DreamFlow is just as guilty of overpromising what non-techs can achieve with vibe coding, it also (rightly) tells them they could be so much more.

Here’s a video by their Global Head of Education & Training John Higgins we absolutely love.

It’s six minutes of John explaining how to make the most of DreamFlow – and it’s all about learning to think like a developer and understand basic software development so you can give better prompts to DreamFlow’s AI agent.

Again, this is kind of how actual developers approach AI assistance in software development, so good on DreamFlow for going against the grain.

And this is when we have to talk about its big brother, FlutterFlow.

FlutterFlow and DreamFlow

Super brief history: Before vibe coding, there was no code; vibe coding without AI prompting.

The same way the rise of vibe coding gave birth to DreamFlow, FlutterFlow was founded in response to the demand for no-code app development.

With no code app builders one of the main ways to separate them was:

• easy to learn but offered less control, customization, and complexity, OR
• lots of control, customization, and complexity, but with a steeper learning curve

From the start, FlutterFlow was firmly in the second camp.

It was meant for non-coders who were serious about building software products. And for those who get serious, DreamFlow is the FlutterFlow of vibe coding.

If you have a custom software project that needs rescuing, get in touch and we’d be happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

Of those, we’ve taken on X, and we’re proud to say they’ve been successful projects.

However, we had to turn down the majority of requests as there was just too big a gap between the project’s actual state and client expectations, a situation no responsible developer wants to step into.

If you’re looking to salvage your app, here’s how to avoid falling into the second group.

Below are six steps to effectively change software developers mid-project  

1. Reflect on Potential Hiring Mistakes

Many non-tech founders and business owners make these mistakes when hiring developers:

• Prioritizing cost above all
• No due diligence on track record
• Not considering time zone differences (if hiring offshore developers)

There are other mistakes, but these three are the major ones.

Of course, it’s possible to do everything right and still end up with a crappy developer, but chances of a poor hire go up tremendously when these mistakes are made.

We’re not saying you made them, but if you did, make sure you don’t do it this time 🙂

2. Document Issues with Current Developers

Here are common developer red flags we appreciate being told as early as possible:

• They say “yes” to all requests then never fully deliver
• App interfaces don’t match approved designs
• Fixing one bug creates new ones
• App and website data don’t sync properly
• Website or app performs terribly for no reason
• They outsource work without permission
• They constantly miss deadlines
• They make changes without informing you

Usually, an underperforming developer will be guilty of one of these, and in one of the projects we ended up taking over, they were guilty of ALL of them!

The goal is to give your rescue team a full picture of what they agree to walk into.

This way, we can assess if we are not up to the task from the start.

3. Ask how New Developers will Help  

Don’t just settle for “We can fix your app.” 

Ask new developers how they plan to address each issue caused by your current one! 

Here are our answers to the client who faced so many issues with their developer.

A serious development team always has a proven workflow that lets everyone see progress.

So when we say we can fix your app, we can fix your app 😀

4. Approach Multiple Developers

Avoid hiring the first team that sounds promising, unless your situation is dire.

Truth is there are thousands of amazing developers all over the world, so speak with a few, ask each to assess your app, and compare how they approach the problem.

You’ll likely end up with a shortlist of potential providers, at which point go with the one offering the best combination of:

• Timezone overlap
• Pricing
• Track record
• Development methodology
• Good vibes (yes, they matter)

Or just skip all that and speak to Upstack Studio–in that case you just can’t go wrong.

5. Adjust your expectations

Almost every takeover project we’ve handled started with founders who were overly optimistic. 

Even those who knew their previous developers had issues still overestimated how much of the existing work could be salvaged.

In some cases, that number was zero.

That’s also why most leads don’t proceed after we review their codebase: We tell them it’s so poorly built that the only real option is to start over. 

Perhaps the idea of lost months and sunk costs is too much, or they think we’re lying.  

And that’s fair, but remember sometimes starting development from scratch is faster and cheaper than trying to fix someone else’s mess.

6. Rethink your pricing model

If your previous developers billed purely by the hour, explore other models like: 

• milestone payments
• fixed-fee deliverables
• monthly retainers

Some pricing models definitely favor developers or clients more, so a hybrid model can fairly distribute risk in such a way that clients have clear visibility into where their money goes, and developers are incentivized to deliver the best damn software product possible. 

Bonus: Working with Developers as a Non-Tech

There’s a chance your developer is technically brilliant but sucks at working with non-tech folks!

If that’s the case, learning a bit about the software development lifecycle will go a long way with managing them.

Most modern teams follow Agile development which relies on continuous iteration instead of everything planned from the start, which can feel counter-intuitive, but almost all world-class software is built this way.

So check out our guide to Agile for non-tech founders for a deep dive.

Of course, the beauty of a solid software development agency is that they manage themselves, so you might still want to switch developers!

If you have a custom software project that needs rescuing, get in touch and we’d be happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

• Internal tool – for you and your team to manage operations more efficiewwntly
• Client-facing app – to better serve and engage your customers
• White-label solution – to sell / license to businesses in your industry

In each case, core validation steps are the same – it’s still a group of users with one specific problem.

Once it’s time to build, there are several development options, each with its own mix of cost, control, and quality.

Below, we’ve tried our best to help you from end to end as we cover:

• Preparatory steps to building an app for your business
• Main app development options available
• How to choose the right one for your use case

Let’s begin.

Key preparatory steps

A business is meant to grow, and if an app is the best tool to achieve growth, you build an app.

But you could also get an espresso machine and make your team work twice as hard on the same pay.

To find out, there are three key steps to determine if an app is the right choice for your business: 

1. Selecting an idea and calculating ROI
2. Validating demand
3. Gathering requirements

These steps will also help you decide which development option to choose later.

More importantly, they ensure your app doesn’t become one of the thousands of well-built but unused apps that fail to deliver the returns your business expected.

Select an idea and estimate revenue

Identify your main target user and problems they face.

Your first goal is to find potentially profitable app ideas that make sense for your business.

• Your employees struggle with manual reporting, leading to delays
• Your customers struggle with long lines, leading to lost sales
• Your competitors struggle with expensive SaaS providers, leading to over-reliance on manual work

This can lead you down some interesting paths.

From there, you can come up with a whole list of solutions.

Next, verify your app ideas don’t already exist so you’re not reinventing the wheel.

This demands hours of proper research, so if you don’t have time, force an intern to do it!

If it passes the ‘does it exist test’, estimate potential revenue generated or costs saved.

Pick the most financially promising ones and proceed to the next stage.

Validate demand

Speak directly to potential app users, focusing on verifying three things:

1. Demographic validity – they’re actually part of your target audience
2. Problem validity – they really face the issue your app aims to solve
3. Commitment level – ask how much they’d pay for a solution (if applicable)

Regarding the last one, give them ranges (USD50–USD100/month) rather than open questions.

And leave out a ‘free’ option–if it’s zero, they’ll tell you anyway 🙂

There’s no hard rule on how much validation is too little, too much, or just right.

We will say Upstack Studio usually recommends at least five users within the target audience giving certain affirmations. 

Define requirements

You’ve validated your app and confirmed real users are looking for a solution.

Now comes deciding what features the app must have to deliver on its promise, which we recommend doing in three stages:

1. Feature dump
2. Prioritization
3. Wireframing

A feature dump is a massive unfiltered list of every function your app could have.

Our product roadmapping guide explains this in full, but basically, don’t worry about practicality—write down everything that could improve value for users.

Once you’re done, go take a hot shower and come back to the list with fresh eyes.

Not all features are equal: Some are essential from day one, while others can wait.

To figure out which to keep and which to KIV, look at your app through your user persona’s eyes and answer these five questions:

1. Can we hold this off for a week or more?
2. Without it, does the app still solve the main user problem?
3. Without it, does the app still function?
4. Did we add this because it’s sexy and shiny?
5. Are we on the fence about this?

Any feature that fails even one question should get axed immediately.

Once you know which features matter most, it’s time to visualize them with two things:

• user flow to maps how users move through the app to complete key tasks
• wireframe to roughly sketch out of your whole app

If you’re old-school, grab a pen and paper, but there are tons of free digital wireframing tools out there–we’re partial to Uizard.

Either way, have a visual reference of how you want your app to look and function.

Main app development options

There are three main approaches to building an app for a business:

• No code
• Low code
• Custom code

As we said, each has its own blend of cost, customizability, and quality ceiling that makes them ideal for some app development projects and not others.

No code / vibe code

• Cost: Lowest
• Customizability: Lowset
• Quality ceiling: Lowest

No code app development means building an app entirely through a drag-and-drop visual interface using blocks of pre-written code.

Because you’re building with someone else’s LEGO blocks, it’s fast and cheap but if there isn’t already a block that does what you need, you’re stuck and so is your app.

It’s also the only way non-technical users can create apps without writing code, so those interns you bullied into doing research can be called to duty once more🙂

Custom code

• Cost: Highest (by a long shot!)
• Customizability: Unlimited
• Quality ceiling: Unlimited

Custom code means building your app entirely from scratch using programming languages and frameworks. Everything from UI to backend is tailor-made to your business needs by developers or an agency.

While it gives unlimited customization, custom app development costs a ton and is effectively capped by budget!

Also, your biggest challenge is no longer building the app but hiring a trustworthy developer.

Low code

• Cost: ~10% of custom code
• Customizability: Medium
• Quality ceiling: ~90% of custom code

Low code uses visual interfaces and templates like no code, but allows varying degrees of custom programming to extend functionality.

It’s usually handled by a freelancer or agency familiar with both design and development.

No Code vs Low Code vs Custom Code

All other things being equal, we generally recommend no code app development for internal tools since there’s less risk with internal stakeholders–so might as well try it out!

With customer-facing and white label apps, it depends on budget, timeline, and requirements.

Here’s a decision tree to help you decide.

Even an internal tool might need custom development–that’s how we got some of our clients 🙂

And if it ends up looking like your business app will need custom development, the final step before committing is to estimate ROI.

Estimating ROI on Custom App Development

Custom app development costs easily go into five figures–try to make it calculated risk! 

Earlier, you estimated your app’s potential annual revenue. 

Now, decide how many years the app will stay in operation, giving you its lifetime revenue.

Our MVP development typically costs USD 35,000–50,000, which you can use as a reference in our (very basic) calculator to evaluate your potential ROI.

If things look good, we’d love to help you build an custom app for your business, so get in touch.

If you have a custom software project in mind and need help estimating ROI, get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

For beginners looking to vibe code their first app, Replit with Agent 3 is so easy to use that anyone with a pulse can build an app, even total newbs.

Unfortunately, most users never move past this stage, and neither do their apps.

Replit offers simple steps that instantly spare a project from issues plaguing 99% of projects, and below we present an objective look at Replit along with our own recommendations, broken down into:

• a brief introduction to Replit
• Agent 3 and its unique selling points
• how to get started
• Upstacker tips on how to use Replit properly
• recommendations from Reddit
• comparisons to alternatives
• setting expectations as a vibe coder

Let’s begin.

Replit Overview

Replit has been around since 2016, long before “vibe coding” was even coined. 

It originally launched as a cloud IDE built for full-on developers.

But visit Replit today and you’ll see a very familiar prompt box.

Pair that with a tagline like “Turn your ideas into apps”, and it’s clear Replit is now selling to non-technical founders and businesses looking to build apps with AI.

Does that matter? Speaking as developers, yes, it does: Think WordPress vs Wix.

• WordPress, launched in 2003, was built for blogging and everything else requires bolting on plugins, features, and custom code.
• Wix, which came later, was made from day one for non-technical users to build functional, modern websites without touching code.

As a result, most non-tech users have a far easier time using Wix.

Our point is just that digital tools built for a purpose from the beginning tend to outperform alternatives that started life as something else and later pivoted.

Key Features

Replit’s features make it a full stack no code app builder, a fancy way of saying you can build a complete app with just Replit instead of having to use multiple tools.

Specifically, Replit has a built-in:

• Hosting option
• Front-end builder
• Database & storage
• Security & testing
• External tool integrations (including SMS and payment processing)

And of course, as a vibe coding platform, sitting on top of it all is Replit’s Coding AI agent which allows users to access and make use of these features with natural language.

Currently, the AI is known as Agent 3, and it’s cool enough to get its own section!

Agent 3

Agent 3 is the successor to Agent 2, and according to Replit, delivers a significant performance jump to the point Replit positions it as a ‘genuine assistant’.

Having seen both the Ferrari F40 and F50 in the metal, we’re sceptical when manufacturers claim “progress” (F50 lovers can fight us) but Agent 3 does offer three genuinely new capabilities.

Code Self-Testing

Agent 3 doesn’t generate code once and immediately ship. It actively tests what it builds, fixes issues, and retests in a reflection loop without manual intervention.

200-Minute Runtime

If the instruction justifies it, Agent 3 can continue running for extended periods which helps handle complex tasks without breaking down or compromising the end result.

Expect the token cost to be correspondingly high, though!

Custom Agent Creation

Agent 3 can build additional agents to automate complex or repetitive workflows that can be integrated into tools like email or Slack.

Tools like N8N already let you automate workflows, but they are not app builders like Replit.

The implication here is that you can build both custom apps and custom agents and integrate them all on one platform. 

Getting Started

This section is going to be short cause like we said, Replit is so easy to use that starting is the equivalent of inhaling oxygen.

Once you sign up and sign in, you get taken to your profile.

Click on Create App, you get asked to describe your project, and Agent 3 gets to work.

For our review, we decided to vibe code an app development cost calculator, periodically referring to Replit’s documentation to troubleshoot.

Twenty hours and several prompts later, we were out of tokens but had a decent app with:

• Every feature we wanted
• Storage
• User authentication and sign-up
• Gmail integration

You can check it out here if you want, and in the next two sections we cover practical tips and recommendations to skip your newbie vibe coder phase.

Our tips

Do these four things and your app will look and work better than almost any beginner vibe-coded project.

Import Designs from Figma

The same way unedited AI copy is easy to spot, default vibe-coded designs also have a look.

They’re not ugly, but they are generic and Replit knows it because they’ve made it incredibly easy to import designs directly from Figma by:

1. Going to Figma’s massive library of templates
2. Finding a UI that matches the type of app you’re building
3. Importing it into the Replit project!

Agent 3 will reference and use it to build your front end, and this alone puts you ahead of most vibe coded projects.

Add Authentication and Sign-Ups

If an app is meant to have more than one user or offered to businesses, authentication and sign-ups is a no brainer as people expect their data to be protected and kept separate.

On Replit, you simply instruct Agent 3 to “add authentication and sign-ups” and it generates: 

• sign-up and login pages
• Google / Gmail sign-in
• two-factor authentication

One thing to note: By default, this prompt often locks the entire app behind a login.

That’s fine for internal tools but for public-facing apps it’s usually better to allow users to explore the app with the option to sign up to save their data. 

This is something you can easily set, so it’s up to you.

Specify Database Needs

New vibe coders tend to be front-end heavy and neglect the backend where real work happens.

A database is where:

• user data lives
• product information is stored
• files, images, and documents are managed
• data is retrieved and combined

All that is pretty damn important! 

Once again, you can tell the agent to “add a database and storage” and it handles the setup.

We strongly suggest you plan  what data you want and how you want it stored from the start. 

Integrate Existing Tools

Modern software, especially SaaS products, almost always piggyback on other B2B tools and Replit lets us connect to these tools with simple authentication flows.

In fact, we’re not limited to connecting our accounts, but also allowing users to connect their accounts, including their:

• Gmail
• Notion pages
• project boards
• Calendars

Just like a proper SaaS!

Replit even offers Spotify integration which we’ve personally never needed in nearly a decade of app development, but we’ll never say no to an API that brings us closer to Radiohead!

Community Recommendations

Our 20 hours building with Replit is a fraction of the countless hours poured into it by the community

We trawled Reddit and summarized their collective wisdom into 12 main tips:

1. Build one feature at a time and keep tasks small to prevent breaking the project.
2. Tell the Agent exactly what it can touch and reference files directly to avoid unwanted changes.
3. Develop in branches, test before merging, roll back often, and never edit production directly.
4. Always read the Agent’s plan and assumptions before approving changes to catch mistakes early.
5. Start a new chat when stuck or beginning a new feature to avoid context confusion.
6. Upload a clear PRD or bug description so the Agent understands intent precisely.
7. Use the Agent for architecture, scaffolding, and automation, and Assistant for coding, QA, and updates.
8. Ask the Agent to write unit tests, add logging, and create test scripts to prevent silent failures.
9. Keep secrets out of the frontend and implement environment variables, rate limiting, and captcha.
10. Paste files into ChatGPT or switch editors/models if the Agent can’t resolve an issue.
11. Let the Agent create README.md, ReleaseNotes.md, and workflow scripts to document everything.
12. Keep code tidy, name things clearly, test everything, and step away when debugging stalls.

Some of these tips require familiarity with the platform, but we think just reading this list can subconsciously prime you to put them into action as soon as the first opportunity presents itself.

Comparison to Alternatives

Beginners entering this space get bombarded with a bunch of names that all sound cool.

To cut through the mess, we start by broadly separating vibe coding tools into two categories:

1. Tools for non-techs – Can build entire apps with prompts and no coding knowledge.
2. Tools for developers – Helps developers code faster and needs coding knowledge.

Replit is a non-tech tool, and should only be compared to other non-tech vibe coding platforms. 

That said, there are too many and we’re not in the business of making comically long lists.

So we’ll just give you a brief comparison against Bolt and Lovable, which are equally popular:

Just based on this table, Replit looks like one we’d recommend for most beginner vibe coders or really anyone looking to vibe code their app without writing code.

This is before going into the no code app builders like FlutterFlow and Bubble, but we don’t want to overload you.

Most similar tools work similarly enough that the best thing is to jump into one and start building.

We wish you all the best!

If you’re looking to build a custom app, check out our portfolio of past projects and contact us if you like what you see. Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

If you’re here, you probably have an app idea and want a ballpark estimate so development costs don’t unexpectedly bankrupt you.

Our stance is if you’re gonna go bankrupt, it better be expected.

So frankly, if you want an accurate estimate, skip the calculator and get in touch with us.

Otherwise let’s lay out the good, the bad, and the ugly:

• Good: Cost calculators can give you meaningful insight
• Bad: No calculator can cover every variable in a real project
• Ugly: Every calculator reflects the biases of the developer that built it

Simply put, Upstack Studio’s calculator only really works at estimating development costs by Upstack Studio, and even then, it can underestimate. 

It still gives you a realistic starting point and a benchmark to compare cost between developers.

So long as you keep this mindset, estimate away!

For those who want to better understand how to treat app cost calculators, below we break down how most (including ours) work, namely:

• main app cost development factors
• the ones calculators typically use to estimate cost
• why values differ across calculators, and
• common blind spots

Let’s begin.

Common Cost Inputs in App Calculators

Most app calculators allow users to customize three types of inputs to varying degrees:

• Platform selection
• Required features
• Design complexity

The calculator assigns fixed hour ranges to these choices and multiplies by the developer’s hourly rate or fits it within one of their development packages.

And voila, you get an estimated development cost and timeline. 

And if the calculator is the fancy kind, you even get a lower and upper end estimate (yes, ours is the fancy kind).

But look at what goes into app development costs and you see how limited calculators are.

App Development Cost Factors

We go into this in full detail in our mobile app development cost breakdown but in summary, everything that affects development cost can be broadly separated into two categories:

While calculators can cover most key factors, many simply aren’t accounted for because it’s unrealistic to expect non-tech clients to know what to enter.

In short, a “custom app development calculator” is an oxymoron. 

A custom app is meant to be unique, but a general-use calculator can’t capture that uniqueness. 

So without being able to account for your specific needs, the estimate will always be off.

We can come close to what we’d charge for development with our agency, and the same probably holds true for all other app cost calculators out there.

Why values differ across calculators

Run the same app idea through ten app calculators and you get eleven different estimates.

That’s right, it’s so confusing even maths rules don’t apply.

There are lots of reasons for this variance, but we think it mostly comes down to five main ones.

Different pricing model

In practice, different developers use a mix of fixed and variable software development pricing models, which the calculator will inevitably reflect.

It’s rarely disclosed, and typically takes the form of hardcoded flat hourly multipliers, “feature bundles,” fixed minimum costs, and everything in between. 

Different hourly rates

Development pricing model aside, calculators always reflect the hourly rate of the developer, which can vary based on: 

• Region
• Experience
• Team size / type

Regional differences in software developer rates are crazy and have a huge impact on cost. 

Different interpretations of features

Depending on experience level and preferences, what one developer considers a basic feature, another can treat as advanced, and both will assign correspondingly different development hours to it.

Now multiply that with all your custom features and the difference can start to show.

Different level of user input provided

Calculators like ours let you select each feature you want.

Others only ask for high-level selections like ‘simple, medium, or complex’.

Generally, less input = more assumptions = more variance.

But more detail isn’t always better as detailed inputs can make the estimate less accurate because too many unnecessary options are selected!

Either way, you’re gonna get different estimates between those two calculators.

Different padding for hidden costs

Some calculators include buffers for project management, QA, bug fixes, or design revisions. 

It’s invisible and built into the hourly multiplier, and can add up to tens of thousands in difference between calculators.

Blind spots

Nobody jumps into custom app development based on what a calculator says! 

This is because even the best cannot account for the following five factors that greatly impact the viability of the project and developer selection.

Maintenance Costs

Calculators won’t tell you if they factor in updates, bug fixes, growing server costs, and general ongoing improvements post-development, and trust us, app maintenance costs add up!

Non-Monetary Costs of Hiring Offshore

App cost calculators online are made by developers from across the world, and depending on where you’re based, hiring offshore can mean odd meeting hours, delayed feedback, and language barriers that the calculator cannot predict. 

Unnecessary Features 

Calculators will happily tally costs with every feature you request, including the ones that any experienced developer would question you on.

ROI

Calculators don’t account for whether your app could be profitable or how soon, and a cheap app that flops costs far more than a higher-cost build that does its job and brings in the dineros.

Use Development Cost Calculators as a Starting Point

App development cost calculators can give a sense of what to budget, but honestly, not much more than that!

Be sure to run your app idea through other calculators too!

And if early numbers make sense with ours, get in touch and we can help estimate not just cost, but if your project is commercially viable and we’re the right team to bring it to life.

That’s all from us, and we wish you all the best with your app idea 🙂

If you’re unsure, feel free to reach out for an honest assessment. 

If you're looking to build a custom app, check out our portfolio of past projects and contact us if you like what you see. Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

1. Fixed based on an agreed scope with no changes
2. Variable based on how the project evolves

The lack of a dominant pricing strategy across the industry shows there’s no one size fits all solution and most developers operate in between with a variation of the two.

As usual, the best pricing model for you as a client is a big old ‘it depends.’

This guide is our attempt to help you find the right one for your needs as we cover::

• Fixed and variable pricing models
• Common variations based on each
• What Upstack Studio has chosen and why
• A reminder to consider other software development cost factors!

Course, if you’re made of cash and just want to build, skip this and get in touch with us directly.

Otherwise, let’s begin.

Fixed Pricing Model

A developer that charges based on a pure fixed price will take clients through a rigorous requirements-gathering process, after which they’ll finalize a product roadmap.

Every feature in that roadmap is factored into the quote.

Once agreed, that’s what you pay for and what we deliver—no more, no less.

In theory, this makes it easier to estimate total costs before committing to development.

Deposit+Handover

This is the most common result of a fixed fee pricing model; pay the developer a percentage of the final estimate for them to start work, then the remainder upon completion.

The specific percentage requested for upfront payment varies, but generally shouldn’t be higher than 30% except for the smallest of projects.

Milestone-Based Payment

Since developers can anticipate key milestones in advance, they and clients can break up payments into several blocks tied to achieving those milestones.

Clients like this even more as they only pay for what’s been done, while developers remain motivated to finish the project, especially if payments are back-loaded with later milestones carrying higher fees.

Tradeoffs

A pricing model that favors predictability usually gives developers the short end of the stick.

Yes, clients have little room for mid-development changes, but developers risk losing money if requirements are underestimated and it ends up taking longer.

So much depends on how accurately they can estimate development costs at the start.

When to Use It

A fixed pricing model works best for projects that are:

• Small or short-term
• Clearly defined
• Low in uncertainty
• Led by experienced clients
• Based on proven concepts

All of the above points to a software project whose scope and timeline are limited and predictable enough to estimate accurately at the start.

Common examples:

• Minimum viable product (MVP) with a fixed feature list
• Prototype app for internal testing or investor demos
• Simple apps built on existing templates
• Feature upgrades or interface redesigns for existing software

Variable Pricing Model

A pure variable pricing model charges based on actual time and resources spent—so total costs vary based on how the project evolves over time.

Rather than fixed upfront commitments, the client and developer allow developing priorities and ideas to dictate the scope and corresponding development costs.

Developers prefer this option because in software development, flexibility often leads to better-quality software.

Plus we generally get paid more this way 🙂

Hourly Rate

The most common version of variable pricing, developers track hours spent on development, and clients are billed periodically, usually at the end of a development cycle.

This makes it easy to pivot based on feedback or new insights, but needs trust and transparency as clients cannot feel they are being taken advantage of..

Monthly Rate

Instead of going into granular hours, the development agencies offer themselves as a dedicated software team for a fixed period on a monthly retainer. 

It’s flexible, predictable in cost per month, and allows ongoing development without renegotiating contracts.

Tradeoffs

A variable pricing model flips the script, with clients now assuming greater risk.

The biggest drawback for developers is the additional reporting requirements that usually come with such arrangements–if you charge per hour, clients want to know where those hours went. 

However, even if a developer prepares a detailed breakdown, doesn’t mean clients can tell if:

• Developer manhours are being utilized properly
• If they’re being charged unfairly

This is why trust is so important–good thing we’re software developers and not lawyers 🙂

When to Use It

A variable pricing model works best for projects that are:

• Long-term or ongoing
• Exploratory or evolving in scope
• Based on user feedback or rapid iteration
• Managed with agile methodology
• Run by clients who value flexibility over upfront certainty

Common examples:

• Startup apps still refining product-market fit
• Large enterprise systems requiring continuous updates
• SaaS platforms under active iteration and scaling
• Feature expansion projects that depend on real-world user data

Real World Software Development Pricing

In practice, many developers use a hybrid model combining the best of fixed and variable pricing, namely:

• A rough project estimate to set expectations and give clients a ballpark figure
• An upfront deposit to begin work, typically early-stage development
• Milestone / Sprint-based payments as the project progresses
• Flexibility on both sides to renegotiate if sudden requirements, or challenges arise

This way, everyone is equally inconvenienced, the way all deals should work 🙂

We’re kidding–this genuinely keeps both parties protected: Clients maintain visibility while developers aren’t boxed into potentially loss-making budgets.

Also, when developers aren’t incentivized to cut corners to stay within budget, they can prioritize building a superior product, though we understand this doesn’t matter all the time.

How Upstack Studio Charges

Our projects range from mobile to web apps and mobile-first sites, with the lower end covering MVP development:

• Mobile App Development: USD 35,000 – 100,000
• Web Development: USD 35,000 – 100,00
• Ongoing Support & Iteration: USD 3,000 – 10,000 per month

How do we actually arrive at those numbers?

Like we said earlier, it depends, and here’s how it works:

Initial Estimate & Deposit

We start by understanding your goals and must-have features for the software. Once we’ve scoped enough, we’ll share a rough cost estimate and request a 20–30% deposit to begin development.

Monthly Payments

For ongoing work, we use a monthly retainer model, where we act as your dedicated agile product team, with room for change if new ideas or challenges come up mid-project.

This hybrid model keeps both sides protected:

• You always know what’s being built and what you’re paying for
• We stay focused on creating a superior product

Our goal is to build something your users (and you) will love, then make you fall in love with us and sign up for our ongoing software support plan.

We’re all about that recurring revenue!

Other Factors Affect Development Costs!

Remember pricing model is just one piece of the software development cost puzzle, alongside:

• Native vs cross-platform development
• Feature complexity
• Level of custom UI / UX
• Team composition
• Developer hourly rate

These factors relate to one another in a sort of insidious matrix, so check out our app development cost breakdown to see how they work together to squeeze your wallet dry!

That said, if requirements are clear, a fixed price makes sense, especially for smaller projects.

Meanwhile, if you prefer a scope that evolves with feedback, a variable model gives you the freedom to adapt.

If you’re unsure which approach suits your custom software project, get in touch!

f you have a custom software project in mind and need help estimating ROI, get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!

If we’d heard of Figma Make sooner, it would have made our list of AI integration examples.

In fact, it may have been our favourite.

Usually, generative AI features make software easier to use for existing target users.

However, Figma Make is essentially an AI prototyping feature that turns the platform into a vibe designing tool.

This makes Figma’s professional level of design available to non-professionals, and below, we do a deep dive into its implications for non-technical founders and business owners.

Here’s how we’ve broken it down:

• which non-tech founders benefit most from Figma Make
• what Figma Make allows users to do
• how it compares to actual vibe coding tools 
• what the Reddit community thinks of it

Let’s begin.

Who Benefits Most from Figma Make

First off, it goes without saying but this is all just our opinion 🙂

Anyways, we see a lot of mileage for founders and business owners who already have established businesses and want to build an app to support the growth of said enterprises.

If that’s you, this guide was written with you in mind, but feel free to skip straight to Figma Make!

Otherwise, keep reading as we try to convince you.

If being frugal was a reason for your success, you’ll inevitably consider no code and vibe coding to build your app. However, for an enterprise level app that can reliably handle real:

• data
• users
• payments

There’s just no getting around hiring a developer at some stage.

So for business owners in your shoes, no code and vibe coding is at best a prototyping tool–and here we think Figma Make is better for those who value design.

Making Prototypes in Figma Is Now Way Easier

Here’s an interface you’re probably very familiar with, just on Figma Make.

This screenshot is self-explanatory, but for the sake of clarity let’s break it down!

In addition to automatically generating high fidelity static designs, which is what Figma is known for, users can now turn those static app screens into functional prototypes, all by just prompting.

The result is an incredibly versatile combination of vibe designing and app prototyping. 

Just check out their gallery showcasing community Figma Make projects.

Let’s agree that at first glance, they all look great.

But a prototype can’t just look great–it also has to perform basic app functionality.

Well, here are links to some of our favorite prototypes for you to test out:

1. Chess Game Prototype

2. Expense tracking mobile app prototype:

3. ATS resume analysis software:

If you like the look of any of these, you can ‘remix’ them, which just means duplicating it as your own project to iterate.

Here’s us asking Figma to make it an analyzer specializing in real estate legal professions.

You can easily do the same or start with a blank canvas.

But point is, not only do they look amazing, they’re also fully functional prototypes that you can:

• let users test and give feedback on
• hand over to a developer to turn into a full app

We asked our designer to make something, and they came up with this cool little pasty shop mobile app prototype.

The thing is, if they can do it without having to involve a developer, so can you!

Best Practices for Prototyping on Figma Make

To be clear, you can get a good prototype with just text-based prompting.

But we wrote this guide for business owners who don’t want to settle for just good.

For you, Figma Make has a full set of documentation on how to take a prototype further both in terms of looks and function.

Here are four things we think give you the best ROI. 

Add a Supabase Backend

If you want your prototype to store and remember data, you can easily connect it to a Supabase backend by either: 

• explicitly prompt it to add a backend
• click on connect Supabase in the settings section

If you’re unfamiliar with Supabase, it’s one of the most non-tech friendly options for simple backends, and for prototyping needs, its free plan will likely be all you need. 

Connect it to External Tools

Figma Make lets you connect your project to a variety of external tools like Notion.

This is not just nifty, but we’d argue essential if your prototype is meant to have AI agentic features like access to specific knowledge bases, tools, and memory.

To connect your Make project to an external tool, click on the + button where you’d normally type in a prompt, and you’ll find a list of connectors.

Choose Design Elements from Figma’s Library

Take your time browsing Figma’s libraries, pick ones that capture your vision, and export them to Figma Make. 

After all, Figma’s main strength has always been its practically endless library of designs and templates, don’t just like AI pick yours at random!

Add Style Guidelines

A style guideline is like a set of design rules that the AI will follow as it generates new versions of your prototype.

Look at the top of the Figma Make interface and click ‘Code’, then find ‘guidelines’ under the file explorer and you’ll be able to include:

• General rules like whether you want a minimalist or acid trip aesthetic
• Design systems like max font size or no floating widgets
• Component specific like button color based on primary, secondary and tertiary actions

So how does all this compare to a prototype made on a platform specializing in vibe coding first and design second?

Figma Make vs Lovable

Frankly, we think this is an apples to oranges comparison, and that’s all the more reason to compare them! 

Some people prefer apples; some prefer oranges!

And by the way, consider Lovable a placeholder for any mainstream vibe coding app builder.

Here are our thoughts summed up in a table:

Generally, we find that with a vibe coding tool alone, you often get a slightly more capable prototype, but significantly more generic designs. 

Meanwhile, using Figma Make may give you slightly less capable prototypes (that still work) but significantly better UI/UX and more individual designs.

C’mon, look at this thing of beauty!

In fact, it couldn’t be more clear that these two tools cannot be directly compared: People have been exporting their Figma designs to Lovable for a long time! 

We go back to who this guide has been written for: Business owners looking to build software to unlock that new level of growth and revenue.

For you, neither Figma nor Lovable is likely to give you the level of functionality needed.

However, Figma can give you professional grade design.

Then Figma Make at least breathes an acceptable level of function into it.

And that’s why in a head to head battle, we’d recommend Figma Make as your go-to prototyping tool.

But that’s our take, and in the interest of making this review as objective as possible, we dove into Reddit threads of users reviewing Figma Make.

Quickly, to the lynch mobile!

What Reddit Thinks of Figma Make

In summary, most Redditors on r/FigmaDesign don’t seem to like Figma Make very much.

We browsed r/FigmaDesign and the thread titles kind of speak for themselves:

• Disappointed in Figma Make
• Figma Make (Another AI prototype builder) and everything wrong about it!
• I tried building prototype with Figma Make using my own designs and well.. it’s useless

However, when we dove into the comments, we thought many were being unfair.

An overwhelming number of redditors were criticizing Figma Make for being incapable of creating a production ready app.

And for us, that’s kind of…expected!

Figma Make is not meant to create a full app, but a decently functional prototype with high fidelity design.

We’ve already made our case for why vibe coding is unlikely to give you an app you’d stake your business reputation on anyways.

So it’s an unfair comparison.

Also, for a long time, Figma was the playground of professional designers, so it’s likely these complaints come from professional designers.

We’re not recommending Make to professional designers!

Conclusion

Honestly, we’re a little shocked you’ve read this til the end.

You must have a lot of free time…are you sure you’re a successful business owner?

Kidding, kidding. The real takeaway is one you saw coming a mile away: The only way to know if Figma Make is right for you is to try it yourself!

And if all of this feels like too much work, get in touch with us for professional help with custom app design and development for your business.

All the best!

happy to help! Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!