Short answer: pick an AI builder that outputs React Native and Expo, describe your screens and data, preview the app on your own phone in Expo Go, iterate in small prompts, connect Supabase for auth and data, then build with EAS and upload to TestFlight or Google Play internal testing. In Vibely, mobile apps are on every plan, including Free; EAS builds and store publishing are on the Pro and Business plans.
Most "AI builds your app" demos are web apps. Real users live on phones. This guide is the actual end-to-end flow for shipping a native iOS and Android app from a prompt — the same flow our team uses internally, and it works without dropping into Xcode.
What kind of mobile app can you build from a prompt?
Anything that fits a typical product app: auth, lists, detail views, forms, tabs, push notifications, in-app purchases (through RevenueCat), settings. Vibely's mobile builds use React Native and Expo, so the underlying stack is the same one Discord, Shopify, and Coinbase ship on. Mobile is on every plan — the free plan includes it, and Pro and Business add EAS builds and publishing to the App Store and Google Play.
How do you build a mobile app from a prompt, step by step?
- Pick "Mobile app" when you start a Vibely project.
- Describe the product, including screens and data. "A habit tracker with login, a list of habits, daily check-ins, and a weekly streak view."
- Open Expo Go on your phone and scan the QR. The preview streams onto your device while the agent is still typing.
- Iterate with small prompts. "Add a swipe-to-delete on the habits list," "use haptic feedback on completion," "make the empty state friendlier."
- Connect Supabase. Auth, database, storage — connect the project once from the connectors panel (the Supabase integration is on Pro and Business) and Vibely writes the schema, the policies, and the client code.
- Ship to TestFlight or Google Play Internal. EAS handles the build; Vibely handles the trigger. The App Store publishing guide covers costs, review and the path to a live listing.
The pitfalls every AI mobile builder hits
1. Web-drift
Models trained mostly on web code love to write window.alert in a React Native file. Vibely ships a web-drift guard in the system prompt and a runtime linter that intercepts these before they reach your sandbox.
2. Stack instability
Expo, Reanimated, and the Hermes engine update on different cadences. A model that picks the wrong combo wastes hours. Vibely uses a stack lock — a known-good matrix of versions that the agent is not allowed to drift from.
3. Native modules
Some features (camera, biometrics, deep links) need a native module. Vibely picks Expo modules first, falls back to community packages, and tells you clearly when a feature requires a development build instead of Expo Go.
Which AI app builders can ship a native mobile app?
| Tool | Mobile story |
|---|---|
| Vibely | React Native + Expo in the same workspace as your web app, sharing your own Supabase project; Expo Go preview on your phone and a stack lock on every plan, EAS builds on the Pro and Business plans |
| Lovable | Web apps; no React Native output. Mobile means a PWA or wrapping the web app (Lovable's FAQ) |
| Bolt.new | Expo mobile apps, with publishing to TestFlight, the App Store and Google Play (Bolt's Expo docs) |
| Replit Agent | Native iOS apps via Expo, device preview, and guided App Store submission (Replit's mobile page) |
| Emergent | Expo / React Native apps on paid plans (Emergent's mobile docs) |
| Cursor + manual Expo | Works if you already know Expo |
vs Lovable
Lovable builds web apps and, per Lovable's FAQ, does not generate React Native projects; its route to a phone is a PWA or a wrapped web app. Vibely produces a native Expo project.
vs Bolt.new
Bolt builds mobile apps with Expo and can publish to TestFlight, the App Store and Google Play (Bolt's Expo docs). Where Vibely differs is the workspace: your web app and your mobile app live side by side and share one Supabase project in your own account.
vs Replit Agent
Replit Agent builds native iOS apps with Expo and walks you through App Store submission (Replit's mobile page). The difference with Vibely is the same one: web and native mobile in one workspace, on a database you own.
vs Cursor + manual Expo
Cursor + Expo works if you already know Expo. If you do not, Vibely's stack lock and web-drift guard save you the week of YAK shaving.
Bottom line
Several builders now ship Expo apps. If you want a React Native app live on your phone in minutes, next to the web app it shares a database with, and a clean path to TestFlight — that is the case Vibely is built for.