To make an iOS app, you either write Swift in Xcode on a Mac, build a React Native app with Expo and compile it in the cloud with EAS, or describe the app to an AI app builder such as Vibely. Only Xcode needs a Mac, and every route needs a $99-a-year Apple Developer account to publish.
What are the three ways to make an iOS app?
| Route | What you write | Needs a Mac? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swift and Xcode | Swift, with SwiftUI for the screens | Yes: Xcode runs only on macOS | Apple-only apps that use new iOS features first |
| React Native and Expo | TypeScript, with React | No: EAS builds the iOS app in the cloud | One codebase for iPhone and Android |
| An AI app builder (Vibely) | A description of the app | No: it runs in the browser | A working app without setting up any tools |
How do you make an iOS app with Swift and Xcode?
Swift is Apple's language for its platforms, and SwiftUI is its framework for building screens. You install Xcode from the Mac App Store, create a project, build the screens in SwiftUI, and run them in the iOS Simulator or on an iPhone plugged into the Mac. Xcode also signs the finished app and uploads it to App Store Connect.
This route gives you every Apple API on the day Apple ships it. The cost is that it is Apple-only: an Android version is a second app, usually written in Kotlin, and all of it needs a Mac.
Can you make an iOS app on Windows?
Yes. Xcode and the iOS Simulator only run on macOS, but React Native and Expo need neither. You write the app on Windows, test it on a real iPhone with Expo Go, and EAS Build compiles and signs the iOS binary on Expo's build servers. eas submit then uploads it to App Store Connect, which is a website.
What you give up on Windows is the simulator. You test on a physical iPhone instead, through Expo Go or a TestFlight build, which is closer to what your users will run anyway. The other way round the problem, renting a Mac in the cloud and running Xcode over remote desktop, works but is slow for day-to-day work.
With an AI builder that runs in the browser, the computer stops mattering at all: Windows, Linux and a Chromebook all work, as long as there is an iPhone to test on.
How do you make an iOS app with an AI app builder?
Vibely writes a React Native and Expo project from a description, so you get the second route without installing Node, Expo or anything else:
- Start a mobile project and describe the app: the screens, the data each one shows, and what a person does on them. For example: "A habit tracker with a list of habits, a daily check-in and a weekly streak view."
- Let the agent build it. It writes the screens, then runs the project's type check, lint and a build of each platform, and fixes what they report before it hands the app back.
- Open it on your iPhone. Click QR in the project header and scan it with the iPhone camera. The app opens in Expo Go and reloads as it changes.
- Change it in small prompts: "add a dark mode", "make the check-in button bigger", "save habits to Supabase".
- Build and publish from the Publish panel, which runs EAS and uploads to TestFlight for you.
Mobile apps are on every Vibely plan, including Free. Building for the App Store and Google Play is on the Lite, Pro and Business plans, and previews, builds and store submissions use no credits.
How do you test an iOS app on your iPhone?
Install Expo Go from the App Store and scan the project's QR code with the camera. Expo Go runs the app with hot reload, so a change shows on the phone within seconds, and it reaches the camera, biometrics, secure storage and most other native APIs. An app that adds a native module Expo Go does not include needs a development build instead, which EAS makes the same way it makes the store build.
For other testers, TestFlight is the next step: up to 100 internal testers get a build with no review, and up to 10,000 external testers get it after Apple's beta review, which usually takes under a day.
How do you put an iOS app on the App Store?
- Join the Apple Developer Program, $99 a year.
- Build with the production profile. EAS signs the app and uploads it to App Store Connect.
- Fill in the listing in App Store Connect: name, subtitle, description, keywords, screenshots, and a privacy policy URL.
- Submit it for review. Apple's review usually takes 24 to 48 hours, and a first submission can take longer.
The App Store publishing guide covers each step and the five rejections that most often bounce a first submission.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Mac to make an iOS app?
Only for Xcode, which native Swift development uses. With React Native and Expo, or with an AI builder such as Vibely, EAS builds the iOS app in the cloud and you never touch a Mac.
Can I make an iOS app for free?
You can make one and test it on your iPhone for free: Expo Go costs nothing, and so does Vibely's Free plan. Putting it on the App Store needs Apple's developer membership, $99 a year.
How long does it take to make an iOS app?
A first working version of a simple app, a few screens and the data behind them, takes an afternoon with an AI builder and a few weeks when you are learning Swift. Apple's review then adds one to two days.
Should I use Swift or React Native?
Swift if the app is Apple-only and depends on the newest iOS features; React Native if you also want an Android app from the same code. The React Native vs Swift comparison goes through the trade-offs.
To try the browser route, start a mobile app on Vibely with a one-line description of your app, then scan the QR code to open it on your iPhone.