letsdeployit
Deploy my app →
Comparison

The best ways to publish a vibe-coded app to the App Store and Google Play

There are five ways: a native rebuild done for you, your builder's own publish route if it makes native apps, a wrapper service like Median, Despia or Natively, Capacitor on your own, or a freelancer or agency. Apple charges $99 a year and Google $25 once on every route. Wrapped websites often fail Apple's Guideline 4.2, so a native app is the safest way through review.

Facts checked against Apple's, Google's and the builders' own documentation.

What are the best ways to publish a vibe-coded app?

The best way depends on one question: did your builder make a web app or a native app? Lovable, Bolt.new, v0 and Base44 make web apps, which need a native app before either store will take them. Rork, Anything, FlutterFlow and RapidNative make native apps, which only need the store work. These are the five routes people take:

  1. Recommended

    Native rebuild, done for you

    LetsDeployIt rebuilds your web app as a native React Native and Expo app on your existing backend, then does the listings, privacy forms, signing and submission.

    In the stores
    App Store and Google Play, submitted for you
    Watch out for
    Changes to the app's screens go through store review. You preview the native app on your phone for free before you pay.

  2. Your builder's own publish route

    Rork, Anything, Replit, FlutterFlow and Bubble can build a native app and send it to App Store Connect. Base44 packages a wrapper that you submit.

    In the stores
    Usually the App Store first; Google Play support varies by builder
    Watch out for
    The listing, privacy answers, testers and review stay with you. It only gives you a native app if your builder already makes one.

  3. Wrapper service: Median, Despia or Natively

    Your published web app runs inside a native shell, with features like push notifications added through plugins.

    In the stores
    Both, submitted by you or by the tool's paid publishing service
    Watch out for
    An app that is mostly your website is what Apple rejects under Guideline 4.2.

  4. Capacitor, on your own

    Ionic's open-source runtime puts your web code in a WebView, and you build the apps in Xcode and Android Studio.

    In the stores
    Both, submitted by you
    Watch out for
    You need a Mac for iOS and developer time, and it carries the same Guideline 4.2 risk as other wrappers.

  5. Freelancer or agency

    Someone you hire converts or rebuilds the app and, if you agree it, submits it.

    In the stores
    Whatever you agree in the contract
    Watch out for
    Billed by the hour or by quote, and resubmissions after a rejection are often extra.

Apple's $99 a year and Google's $25 one-time developer fees apply to every route. The full breakdown is in what it costs to publish a vibe-coded app.

Can you just wrap your web app and submit it?

You can, but a wrapped website is the route that most often ends in a Guideline 4.2 rejection. You paste your app's URL into a wrapper, upload the build and wait two days. The review note says your app doesn't do enough beyond your website.

“Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website.”
Apple App Review Guideline 4.2
The same app as a wrapped website and as native screens.

A wrapper can pass when the app already does more than the website: native navigation, push notifications, offline use, things a browser tab doesn't give you. Its real advantage is updates: change the website and the app changes, with no store review. A native rebuild trades that for screens that read as an app from the first review.

Already rejected? See how to fix a Guideline 4.2 rejection and the other reasons Apple rejects AI-built apps.

Which AI app builders make web apps and which make native apps?

Of these 14 builders, six make native apps out of the box (Rork, Emergent, Anything, Rocket.new, RapidNative and FlutterFlow), Bubble and Replit make native apps from their mobile projects, and the rest make web apps. Here is what each one makes and what it does for the stores, from each builder's docs:

Lovable
What it makes
Web app
Its own route to the stores
None
Bolt.new
What it makes
Web app
Its own route to the stores
An Expo route where you run the builds and both store consoles yourself
Base44
What it makes
Web app
Its own route to the stores
A wrapper that opens your app's URL; you download the files on the Builder plan or higher and submit them
v0
What it makes
Next.js web app on Vercel
Its own route to the stores
None
Start here
v0 to App Store
Replit
What it makes
Web app, or a native Expo project
Its own route to the stores
Uploads Expo projects to App Store Connect; no Google Play publishing in its docs
Rork
What it makes
Native app
Its own route to the stores
A Publish to App Store button; you complete the product page and submit for review
Emergent
What it makes
Native React Native and Expo app
Its own route to the stores
Builds for the stores; the listings, forms and review are yours
Anything
What it makes
Native Expo app
Its own route to the stores
Builds and uploads to App Store Connect; you do the listing, privacy answers and review
Rocket.new
What it makes
Native Flutter app
Its own route to the stores
None: you build the iOS app in Xcode on a Mac and the Android bundle yourself
RapidNative
What it makes
Native React Native and Expo app
Its own route to the stores
Publishes from the editor through LetsDeployIt, or exports the full Expo project for you to build and submit
FlutterFlow
What it makes
Native Flutter app
Its own route to the stores
Deploys to App Store Connect; Google Play after a first manual upload of the AAB
Bubble
What it makes
Web app, or native from its mobile editor
Its own route to the stores
Builds native apps; you set up the accounts, submit and handle review
Glide
What it makes
Progressive web app
Its own route to the stores
None: Glide says store publishing isn't supported
Webflow
What it makes
Website
Its own route to the stores
None

If your builder already makes a native app, you don't need a conversion, only the store work. The step-by-step guides cover it for the App Store and Google Play.

How much does each way cost?

Capacitor and your builder's own route cost nothing extra in money but the most in your time; wrappers cost a one-time or monthly fee; a freelancer, an agency or a done-for-you service costs more but takes the store work off you. Prices from each company's own pricing page, checked on the date above:

Native rebuild, done for you
Tool or service cost
Flat fee, see pricing
Who does the store work
Done for you, with resubmissions until approved
Your builder's own route
Tool or service cost
Your builder plan (Base44 needs Builder or higher to download the files)
Who does the store work
You
Median
Tool or service cost
See Median's pricing page
Who does the store work
You, or Median's paid publishing service
Despia
Tool or service cost
$249 once for one platform, $498 once for both
Who does the store work
You
Natively
Tool or service cost
$19 a month, $49 a month or $699 once
Who does the store work
You, or its publishing service from $600
Capacitor
Tool or service cost
Free (MIT license); a Mac for iOS builds
Who does the store work
You
Freelancer or agency
Tool or service cost
Hourly or a quote
Who does the store work
Whatever you agree

Side-by-side comparisons: Median, Despia, Natively and Capacitor. Thinking of hiring? See DIY vs freelancer vs agency.

Which way should you choose?

Choose by what your builder makes, how much time you have and how much review risk you can carry. You don't always need help: if your app is already native and you're happy filling in App Store Connect and Google Play Console yourself, your builder's route is enough.

Your builder's own route
If
Your builder makes native apps (Rork, Anything, FlutterFlow, RapidNative) and you have time for the listings, privacy forms and review
A wrapper service
If
Your app already does more than a website and you want updates without store review
Capacitor
If
You're a developer with a Mac and want full control at no tool cost
A freelancer or agency
If
You need custom features built as well as the store work
A native rebuild, done for you
If
You built a web app and want a native app that's made to pass review, with the stores handled

Whichever route you take, new personal Google Play accounts need a 14-day closed test with 12 testers before launch, and apps with sign-up need in-app account deletion. Both are covered in the Lovable launch checklist, which applies to any web-built app.

How we help

We take your AI-built app the last mile.

We rebuild your web app as a native React Native and Expo app on your existing backend, or take your already native app as it is, then do every store task: listings, screenshots, privacy labels, the Data safety form, the 12-tester closed test, signing and submission to both stores. We resubmit until approved, and refund the full fee if an app that follows the store policies can't be approved. Preview it free on your phone first.

Ship my AI-built app →See pricing

How we ship AI-built apps →

Common questions about publishing a vibe-coded app

If your builder makes a web app, a native rebuild is the safest way through App Review; if it already makes a native app, use its publish route and do the store work. Wrappers are cheaper but often fail Apple's Guideline 4.2.

No. The App Store takes native apps, not website links, so a Lovable or Bolt.new web app needs to become a native app first, either wrapped or rebuilt.

Often, if the app is mostly your website. Guideline 4.2 asks for features, content and UI that go beyond a repackaged website, so a wrapper needs native features to pass.

Rork, Emergent, Anything, Rocket.new, RapidNative and FlutterFlow make native apps, as do Bubble's mobile editor and Replit's Expo projects. Lovable, Bolt.new, Base44, v0, Glide and Webflow make web apps or websites.

Not if your app is built in the cloud: Rork, Anything, Replit and FlutterFlow build iOS apps without one. Building it yourself with Capacitor or Xcode needs a Mac.

Apple reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours. On Google Play, new personal accounts first run a 14-day closed test, and the production access review usually takes 7 days or less.

A freelancer suits you if you need custom work as well as the store side. Keep the developer accounts in your name and agree up front how resubmissions after a rejection are billed.

More AI-built guides

All guides →

Sources, checked :

Start here

Tell us about your app. We'll handle the rest.

Share your app's link and how to reach you. We'll try out your app and come back within two business days with how we'd get it into the stores.

  • Start with just a link: no source code needed yet
  • NDA before you share code, if you want one
  • Flat fee, no add-ons mid-project
  • Approved or your money back

A project link from Lovable, Rork, Bolt or any builder, or a preview link.

We reply within two business days. No spam, ever.