Choosing a Vibe Coding Tool: Lovable, Bolt, v0, Cursor and Claude Code

No rankings, just fit: what each tool is designed for, and 5 questions to help you choose before starting your project.

"Which tool should I start with?" is the first question for anyone who wants to try vibe coding, and the answers online are usually rankings that change every month. In reality, each tool is designed for a different group of people and a different way of working. The better question is not "which is best?" but "which fits my work and skills right now?" This article does not rank tools. It helps you choose based on what you actually need.

Vibe coding tools fall into two groups

Group 1: Browser-based app builders

Open a website, type what you want, and see the app immediately, with nothing to install. A good fit for people who have never coded or who want a fast prototype.

Group 2: Tools inside a developer environment

These work directly with project files on your machine or in a repository. You get finer control, but you need some comfort with an editor, a terminal or Git.

Each tool, as its makers describe it

Lovable

Lovable describes itself as an AI coding agent for building apps by talking to AI, a "text to app" product, with a built-in backend called Lovable Cloud that includes a database, login and file storage, or you can connect your own Supabase project instead. A fit for people who want a web app with real user data, starting from a written description.

Bolt

Bolt's FAQ describes it as an AI-powered builder for websites, web apps, mobile apps and prototypes. It runs in the browser on StackBlitz's WebContainers technology, has its own database (Bolt Cloud), can connect to Supabase on some plans, and builds mobile apps through Expo. Interesting for people who want to experiment with web and mobile in one place.

v0

Vercel describes v0 as an AI coding agent that runs in the browser, builds full-stack projects that deploy on Vercel, and can import a GitHub repository with two-way sync. A fit for teams already on Vercel or Next.js, or that care a lot about UI.

Cursor

Cursor is a code editor with a built-in AI agent, built on Visual Studio Code. Its agent helps plan work, edit code across multiple files at once, and run and test code. A fit for people who want to see and control the code in an editor while working with AI.

Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool. It takes natural language instructions, makes multi-file code changes, runs commands and tests, and can create pull requests. It works in the terminal, in VS Code and JetBrains extensions, as a desktop app and on the web. A fit for work that requires understanding a whole codebase (per the official Claude Code documentation).

To learn about more developer-side tools such as Codex or Gemini CLI, read AI Coding Tools 2026.

Choose with 5 questions

• Have you coded before? If not, start with the browser group. If yes, editor or terminal tools give you more control
• Does the app need real users and data? Check how the tool connects to a backend and whether you can manage permissions yourself
• Where does the code live, and can you move it? Tools that sync with GitHub let you own the code and move it elsewhere
• Solo or team? Teams with existing developers usually need tools that work with their current repository
• What is the destination? A prototype to test an idea and a system customers use daily need different tools and different care

Example: a marketing team and a dev team in the same company

The marketing team at a property company wants a landing page to collect leads for a new project within a week. They choose a browser-based app builder because nobody on the team codes and they need fast results. Meanwhile, the development team that maintains the back-office system uses editor and terminal tools to add features to the existing system. Both teams vibe code, but choose different tools for different work. When the landing page needs to connect to the company CRM, the marketing team hands the code over through GitHub so the developers can take it from there.

The best tool is the one that lets you ship, and that you can still maintain tomorrow.

Things to watch out for

• Prices, plans and features of these tools change often. Check the official pages every time before deciding
• Read each tool's data policy, especially before putting in company code or data
• Store secrets where the tool provides for them, never in code or in the chat
• Connect GitHub or export your code regularly so your work is not tied to a single tool

How to get started

1. Answer the 5 questions above for your first project
2. Pick two tools that fit your answers and build the same small app in both
3. Compare which one helps you understand and control the work better
4. Stick with your choice for at least one complete project before switching

Plants.work has courses for both app builders and coding agents, such as Vibe Coding: build an AI web app with Lovable and Vibe Coding: build a full web app with Claude Code. Pick the path that matches your answers.