Cursor.ai, Replit, Lovable, Bolt, GitHub Co-Pilot, Google Firebase Studio and others
Even Andrej Karpathy won’t have assumed that just one tweet would change this entire scenario of generative AI coding, where people would be pouncing on vibe coding like anything now.
Vibe coding is just everywhere
Right now, a number of AI tools have come up that help you a lot with code writing and can make your life very easy when in web development and other tasks. In this particular post, I will try to cover the major ones that you should know about Vibe code writing.
1. Cursor
- Best for: AI-enhanced coding in a familiar IDE
- What it does: Cursor is an AI-first code editor that looks and feels like VS Code but comes turbocharged with features like intelligent code completions, refactoring, and even autonomous task execution.
- Use it when: You want to work smarter, not harder. Great for developers who still want control but appreciate a helpful AI sidekick.
2. GitHub Copilot
- Best for: Automating boilerplate and repetitive tasks
- What it does: GitHub Copilot acts like a second brain — suggesting code, generating tests, and even helping write documentation. It deeply understands your repo and can speed up pull requests by turning issues into PRs.
- Use it when: You’re knee-deep in a large codebase and want AI help navigating and contributing efficiently.
3. Replit (with AI Agent)
- Best for: Collaborative coding and rapid app generation
- What it does: Replit lets you build apps directly from natural language prompts — just describe your app and the AI builds it. It’s all browser-based, with built-in hosting and databases.
- Use it when: You’re prototyping with teammates or teaching others. No local setup = zero friction.
4. Lovable.dev
- Best for: Non-developers building MVPs
- What it does: Lovable turns plain English into real, deployable apps. It plugs into Supabase for database/auth and gives you a visual UI editor for collaborative changes.
- Use it when: You’ve got an idea but zero coding skills. Great for founders who just want to ship.
5. Bolt
- Best for: Full-stack prototyping in the browser
- What it does: Bolt gives you an AI-powered coding space that runs entirely in the browser. You can create full-stack apps with frameworks like Next.js and deploy with one click.
- Use it when: You want a fast feedback loop without any local environment headaches.
6. v0 by Vercel
- Best for: UI prototyping with React + Tailwind
- What it does: v0 takes text prompts and turns them into beautiful, responsive React components. It also plays nicely with Figma if you’re working design-first.
- Use it when: You’re a designer or frontend dev who wants to skip boilerplate and get straight to production-ready code.
7. Tempo (by Tempo Labs)
- Best for: Visual React development with collaboration
- What it does: Tempo is a visual builder for React that bridges the gap between design and dev. With drag-and-drop components, Storybook integration, and GitHub syncing, it’s made for teams.
- Use it when: You want to co-build interfaces without losing source control or performance.
8. Softgen
- Best for: No-code full-stack app generation
- What it does: Softgen can wire up Firebase, Stripe, and Resend to build production-grade apps — all without code. It’s focused on making commercial-quality apps dead simple.
- Use it when: You’re not a dev, but you’ve got a business use case and want to launch fast.
9. Google Firebase Studio
- Best for: AI-assisted backend
- What it does: Firebase Studio lets you define backend logic with natural language and generates rules, Firestore schemas, functions, and triggers.
- Use it when: You want to build production-grade backends quickly — especially mobile/web apps with Firebase stacks.
So many tools !
Which one to use when?
A few things before wrapping
- Use vibe tools for: Fast prototyping, natural language coding, and eliminating boilerplate.
- Avoid them for: Complex backend logic, security-critical systems, or heavily customised workflows (use traditional frameworks here).
- Mix & Match: Prototype in v0 or Bolt, polish with Copilot, and scale using frameworks like React or Django.
Happy Vibe Coding !!
Best Vibe Coding Tools was originally published in Data Science in Your Pocket on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
