Vibe Coding: The mobile market remains a challenge for app developers

At a time when vibe-coding startups are soaring to dizzying heights and attracting attention with multibillion-dollar valuations, the market for AI-supported coding on mobile devices remains surprisingly subdued. Despite numerous apps offering specialized vibe-coding tools on mobile platforms, these record hardly notable download numbers or revenue. According to an analysis by Appfigures, only a few mobile apps in the vibe coding segment have seen significant downloads. The leading app in this area, Instance: AI App Builder, registered only 16,000 downloads with modest revenue of 1,000 dollars. The second-largest app, Vibe Studio, managed to achieve 4,000 downloads but without financial gain. However, there is hope that this trend could change. The market is still in its early stages, and new apps are regularly emerging. A new promising company is Vibecode, which recently received 9.4 million dollars in seed funding and provides an innovative iOS app that develops mobile applications via AI. Appfigures currently has no data on this young startup. Although vibe coding on mobile devices is not yet taking off, it is present on another level: it is embedded in the growing number of existing mobile applications. RevenueCat, a subscription platform operator, reports that over 50% of AI-created iOS apps process their in-app purchases through its systems. The interest and demand are undeniably present, as a Stack Overflow survey shows that 84% of developers are already using AI tools or planning to do so. Nevertheless, there are still challenges to overcome: 95% of developers indicated that they need to spend additional time correcting AI-generated code. These developments indicate that the journey for vibe coding has just begun, with a clear need for further technological advancements.