Common questions about building with Draftbit

Draftbit is a browser-based app builder for mobile apps, web apps, and websites. You describe what you want to Claude Code or OpenAI Codex, refine the result in a visual editor, edit the code yourself on paid plans, and publish to the web, the App Store, and Google Play from the same project. Draftbit also has an in-house expert team you can hire.

You can build native iOS and Android apps with React Native and Expo, browser web apps with Vite, and content websites with Astro, plus an API backend or Supabase backend in the same project. Draftbit templates cover social communities, booking, food delivery, finance, fitness, dashboards, admin tools, ecommerce, portfolios, and marketing sites. Desktop apps are not a target.

Draftbit is all three, depending on how you work. You can build with prompts to Claude Code or Codex, in a visual editor, or directly in the code, and every path edits the same React Native, Vite, or Astro project. Prompts and visual editing are on every plan. Saving code edits needs Standard or higher.

Draftbit is for people who want to ship a real mobile app, web app, or website without a full engineering team, and for developers who want AI agents and a visual editor on top of a normal React Native, Vite, or Astro codebase. First-time builders can start on the Free plan. Developers get code editing, export, GitHub, and a VS Code tunnel on paid plans.

Yes. No coding experience is required to build in Draftbit, and the Free plan includes the AI agents, the visual editor, and web publishing on a draftbit.dev address. Publishing to the App Store and Google Play needs Standard or higher and your own developer accounts. Before launch, have someone technical review authentication, payments, and data access, or hire Draftbit experts to do it.

Both. A Draftbit project is a real React Native, Vite, or Astro codebase, and the same project can go from a shareable prototype to a published app. You can share a public prototype link on any plan, publish to the web free on a draftbit.dev address, and publish to the App Store and Google Play on Standard or higher. Production still needs testing, review, and store approval.

Yes, within its stack. Draftbit projects are ordinary React Native, Vite, or Astro codebases with optional API and Supabase backends, so agents and developers can add the logic, packages, and services the app needs. Plan limits apply to projects, agents, and sandboxes rather than to screens or features. Hard systems still need architecture, testing, and often an experienced engineer.

Draftbit builds a first version from your description before you ever open the editor, and you can share it or publish it to a draftbit.dev address right away. A launch-ready app takes longer. Draftbit's own expert team scopes an MVP at four to eight weeks and a launch-ready v1 with backend, QA, and store approval at eight to twelve weeks, and Apple and Google control how long their review takes.

Draftbit is not the right starting point if you need a desktop app, want to import an existing repository, must write your backend in Python, PHP, or C#, are building a graphics-heavy game, or need every tool to run inside your own network. It creates React Native, Vite, and Astro projects in a cloud sandbox, and those are the limits worth checking first.

You describe what you want in a chat thread. A coding agent, Claude Code or OpenAI Codex, runs inside your app's sandbox, reads and edits the real project files, runs checks, and asks you when it needs a decision. The changes land in the same project you edit visually, and you pay with Draftbit credits or your own provider account.

Draftbit runs two coding agents, Claude Code from Anthropic and Codex from OpenAI. Claude models run through Claude Code, OpenAI models through Codex, and models from Google, xAI, DeepSeek, Meta, and other vendors arrive through OpenRouter. The model picker in the chat shows the current list. A Google Gemini agent is on the roadmap.

Agents edit your project's source and use built-in tools to type check, lint, add packages, manage environment variables, restart the preview server, call connected REST and GraphQL APIs, read publish history, manage tasks, and search Draftbit docs. They pause to ask you when a decision is needed.

Yes, up to your plan's limit. Free and Standard run one agent at a time, Pro up to 5, Team up to 10, and Enterprise has no fixed limit. Each agent runs in its own thread, and threads in one app share that app's sandbox, so give each one a separate part of the project.

Yes. Claude Code and Codex edit the same project files the visual editor renders, so you can prompt an agent, review its changes, then keep working on the canvas. Every plan includes both agents and the visual editor. Saving hand-written code edits requires Standard or higher.

Yes. Connect an OpenAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter API key, or sign in with a ChatGPT or Claude subscription, on any plan including Free. Threads that use your own account go straight to the provider and do not use Draftbit credits. Your provider's limits and model availability apply to those threads.

Yes. The visual editor builds its Component Tree from the screen's source code, so an agent's edits show up on the canvas and in the style and content panels. Custom code the agent writes still runs, but parts of it may have no visual control and need the Code tab or another prompt.

Roll back to a working save point, narrow the problem to one failing flow, and try a Read Only thread or the other agent. You can edit the code yourself on Standard and above, reach support through the Get Help chat, or bring in Draftbit Experts to repair the app or build the custom part.

Draftbit does not use your code to train AI models, and you own the code you create. Each thread's prompts go to the model provider for its billing path, either through Draftbit's accounts when credits pay or directly under your own key or subscription, and that provider's terms for your account type govern retention and training.

The visual builder is a live view of your app's source code. You pick a screen, select a component in the preview or the component tree, and change its styles, text, or code in the panel on the right. You can add components from a panel, reorder them in the tree, and preview on several devices at once. Every change edits the same project files the AI agents and the code editor use, and visual editing is included on every plan.

Yes. A Draftbit project is a normal React Native, React, or Astro codebase, so a shared component is a file you or an agent write once and import wherever it is needed. Components exported from your project show up in the visual builder's Add Component panel, and theme tokens keep them consistent across screens.

Yes, on the Standard plan and above. Draftbit has a Code tab for the selected component and a full in-browser Code Editor with a file tree, TypeScript-aware autocomplete, ESLint diagnostics, formatting, and search. Your edits are saved and reverted the same way as agent changes, and you can also export the code as a ZIP or, on Pro, to GitHub.

The visual editor edits what it can read from your source. It handles screens, the component tree, utility-class styles, static text, and adding or reordering components. Logic, data, dynamic text, inline style objects, packages, and native configuration stay in code, where an agent or the code editor takes over. Saving code edits yourself needs the Standard plan.

Yes for npm packages. You add them in Build Config or ask an agent to install and configure them. Native functionality works through Expo packages and React Native packages that auto-link or ship an Expo config plugin, and native previews must be rebuilt after a native package changes. Draftbit has no workflow for writing your own Swift or Kotlin module, so that work happens outside the builder.

Yes, for Expo apps from a public GitHub link, a connected GitHub account (private repositories included), or a zip file. Draftbit checks the project, detects the framework, and lets you either migrate the app to Draftbit's conventions with an agent or import it with minimal changes and a reduced feature set. Vite web apps and Astro sites import the same way, a React Native app without Expo can only use the minimal path, and Draftbit Classic apps have their own import tab.

Yes. All code created in Draftbit belongs to you, and Draftbit does not use your code to train AI models. On Free you can view a selected component's code from the Code tab. The full code editor and ZIP download need the Standard plan or higher, and pushing to a GitHub repository needs Pro or higher.

Yes. On Standard or higher you can download the full source as a ZIP, and on Pro or higher you can push it to a GitHub repository. The code is an ordinary React Native, Vite, Astro, Hono, or Payload project that runs with standard tools. Hosting, store publishing, and a Draftbit-provisioned Supabase backend need a new home if you leave.

Yes, on the Pro plan or higher. GitHub Export pushes your app's generated source code to a repository and branch you choose, authenticated with a personal access token. Each export replaces the target branch's contents and skips empty commits, so use a dedicated branch. Draftbit does not pull changes back from GitHub.

Draftbit projects are written in TypeScript. Mobile apps are React Native with Expo, web apps are React built with Vite, websites are Astro, API backends are Hono, and CMS projects are Payload. Draftbit can also create Supabase backend projects. Exports are ordinary projects for those frameworks.

Yes. Your applications and their code belong to you, and Draftbit does not use your code to train AI models. App data lives in whichever backend the app uses. A Draftbit-provisioned Supabase project can be transferred to your own Supabase organization, and a backend you already run stays under that provider's agreement with you.

Yes. Invite a developer into your Draftbit organization as an Editor, push the code to GitHub on Pro or higher, or hand over a ZIP export on Standard or higher. Developers from Draftbit's Expert Services join under a separate Expert role that does not use one of your editor seats.

Your projects stay in your account and nothing is deleted. Paid features keep working until the end of the billing period, then the organization moves to the Free plan, which does not include the full code editor, ZIP downloads, GitHub export, custom domains, or app store publishing. Export your code before the paid period ends.

Draftbit builds iOS and Android apps from one React Native and Expo project, and that same project can publish to the web as a progressive web app. Separate Web and Website project types build browser-only products with Vite and Astro. Desktop targets such as macOS, Windows, and Linux are not supported.

Draftbit mobile apps are React Native apps built on Expo. They render native iOS and Android interface components and reach device APIs through Expo and React Native packages, so they are not a website wrapped in a web view.

Yes. Draftbit mobile apps are Expo React Native apps, so camera, location, push notifications, file access, secure storage, and other device features come from Expo and React Native packages. You add them in Build Config or by asking the agent, and packages with native code need a new native preview build before they run in the simulators.

Your app runs in a cloud sandbox while you build, and the Preview Panel shows it on web and phone-sized devices that update as changes happen. The Pro plan adds real iOS and Android simulators in the browser, and the Draftbit Preview app opens the running app on your own phone through a QR code.

Yes. The Draftbit Preview app opens the running app on a real iPhone or Android phone through a QR code. The Pro plan and above adds iOS and Android simulators that run in the browser from native preview builds. On the Standard plan and above, a staging publish reaches testers through TestFlight or the Google Play Internal testing track.

Yes. The Publish menu in the builder sends a web build to a draftbit.dev address or your own domain, and sends iOS and Android builds to App Store Connect and Google Play under your developer accounts. iOS, Android, and custom domain publishing start on the Standard plan. Apple and Google still review the app and decide when it goes live.

Yes, on the Standard plan and above. You connect a root domain or subdomain you own from the Publishing page, add the CNAME and TXT records Draftbit shows you at your registrar, and verify. Draftbit issues the SSL certificate. Free plan publishes stay on a generated draftbit.dev address.

Yes, in two ways. One-click publishing on the Standard plan and above builds, signs, and uploads your iOS and Android apps to App Store Connect and Google Play, and the Pro plan adds App Store Assistance. Draftbit Expert Services can manage a submission for you. Approval and release timing still belong to Apple and Google.

You need your own Apple Developer Program membership, which costs 99 USD per year, and your own Google Play developer account, which has a one-time 25 USD registration fee. Both may ask for government ID verification. Draftbit publishes under these accounts on the Standard plan and above, and the fees are paid to Apple and Google separately from your Draftbit plan.

You can publish manually on the Standard plan and above by exporting the source code as a ZIP, or on the Pro plan by pushing it to GitHub, then building and hosting it with your own tools. Running Draftbit itself on your own infrastructure is offered only as an Enterprise option arranged through sales.

Make and test the change, then publish again from the Publish menu with a new version name and number. A web update replaces the current deployment when the publish finishes. An iOS or Android update uploads a new build to App Store Connect or Google Play, where Apple and Google review it and control when it reaches users.

Draftbit connects apps and AI agents to REST APIs, GraphQL APIs, and MCP servers. The catalog lists more than 80 providers, including Supabase, Xano, Neon, Stripe, RevenueCat, Sentry, Linear, Cloudflare, Canva, Shopify Storefront, and Contentful. A custom REST, GraphQL, or MCP source covers any other service with a suitable API.

Yes. Add your API on the Integrations page as a custom REST source, an imported OpenAPI spec, or an introspected GraphQL schema. Its endpoints become tools the agent can call and test, and verified endpoints get a generated client so the app calls your server directly at runtime. Your database stays behind that API or a client library with access rules.

Yes. The MCPs tab on the Integrations page connects an AI agent to catalog servers such as Supabase, Xano, Directus, Linear, Sentry, Stripe, RevenueCat, Cloudflare, and HighLevel. Adding a custom MCP server by URL needs the Pro plan or higher. MCP tools run while a chat thread is active, so they help the agent build and are not a runtime backend for the published app.

Draftbit apps and agents can use both. The catalog has REST and GraphQL services plus custom sources, you can import an OpenAPI spec or a GraphQL schema, and every endpoint can be tested in the Builder and exposed to the agent as a tool. Endpoints that pass a test also get a generated client in the app code, so the finished app calls them directly over the network.

Yes, in open beta. Draftbit can provision a Supabase backend for your app with a Postgres database, authentication, storage, and edge functions that the AI agent manages, and the pricing table lists it on every plan including Free. You can also bring your own backend through REST, GraphQL, or MCP connectors, and you can later transfer a Draftbit-provisioned Supabase project into your own Supabase organization.

Yes, with different depths. Supabase is the most integrated option, with a Draftbit-provisioned backend in open beta or a connector to your own project. Xano connects through its MCP server and a REST catalog entry. Firebase works through Cloud Firestore and Firebase Auth REST entries or its client SDK, while the Firebase MCP connector is still Coming Soon.

A Draftbit app authenticates users through the backend you connect. With the open beta Supabase backend, the agent sets up Supabase Auth and the Builder lets you turn on email, phone, and social sign in with providers such as Google, Apple, and GitHub. Clerk, Auth0, Stytch, Firebase Auth, Keycloak, and generic OpenID Connect providers are in the REST catalog. Your backend still decides what each signed in user may access.

Yes. Stripe is in the catalog twice, as a REST integration whose endpoints import from Stripe's official OpenAPI spec and as an MCP server the agent uses to set up payment processing and manage products and prices. RevenueCat and Square have MCP servers for mobile subscriptions, in-app purchases, and commerce. Payment verification and secret keys belong on a server, never in the app.

Build Config stores environment variables per app for development, staging, and production with plain text or sensitive visibility. Plain text values are bundled into the app and visible to users, so Expo apps require the EXPO_PUBLIC_ prefix on them. Sensitive values are encrypted at rest, masked after saving, and kept out of compiled app code, and anything private still belongs on a server.

Draftbit has a Free plan with 5,000 one-time credits and no time limit. Paid plans start at 15 USD per month for Standard, 30 USD for Pro, and 150 USD for Team when you bring your own AI account. Draftbit credit packages start at 25 USD per month, yearly billing costs 20 percent less, and one-time credits cost 1 USD per 1,000 on any paid plan.

Use Free to learn and ship a first web version on your own AI account. Standard fits one person who needs code access, a custom domain, and app store publishing. Pro adds GitHub, custom MCP servers, simulators, parallel agents, and submission help. Team is for groups that need ten seats and live collaboration.

Yes. An organization owner or admin can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel from the Billing section at any time. Upgrades apply immediately with a prorated charge and restart your billing cycle. Downgrades and cancellations take effect at the end of the current period, and you keep paid features until then.

Nothing is deleted. Every project and app stays in your account and stays accessible. From the date the lower plan starts, you cannot create projects or apps beyond its limits, and features above the plan lock, including code editing and export, mobile publishing, custom domains, GitHub, simulators, and extra editor seats.

Partly. Monthly plan and credit package credits stay usable for 30 days after the billing period they were granted for, so one month overlaps the next. Yearly credits arrive up front and expire at the end of the year. One-time purchases and the 5,000 signup credits last one year. Reward credits effectively never expire.

Draftbit credits pay for the AI model calls that Draftbit funds, mainly agent threads that read, plan, and change your app. Each call costs the provider's token price plus a Draftbit markup, converted at 1,000 credits per USD. Threads that run on your own key or subscription do not use credits.

Draftbit accepts major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, through Stripe, and all prices are in USD. The same checkout handles subscriptions and one-time credit purchases. Enterprise customers can arrange invoice billing.

Draftbit-funded AI work stops. You cannot start a new thread or message with an empty balance, and a running task stops at its next model call. Your app, code, editor, and publishing keep working. Fix it by buying a one-time top-up or adding a credit package on a paid plan, connecting your own AI key or subscription, or earning credits.

Expert Services are paid help from Draftbit's own full-time designers, developers, and backend engineers. You can buy a fixed-price package, keep a dedicated team on a monthly plan from 2,000 USD, or add an advisor for 150 USD a week while you keep building yourself.

Draftbit offers three engagement types. Fixed-price packages (Starter Backend, MVP, and v1), monthly plans from 2,000 USD with a dedicated team, and an Advisory plan from 150 USD a week. The work covers design, screens, backends, custom code, integrations, custom components, training, QA, and app store submission.

Three packages are listed today. Starter Backend at 2,500 USD, an MVP at 6,499 USD delivered in 4 to 8 weeks with 30 days of free maintenance, and a v1 at 12,999 USD delivered in 8 to 12 weeks with QA, App Store and Google Play approval, and 60 days of maintenance and support. Scope and price are locked at the start.

Advisory pairs you with a Draftbit expert while you keep building. For 150 USD per week or 500 USD per month you get a shared Slack channel, code review, architecture guidance, troubleshooting, one-on-one training, priority support, and up to 2 hours a week of hands-on work. You can pause or cancel at any time.

Monthly plans put a dedicated Draftbit team on your roadmap. Bronze is 2,000 USD per month for one part-time expert, Silver is 4,000 USD for a part-time team across design, development, and QA, Gold is 7,500 USD for a full product team, and Platinum starts at 12,000 USD for a custom team. Every plan can be paused or canceled at any time.

Draftbit staff add the expert to your organization with an Expert role, which gives editor-level access to your project without using one of your editor seats. Work happens in the same project you use, updates arrive every 48 hours over Slack and email, and the code stays yours.

Yes. Draftbit experts take on small jobs as well as full builds, such as wiring up Stripe or Twilio, building a custom component, fixing a stuck build, adding a backend, cleaning up code, or handling an app store submission. A scoping call sets the estimate, and small ongoing tasks often fit inside the Advisory plan's 2 hours a week of hands-on work.

Yes. You own everything Draftbit experts build or help you build, the same as any code created in Draftbit. It stays in your project, you can export it on Standard plans and above or push it to GitHub on Pro and above, and Draftbit never uses your code to train AI models.

Yes. Monthly plans and the Advisory plan can be paused or canceled at any time, with no long-term commitment or seat minimum. Fixed-price packages work differently, because their scope and price are locked at the start and they end when the build and its maintenance period are delivered.

Yes. Upgrading an old app is one of the three use cases Draftbit experts offer. The work covers a performance audit and optimization, dependency and framework upgrades, a UI refresh, code cleanup and technical debt reduction, and new features on the upgraded base. You keep what already works, and the app can stay outside Draftbit.

Yes. Migration is one of the three use cases Draftbit experts offer. They audit the existing app and data, rebuild the screens in Draftbit, migrate or reconnect the backend and APIs, move data with integrity checks, and test everything before you switch over. The target can be Draftbit or a fully independent codebase.

Yes. Rescuing a stuck vibe-coded app is one of the three use cases Draftbit experts take on. They review the code, diagnose the failures, fix broken logic, navigation, and state, restructure the AI-generated parts so they can be maintained, connect or repair backend integrations, and hand back a working app you understand. Rescue work is scoped at 2 to 6 weeks.

Yes. On every plan, an owner or admin can invite people by email as viewers, editors, or admins. Viewers are read-only and do not use a seat. Editor seats are limited to 1 on Free, Standard, and Pro, 10 on Team, and unlimited on Enterprise, and paid plans can buy extra seats.

Every plan has an organization with owner, admin, editor, and viewer roles. Team and Enterprise add live collaboration, which shows who else is in the app with presence avatars, cursors, and open-file markers, plus 10 or more editor seats. Pro and up can export to GitHub for pull requests, and higher plans run more agents at once.

SSO with SAML is an Enterprise feature. It is not a setting on the self-serve Free, Standard, Pro, or Team plans, and it is set up as part of an Enterprise agreement, so start with an Enterprise conversation. On other plans, each teammate signs in with their own Draftbit account and you control access through roles and seats.

The builder has a Get Help chat in the top bar, and the docs and community forum are open to everyone. Email support starts at Standard, priority support and training sessions at Pro, and a dedicated account manager at Team. Enterprise adds custom SLAs. For hands-on work on your app, Draftbit Expert Services offer advisory from 150 USD per week and retainers from 2,000 USD per month.

Draftbit encrypts stored credentials such as API keys, OAuth tokens, environment variable values, and database connection strings at rest with AES-256, uses TLS in transit, and does not use your code to train AI models. You own the code. Access is controlled with organization roles, and SSO is available on Enterprise. Your app's own backend and secrets still need your own controls.

Draftbit produces a real React Native, Vite, or Astro codebase that you can edit, export, and publish, with Claude Code and Codex working in the same project as the visual editor and an in-house expert team behind it. FlutterFlow generates Flutter and Dart, Bubble runs apps on its own platform without source export, and Lovable focuses on web applications rather than native mobile.

Both offer visual editing, AI agents, code export, GitHub workflows, and mobile publishing. Draftbit generates React Native, Expo, and TypeScript, with Claude Code and Codex editing the same files as the visual editor, ZIP export on Standard, and GitHub export on Pro. FlutterFlow generates Flutter and Dart. Your team's stack is usually the deciding factor.

Draftbit produces editable, exportable React Native, Vite, or Astro code and works with a backend you choose, including a Supabase backend in open beta. Bubble provides a managed visual runtime, database, workflows, and hosting, but its app source code cannot be exported. On Draftbit, code editing and ZIP export start on Standard and GitHub export starts on Pro.

Lovable is focused on AI-built web applications. Draftbit builds native iOS and Android apps with React Native and Expo, plus Vite web apps and Astro websites, with a visual editor tied to the project files and Claude Code and Codex working in the same project. Both give you the source code and a GitHub path, which on Draftbit starts on the Pro plan.

Both can build visual apps for web, iOS, and Android. Draftbit exposes a React Native and Expo codebase that Claude Code and Codex edit, that you can edit yourself on Standard or higher, and that you can export as a ZIP on Standard or to GitHub on Pro. Adalo centers on a no-code component, action, and database workflow.

Bolt, Replit, and Cursor are code-focused AI environments with growing visual and mobile tools. Draftbit is built around an app-specific project, a visual editor that reads and writes the real source files, one-click iOS, Android, and web publishing, and an in-house expert team. You can also open a Draftbit sandbox in Cursor, VS Code, or Windsurf on Standard or higher.

Draftbit gives you a working React Native, Vite, or Astro project, a visual editor, Claude Code and Codex, and one-click publishing, so a founder or designer can start free and ship without waiting on every code change. Custom development gives a team full control of the stack from day one. You own the Draftbit code and can export it on Standard or higher, so you can start in Draftbit and hand off later, or hire Draftbit's in-house experts for the parts you cannot build.