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Today, building software is easier than ever. There are more tools, platforms, and AI helpers out there than you can count. Mobile apps, web apps, and internal tools that once required teams of engineers can now be prototyped by one person in a weekend.
As a non-technical founder that has built a revenue generating app, I know first-hand that if you're just getting started, the real problem isn't lack of tools. It’s knowing which tools to use and how to start without wasting months spinning your wheels. This guide is here to break down the different paths you can take, depending on how technical you are (or aren’t), and what tradeoffs to expect.
Let’s talk options.
1. Vibe Coding: Cool, but Mostly a Trap
You might’ve heard the term “vibe coding” thrown around. It’s a newer, AI-first way of building that’s gaining popularity thanks to tools like Cursor, Lovable, Bolt, and GPT-based coding assistants.
Basically, it’s like coding side-by-side with an AI assistant. You type prompts. It writes code. Sounds magical.
And for a seasoned developer? It is magical.
But if you’re non-technical, vibe coding can be deceptive. The AI might give you something that works on the surface but is full of holes underneath. You may end up with code that’s unscalable, unmaintainable, or outright unsecure.
If you're a developer, it’s a super power. If you're not, this path leads to frustration fast. Worse, you might end up with something that breaks the second real users touch it.
Lovable, Replit, and Bolt are frankly amazing if you need to create a quick landing page, or an MVP to validate an idea but beyond that, I’d steer clear.
Bottom line: vibe coding is not a great starting point if you're new.
2. No-Code / Low-Code Visual Builders: A Better Starting Point
If you're just getting into building apps and don’t have a technical background, no-code and low-code tools are more beginner-friendly.
Platforms like FlutterFlow, Bubble, and Adalo are great options. They're more manual than vibe coding, but much more forgiving. You can actually see how your app comes together, and you learn as you go. The learning curve grows with you.
They’ve also got built-in safeguards, basic architecture, hosting, authentication, all mostly handled. Yes, they take more time to learn, but it's a much smoother climb.
There are also courses and bootcamps for these tools, but how useful they are depends on one thing: do you actually want to get more technical?
If the answer is no, you don’t want to spend months learning tools, code, or workflows at all, then even no-code might not be right for you.
I learned this the hard way.
The first app I ever built took me just 3 months to develop. But what nobody told me was that getting it live on the App Store would take another 6 months. Why? Because I didn’t know the basics. The review process can be confusing, rigid, and honestly pretty stupid if you don’t know what Apple’s looking for.
That’s a huge reason why working with someone experienced, whether it’s a freelancer, cofounder, or agency, can save you months of frustration. The build is one thing, but getting it out there is a whole other beast.
3. Find a Technical Cofounder (If You're Lucky)
This is the dream: someone who believes in your vision, brings the technical skills, and builds with you side-by-side.
But finding a cofounder is like dating. It takes time, effort, and a bit of luck. You have to put yourself out there, meet a lot of people, and be ready for things to fall apart. You might click. You might not. You might break up six months in.
Still, when it works, it really works. If you want to go this route, invest in your network and learn how to sell your idea without overselling yourself. That said, please don’t be the cliché “ideas guy” who tries to keep 80% of the company and hand 20% to a technical co-founder. It won’t work… great technical co-founders are in higher demand than ideas. Here’s a video from YC on why an even 50/50 split is often the right move.
A cofounder can be amazing if you want to focus on the vision, operations, the non-technical stuff, and have someone who owns the build side. But be prepared for it to take a while, and don’t force it.
4. Hire a Freelancer (But Know What You're Doing)
Another option is to hire a freelancer from Upwork or Fiverr to do it for you. This way, you keep 100% of your future app business. However, proceed with extreme caution.
You might often find someone on the opposite side of the world offering their services at attractive rates, $10-15/hour. They can be a good option if you have a very small, well-defined task that fits neatly into the bigger picture of your app. But people often treat building an app like a one-time transaction: hire a freelancer, get the app built, and call it a day. That’s not how this works. You will need ongoing support, for bugs, updates, weird edge cases, user feedback, and all the things you didn’t think of upfront. This is not a hit-it-and-quit-it situation.
And if you don't know what you're doing, be prepared for them to rip you off and quote you three months for work that may only take a month.
A 10 second anecdote: I needed to hire someone for a very specific task. I went on Fiverr and they quoted me $2000 for a task I ended up getting done for $250 from another freelancer. In this case, I knew what I was talking about and had some technical expertise, so I saw the red flags immediately.
Some other people aren’t so lucky. I've seen budgets blow up 7x - this poor guy could have had his simple meditation app built for less than $5,000, but just because he didn’t know what he was doing or who he was dealing with, his money went 💨.
Beware.
If you're going this route, at least learn enough to manage a freelancer well. Otherwise, you're playing roulette with your money.
5. Hire an Agency (Choose Carefully)
App Development Agencies can be helpful, but this is also tricky.
The wrong agency is bloated, slow, and incentivized to do shoddy work and bill you hourly. You could get passed off to a junior team, or worse, end up with something that looks polished but breaks under real usage.
The right agency, though, is fair, transparent throughout the development process, and efficient. They use the latest tools, including AI and low-code, to speed up development and keep costs reasonable. Finding the right agency is also like dating. Book some discovery calls, make sure you get good vibes. And please ask for their portfolio, and client references (depending on what you’re into, this part is not like dating)
The one real con? Agencies tend to be more expensive upfront.
But depending on who you work with, you might also get other forms of support, like help with product strategy, scoping, or ongoing technical support, that can save you months of trial and error and provide peace of mind. If you’re building something with a real plan and of business value (not just a to-do list app), it might be worth the upfront cost.
I don’t recommend working with an agency if you’re building a prototype or a basic to-do-list app. If that’s your plan, learn a no-code tool and build it yourself. And honestly, the only reason you should be building a to-do list in the first place is if you're a freshman in an Intro to Programming class.
Final Thoughts
How you build your app depends on your goals, budget, timeline, and appetite and capacity for learning. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are plenty of traps to avoid.
The key is knowing what you want:
- Want to learn and get more technical? Build it yourself using no-code or low-code tools.
- Is your strength in something else, like business, customers, or vision? Then find a cofounder or hire help so you can focus where you add the most value.
- Want to move fast and have a bit of a budget? Hire the right team or partner with people who can execute well, just make sure they know what they’re doing.
Whatever path you take, make sure it aligns with what you’re good at and what you care about. That’s how you actually get something off the ground.
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