The newly launched Anything vibe coding platform claims to make app development as easy as selling t-shirts. However, early hands-on experiences urge a cautious approach.

Vibe Coding Tool Anything: Exciting Potential or Caution Ahead? 🛠️

Recently, the vibe coding platform Anything has made its debut, boldly proclaiming that creating apps is as easy as selling t-shirts. Let’s dive into what this means, shall we? 🤔

A Promising Start but Hold Your Horses! 🚦

Founded back in 2020 by former Google product managers Marcus Lowe and Dhruv Amin, Anything hit the mark with its promise of quick app development. They boast a staggering 30,000 active users monthly and claim that the Frontier AI agent is so savvy, you can build apps without even glancing at the code. Sounds dreamy, right? But, as you might suspect, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

Features at a Glance 🔍

No more than 3 clicks to get from idea to production
Claims of users launching apps in mere days
Hosting is managed by Anything, or developers can download code to use it elsewhere
Subscription plans that start for free and go up to $80 per month (only time will tell how they define and count those monthly credits 🙃)

Hands-On Review: The Highs and Lows 🎢

Curious about its capabilities, we decided to give it a spin with a trial upgrade. Signing in? Easy as pie, thanks to a magic email link. Here’s where things get intriguing. Upon using a straightforward prompt to manage a volunteer rota, Anything promptly announced a “ready for action” status. Yet, when attempting to leverage some fancy features like auto-allocating volunteers, we found out that some additional development was required.

Red Flag Alert! 🚩 The system did not perform as promised. While it was possible to sign up as a volunteer, issues arose post-signup, and admin access should not be available for volunteers. This led to a revelation: It seems the AI was a tad over-optimistic in its assurance.

The Big Questions: Is It Reliable? 🤷‍♂️

This led to an eye-opening thought—how much faith can we place in AI-generated code? Are we stuck playing tech detective chasing down bugs while it assuring us everything’s peachy keen? The app generated by Anything utilized technologies like React and Next.js, but, alas, the output was riddled with errors. When we asked the AI to rectify these, it declared the issues resolved—but lingering uncertainties over functionality and security remained.

What Can Developers Expect? ⚙️

For budding developers: While Anything promises a simpler route to app creation, beware that it may still take a competent React developer to iron out those persistent glitches. The goal—making app generation a no-code wonder—remains tantalizing but is yet to be realized.

The Verdict: Proceed with Caution 🚧

In a world buzzing with vibe coding platforms such as Vercel's v0.app, it’s critical to tread lightly. The landscape is buzzing with innovation but brimming with over-promising as well. Users have shared mixed reviews online, with some amazed and others left grappling with persistent issues.

So, if you’re eyeing Anything, maybe keep your expectations modest for now, eh? Until we can assess the platform's true mettle, a discerning approach might be the secret weapon in your development toolkit! 🛡️

Keep Your Eyes Peeled 👀

Other players in the field like JetBrains are making waves with their own offerings. With rapid changes coming, staying informed and adaptable is key!

Would you trust Anything to handle your next app launch? Let us know in the comments! 💬