General FAQ

What is RapidNative?

RapidNative is an AI-native full-stack mobile app builder. You describe an app and you get a real React Native app, backend and all, running live in your browser in minutes.

Who is RapidNative for?

Founders, PMs, agencies, designers, and anyone with an idea who wants a working app today instead of next quarter.

How do I create my first app?

Sign in at rapidnative.com.
Click New Project.
Describe your app (prompt, image, sketch, or PRD).
Watch it generate, full-stack, in a few minutes.

See Getting Started for the full walkthrough.

How do I preview my app?

You don't preview, you run. Hit Play, and your app opens in a new tab as a fully interactive build via ReactNative.run, complete with real data, auth, and file storage.

How do I test on my phone?

Two ways. Click Add to Homescreen to install the PWA, or scan the QR code to open the app in Expo Go on a real device.

Can I edit screens after they generate?

Yes. Use Inline Edits for element tweaks, Quick Edit for text and style, or send a new prompt for larger changes.

Can I view or edit the code directly?

Yes, with the built-in Code Editor — view and edit any file in the browser, with quick file search (Cmd+P). It's available on paid plans. Note that the Code Editor is desktop-only: on a phone the editor shows chat and the live preview, but not the code. Open your project on a desktop browser to work with code.

Can I undo changes?

Yes. Rollback lets you restore any earlier version of your project.

Does my app have a real backend?

Yes. Every project ships with a real database, authentication, file storage, and real-time updates. Powered by Vibecode DB under the hood.

Can I switch databases later?

Yes. Vibecode DB is built for this. You can swap between the in-memory mock adapter, Supabase, or any conventional REST API without rewriting your queries.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. But if you do know React Native, you can export the project and extend it in any direction.

What does the exported code look like?

A clean Expo project using Expo Router, NativeWind, and Vibecode DB. Runs with npx expo start. Open it in VS Code, push it to GitHub, ship it.

How do I hand off the project to a developer?

All new projects are full-stack, so most people want the first guide:

Fullstack project (with backend, auth, database): Developer Handoff — Fullstack. Covers the stack, folder structure, env vars, Vibecode DB and the adapters, and going to production. Designed for senior devs to read in about ten minutes.
Frontend-only project: Developer Handoff — Frontend. Shorter guide covering the Expo + Expo Router + NativeWind setup with no backend assumptions. Only some projects created before May 2026 are frontend-only.

Does RapidNative replace developers?

No. It replaces the slow parts of starting a project. Developers are still the ones who take it to production, scale it, and add the business logic that makes it yours.

Project privacy

Free plan: projects are public.
Starter and Pro: projects are private by default.
Enterprise: private with team access controls.

See rapidnative.com/pricing for plan details.

What are Showcase and Remixing?

Showcase is a curated set of public projects you can browse for inspiration. Remixing lets you fork any public project into your own workspace and keep building.

Can I invite collaborators?

Yes. Pro and Enterprise plans support real-time collaboration so your team can work in the same project live.

Is my data secure?

Yes. Projects are stored on a secure cloud infrastructure. Exported code is entirely yours.

What happens if I paste an API key or a password in the chat?

The chat checks each message before it is sent. If it finds something that looks like an API key, a password, a private key, a database connection string or a card number, it holds the message and asks what to do with each one:

Save: the value is stored as a server-side environment variable (Project Settings → Environment Variables → Live) and the AI only sees its name, for example [secret saved as env var OPENAI_API_KEY]. The app's API server reads it as process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY.
Remove: the value is taken out of the message.
Not a secret: for things that only look like a password, sent as typed.

The AI never sees the value itself, and it is not stored in your chat history. Anything that slips through another way, such as an older browser tab, is removed on our servers before the AI reads the message.

Credits & Usage Limits