The short answer
Vibe coding is building software by describing what you want in plain language and letting an AI write, run and fix the code, often without reading the code yourself. The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy, an OpenAI co-founder, and Collins Dictionary named it its word of the year for 2025. Popular tools include Lovable, Bolt, Replit Agent and v0 for complete apps, and Claude Code and Cursor for people who also work with the code.
| Coined by | Andrej Karpathy, OpenAI co-founder |
|---|---|
| Recognition | Collins Dictionary word of the year 2025 |
| App builders | Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0 |
| Coding agents | Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Codex |
| Good for | Prototypes, internal tools, simple websites |
| Main risks | Security, data exposure, cost creep, code nobody understands |
What vibe coding means
Traditional programming means writing instructions line by line in a language such as Python or JavaScript. Vibe coding flips that. You describe the result ("a page where my team logs expenses, with a chart by month and a CSV export"), the AI writes the code, runs it, shows you a preview, and fixes it when you say what is wrong. You judge the result by whether it works and feels right, which is where the "vibe" comes from, rather than by reading every line.
The phrase was coined by Andrej Karpathy, a co-founder of OpenAI, and spread so quickly that Collins Dictionary chose it as its word of the year for 2025, announced on 6 November 2025. Collins defined it as an emerging kind of software development that turns natural language into computer code using AI, and noted that tech experts debate whether it is revolutionary or reckless. Both views have a point.
The tools people use for vibe coding in 2026
There are two families. App builders run everything in the browser and host the result for you. Coding agents work on real code in a project folder and suit people who are willing to look at the code.
| Tool | What it is | Free plan in brief |
|---|---|---|
| Lovable | Full-stack web apps by chat, with Chat, Plan and Build modes and Lovable Cloud for the database and log-ins | 5 build credits a day up to 30 a month, no code editing or custom domain |
| Bolt | StackBlitz's in-browser builder for sites, apps, mobile apps and slides, with Bolt Cloud hosting | 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily cap, Standard agent only |
| Replit | Replit Agent builds and hosts web and mobile apps; slide decks and data visualisations need the paid Core plan | Starter: daily credits, one published app that goes down after 30 days |
| v0 | Vercel's builder for websites and web apps in Next.js, deployed to Vercel | 7 messages a day |
| Claude Code | Anthropic's coding agent, for people who work with real code | Not on Free; included from Pro |
| Cursor | AI code editor and agent for developers | Limited Agent and Chat requests |
Plans change often, so check each tool's pricing page before you commit. Our comparisons of Bolt vs Lovable, Lovable vs Replit and v0 vs Bolt go into detail.
Why it matters at work
Vibe coding lets people who understand a problem build the tool for it without waiting for a developer. The best uses are small and contained: a calculator for quotes, an internal form that writes to a spreadsheet, a prototype to show a client what you mean, a landing page for an event. A working prototype often settles in a day an argument that a written spec would drag out for weeks.
The risks grow the moment real data or real users are involved:
- Public by default. On Lovable's free plan, apps publish publicly by default. Check who can see what you build before you put company data in it.
- Data in the database. Bolt only made new database tables private by default from 30 October 2026. Older projects and other tools may differ, so check your access rules.
- Training on your project. Lovable can use Free and Pro content for training since 9 September 2026 unless you opt out, Bolt's training setting is on by default outside the EU, UK and Switzerland, and v0's Free plan has no data opt-out.
- Cost creep. Bolt notes that every prompt and file read spends tokens, so long debugging sessions can use a month's allowance quickly.
- Nobody understands the code. If the app becomes important and breaks, someone has to fix it. Lovable and v0 can sync code to GitHub, which at least lets a developer take over.
A sensible rule: vibe code freely for prototypes and personal tools, and bring in IT or a developer before anything touches customer data, payments or log-ins. Our guide to using AI at work safely and writing an AI policy can help set that line.
An example you can try in 30 minutes
- Open Lovable and start a new project in Plan mode, which writes a reviewable plan and does not change any code.
- Paste the first prompt below, a meeting cost calculator, and read the plan it proposes. Ask for changes until it matches what you want.
- Switch to Build mode and let it build. Use the preview to click through every button.
- Ask for one change by pointing at an element in the preview, for example "make this total bigger and add a copy button".
- Before sharing the link, check whether the app is public, and do not enter real salary data.
If you prefer Bolt, Replit or v0 the steps are almost the same. Our guides on building an app without code and building a website with AI go further.
Common misconceptions about vibe coding
- "You never need to know anything about code." For a prototype, true. For anything that lasts, someone needs to understand roughly how it works, how data is stored and how to fix it.
- "If it works in the preview, it is ready." A working screen says nothing about security, access control or what happens with 1,000 users. Replit, for example, offers a Level 3 security scan that reviews the source code and also tests the running preview from the outside, which is worth running before launch.
- "It is only for non-developers." Coding agents such as Claude Code and Cursor are built for professional developers, who use them to describe changes in plain language and then review the code.
- "The free plan is enough to build a real product." Free plans are trials: Lovable allows 30 build credits a month and Replit's free published app goes down after 30 days.
Related terms
- AI agent: vibe coding tools are agents that write and run code.
- Prompt: the description you build from.
- MCP: how coding tools connect to databases and services.
- AI API: often what your vibe-coded app calls to add AI features.
- Hallucination: why AI-written code can call things that do not exist.
- Prompt injection: a risk once your app reads outside content.
Choosing a tool? See the best AI for building websites and the best AI for coding.
Prompts to copy
Plan a small internal tool before building
Build a meeting cost calculator for my team. Inputs: number of attendees, average hourly cost per person in [currency], meeting length in minutes and how often it repeats per month. Show the cost per meeting, per month and per year, with a simple bar chart. Add a button to copy a one-line summary such as 'This weekly meeting costs [amount] a year.' No log-in, no database, works on mobile. First write a short plan and list any questions before you build anything.
You get: A reviewable plan, then a working one-page tool
Ask for a security check before you share
Review this app before I share it with [audience]. List every place where data is stored or sent, who can read or change it, whether any page or table is public, and any secrets such as API keys that appear in the code. Rank the problems by risk and fix the top three, explaining each change in plain English.
You get: A plain-English security review with fixes
Hand over to a developer
Write a handover note for a developer taking over this app: what it does, the main files and what each one is for, how data is stored, what services or keys it depends on, known bugs and the three things most likely to break. Keep it under one page.
You get: A one-page handover so the app can outlive you