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What is Modaal and how does it work?

Modaal is an AI coding agent that turns plain-language product specifications into a production-ready native mobile app. The welcome page gives the overview in one read.Instead of generating snippets, it works through a structured Spec → Build workflow and keeps key artifacts aligned (PRD, flows, architecture, and code), so you end up with a real, scalable codebase you can ship.
Yes. The Free plan does not expire and does not need a card. You get one active project, unlimited prompts with no daily or monthly cap, your choice of iOS or Android, bring-your-own-AI, genuinely native builds, and code you can export at any time.Pro is €9 per user per month billed annually, or €15 monthly, and adds unlimited projects, iOS and Android together, TestFlight and App Store distribution, Git collaboration and priority support.See Plans & Pricing, and Modaal alternatives for how the plans compare with other app builders.
Vibe coding is fast and fun, but it often breaks down on complex features, edge cases, and larger codebases—because decisions happen “in the moment” and aren’t captured cleanly.Spec-driven development keeps the speed, but adds structure:
  • define requirements and constraints up front
  • document system design + key decisions
  • break work into implementable tasks with acceptance criteria
  • keep everything traceable from intent → implementation
In practice this means fewer misinterpretations, less drift, and better results as the app grows.
It is not an alternative to them — it runs on them.Modaal orchestrates the coding agent you already pay for. Claude Agent, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, Auggie, Cline, Goose, Kilo Code, Mistral Vibe, OpenHands and Qwen Code are all supported, and you authenticate with your existing subscription rather than buying inference through us.What Modaal adds is everything between a terminal agent and a shipping native app. A coding agent on its own writes good Swift but cannot register a new file in an Xcode target, read a build error in a structured way, drive the simulator, or hold an architecture in mind across a context reset. Modaal scaffolds the project, runs a build-and-fix loop through Xcode after each step, and keeps the module structure on disk so it survives context clears and agent switches.See Connect your agent for the full list.

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What do you need before you start?

Yes. Modaal builds and runs your app through Apple’s Xcode, which is macOS-only. You will want Xcode 26 or newer and roughly 50 GB of free disk space for Xcode and the simulators. Apple silicon is recommended for build speed.See Set up Xcode.
Start with the Quickstart guide to get set up. After that, you typically go through three steps:
  1. Describe what you want to build (users, key journeys, must-have features)
  2. Work on screens, flows, and logic (iterate in plain language, step by step)
  3. Check how it looks on simulator or real device
If you’re coming from a web prototype (Lovable, v0, etc.), the app has to be rebuilt — Modaal generates Swift or Kotlin, not React. Bring your MVP scope and core flows and build them in Modaal.
The best inputs are concrete:
  • core user journeys (happy path + 2–3 key edge cases)
  • your MVP feature list and what “done” means
  • data objects you care about (e.g., User, Project, Session)
  • any must-have constraints (offline, background work, sensors, auth, etc.)
  • example apps you like (for UX reference)
Tip: start with one “end-to-end” flow you can ship fast (a vertical slice), then expand.
Yes. Point the agent at a Figma design — it pulls the design context and screenshots through the Figma integration and builds the screens to match. See the Modes and prompts guide for a Figma-based example.You can also bring or build your own design system and have every screen follow it — see Design your app with a design system.
You control that with the Plan toggle in the composer:
  • Plan off (the default) — the agent works directly: it writes code, builds the project, debugs, and iterates with you. Best for building, prototyping, and one-off tasks.
  • Plan on — the agent researches your codebase and produces a structured feature spec without writing code. On a brand-new project, the first prompt with Plan on runs Refine: it turns your idea into a PRD and scaffolds the project.
Both share the same project context, so you can toggle Plan at any point — plan a feature, then turn Plan off to implement it. See the Modes and prompts guide for workflows and prompt examples.

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Who owns the code Modaal writes?

Yes, and there is no export step — the project is a standard Xcode project on your own disk from the first build. Modaal drives Xcode locally; the code was never anywhere else.Open it in Xcode with or without Modaal running. Add Swift packages, refactor, connect your own backend, point your own CI/CD at it, or hand it to another engineer who has never heard of Modaal.
Yes. It’s a normal native project, so treat it like any other:
  • refactor
  • add libraries
  • integrate your backend
  • ship through your normal CI/CD
Modaal’s value is that the “spec → build” loop stays structured as you iterate.

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Which platforms and stack does Modaal target?

Both iOS and Android.
  • iOS — native Swift and SwiftUI. Generally available.
  • Android — native Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. Available to every account, in open beta.
Both are built from one shared core through Duet, so the business logic stays identical across platforms while each app keeps a fully native interface — following Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines and the Liquid Glass idiom on iOS, and Material 3 Expressive on Android. The Duet tutorials build one such app on both platforms by hand.Modaal Free builds one platform of your choice. Building iOS and Android together is part of Pro.
Modaal generates native UI and app structure, including:
  • SwiftUI screens for iOS, Jetpack Compose screens for Android
  • data models and API logic
  • background tasks where relevant

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What can Modaal build?

Modaal is designed for “native-advantaged” features where web/hybrid builders hit limits, like:
  • widgets and OS surfaces (e.g., Live Activities)
  • offline mode and background work
  • sensors / hardware access
  • watch companions (where relevant)
  • performance-critical experiences
In-app purchases and subscriptions are covered separately in Add in-app purchases and subscriptions to an iOS app, including how to test a paywall before the products exist in App Store Connect.
Yes. If you already have APIs, you can provide:
  • endpoints + auth method
  • key request/response shapes
  • error states and retry behavior you want
Then Modaal can align the data models and flows around that contract.If you would rather Modaal provision the backend, Firebase covers auth, cloud database, storage and analytics, and Firebase Data Connect covers a managed PostgreSQL schema with a typed Swift SDK.

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How the workflow stays coherent

Modaal treats PRD, user flows, data flows, navigation, and architecture as connected artifacts.When you change one (e.g., add a new state to a flow), it updates the related pieces so you don’t get “version drift” between docs, design, and implementation.
Last modified on September 8, 2026