Thread by @johnrushx

Absolutely nobody predicted this: AI Code is the new NoCode.

Honestly, I like talking to AI more than to human developers when building small apps. It understands me better, even with half-baked specs.

I've literally tested all AI builders I could find 😑

1/20 🧵 :

1. @SoftgenAI is very impressive.

It took me 20 minutes to get my app done. Compared to all other tools I've tried, softgen felt the most autonomous. I didn't have to debug things. It did it all on its own. So for non-coders, I think it's a must-try:

2. @wrapifai solves the viral SEO demand of this year: Building mini tools and lead magnets.

I've built an idea generator in just 7 minutes.

Works really well for complete nocoders, e.g. for marketers.

3. v0 from @vercel has started with simple frontend code gen using @shadcn, but over time they have added
- copy any design from screenshot, URL or figma
- server actions(full stack apps)

v0 is best for generating marketing or visually advanced websites

4. Lovable is the fastest-growing startup in the EU ($4M ARR in 4 weeks)

Can build full-stack apps with authentication, AI, and database.

The following country economic dashboard took 5 minutes to generate:

5. Bolt from @stackblitz has had the coolest run so far.

Millions of people are using it now. It's absolutely suitable for real-world apps you would otherwise pay $100k to build. Ofc it is not always smooth.

Entire SaaS generated with Bolt:

6. @Replit AI Agent.

I built a real app: Vacation Tracker App.

It's a pretty advanced app with a database and routes.

Since I shipped it, over 1000 people used it. This feels totally surreal to me.
Try it

trackvacations.com

7. Github Copilot is now FREE.

Crazy move from Microsoft. But they know how to destroy competition and create monopolies.

Copilot is good for developers, but it's not usable for noncoders.
I'd recommend it if u got big existing codebases & wanna try AI.

8. You can also build iOS apps with Cursor and Claude AI.

ChatGPT is also connected to Xcode now using "Work with apps" on macOS. So if you're building mobile apps, you can go ahead and starting using AI in your existing IDE.

9. Amazon has entered the AI Coding game too via "Amazon Q Developer"

I haven't tried this one tbh. Has anyone tried it?

10. @cursor_ai is I'd say the most popular AI IDE atm.
They have even been on Lex Fridman's pod.

I built the whole portal for with auth, lessons, connection to notion cms, and more using the cursor with literally zero code.

johnrush.me/directory-guid…

11. Windsurf is similar to replit and bolt.

It isn't easy to use for non-coders because its agent asks lots of questions while building your app. The questions are good, but non coders won't know the answers

Web-to-markdown converter built with prompts:

12. Half of YC batch is AI IDEs this fall,

Aide: Open-source AI code editor, agentic framework, SOTA at 43% on swebench-lite. Offers Cursor/Copilot features, data privacy, and plug-and-play LLM integration.

Slightly new take on AI IDE UX.

13. Devin AI.

I haven't paid $500/mo for it, instead, I watched an in-depth review from Steve

14. Pear AI.

I've used it for a few little apps and it's similar to cursor, fits best for coders, not easy enough for non-coders,
met the founders back in October on a mentoring call,

proud to see them getting into YC a month later.

15. Github also has Github Spark.

It's a more "agentic" system compared to Github Copilot.

16. Google has their own AI IDE called: IDX

Works well for both mobile and web.

It's a copilot, not an agent. Works only for devs.

17. This is all of us, when using AI IDEs 😆

18. JetBrains used to be the best IDE for coding,
but they somehow missed the AI train and have the poorest AI features for coding out of all IDEs.

But one feature still deserves a mention: AI Conflict Resolver.

19. Deco launched ,
which is my favorite AI UX so far.

It turns sketched into apps. The product is still early, but very promising.

webfraw.ai

20. Tempo Labs (if you're a founder of this tool, I suggest u rename it into smth else)

Generates full-stack apps using a text or image prompt.

It starts by making an architecture and diagrams. I think they have the best AI Coding UX, wow 😮

21. UIzard had the best demo video a year ago,
they recently launched v2

It's not bad, but I'm not sure tbh. They say it can create apps, but so far I only managed to generate a prototype with many UI glitches.

Anyway, it's not bad for prototypes.

21. That's it.

I waste so much time trying out these tools because I'm running 11 SaaS and 20 directories, and I need to be mutant-level efficient.

Nobody on earth uses more AI leverage than I do at the moment (IMHO)

https://x.com/johnrushx/status/1773384063463616643