What is vly.ai?

vly.ai is a YC F24-backed AI app builder. Describe software in plain English; vly returns a deployed React + Convex application with auth, data, and a custom domain.

vly is an AI app builder. You write a prompt — usually a paragraph or two describing the app you want — and vly returns a working, deployed full-stack application. The frontend is React + Vite + Tailwind + shadcn/ui. The backend is Convex, a real-time database and serverless function platform. Authentication is built in. So is deployment.

The pitch is short: describe software, get software. Everything that’s normally a week of plumbing — the database schema, the API layer, the type-safe RPC client, the auth wiring, the deploy pipeline — vly handles automatically and gives you back a typed codebase you can keep editing.

Who vly is for

Founders building MVPs

From idea to functional product in an afternoon. Skip the “set up Next.js, configure Tailwind, install Prisma, wire up Clerk, deploy to Vercel” tax that eats the first month.

Internal-tools teams

The CRM, dashboard, or admin panel your team needs but can’t justify hiring a contractor for. Built in a meeting.

Designers prototyping with real data

Lo-fi mockups never tell the truth. Ship a clickable, data-backed prototype to a stakeholder by the end of the day.

Engineers tired of boilerplate

Use vly for the 80% of every project that’s the same — auth, schema, layouts, settings pages — then drop into the editor for the parts that aren’t.

What you actually get

Every app vly generates includes the same baseline:

1. A typed full-stack codebase

   React frontend, Convex backend, end-to-end TypeScript. The same Project type your queries return is the type your components consume — no codegen, no DTO mapping.

2. A reactive backend

   Convex gives you queries, mutations, actions, file storage, scheduled functions, vector search, and full-text search. Subscriptions are automatic — when data changes, every connected client updates.

3. Built-in authentication

   Email + password, magic links, Google, GitHub, and SSO out of the box. Roles and permissions are first-class. See Built-in auth.

4. Tailwind + shadcn/ui design system

   Components are styled, accessible, and themeable. Light and dark mode toggle automatically. Replace any component without breaking the rest.

5. One-click deployment

   Apps deploy to a managed *.vly.app URL by default. Custom domains take two DNS records and three minutes. SSL is automatic.

Powered by three coding agents

vly doesn’t pick a side in the AI model debate. You can route any change to one of three coding agents, depending on the task:

Claude Code

Anthropic’s Claude. Best for large refactors, deep file-graph reasoning, and tasks that touch many files at once.

OpenAI Codex

OpenAI’s coding model. Fastest on small, surgical edits. The default for one-line fixes and quick changes.

Gemini CLI

Google’s Gemini. Strong on multi-file design work — schema design, data modeling, and frontend layout passes.

Choosing an agent walks through how to pick.

What vly is not

Honest scope is more useful than a marketing reel. vly will not, today:

Generate native mobile apps

vly’s output is a web app. Responsive design works on mobile browsers, but if you need a native iOS/Android app, vly is not the right tool. (You can wrap a vly app in a thin React Native shell, but it’s not the supported path.)

Replace your existing codebase

vly is for net-new apps and additions to vly-built apps. There’s no “import my Next.js project and start prompting” workflow.

Export the code (yet)

Code export is on the roadmap but not currently shipped. Apps run on vly’s managed infrastructure, with your own custom domain.

Pick a different backend

The backend is Convex. You can integrate other databases (Supabase, Postgres via the integrations directory) but Convex is always the primary store for app state and auth.

How vly compares

vs Lovable

Both ship full-stack output. vly’s backend (Convex) is reactive by default; Lovable defaults to Supabase. vly is meaningfully cheaper and ships with three agent options.

vs v0

v0 ships a frontend; you wire up the backend yourself. vly ships everything.

vs Bolt

Bolt focuses on rapid prototyping in-browser. vly focuses on production-ready output with a managed backend.

vs Replit Agent

Replit Agent is a generalist; vly specializes in production React + Convex apps with a documented happy path.

See the full comparison →

Backed by

vly is a Y Combinator F24 company, backed by Goodwater Capital, 468 Capital, and other investors. The team previously shipped consumer and developer products at YC startups.

Next steps

Get started in 5 minutes

Sign up, write your first prompt, watch your first deploy.

Read the prompting guide

The single biggest lever on output quality. Worth 30 minutes of your time.

Browse recipes

Step-by-step builds for SaaS, marketplaces, chatbots, and more.