I’ve spent two years and built 5+ apps testing both approaches.

Evallo.app (v1) – Low Code
Anntho.com – LowCode
Verzzle.com – LowCode
Evallo.app (v2) – Vibecode
Pulsehud.com (Website + app) – Vibecode
Cuebeam.com – Vibecode

…and many more for my clients. So hopefully, my opinion on this subject will save you a few years of effort.

I’ve paid the bills with low-code platforms. I’ve launched products in days with vibecoding. And I’m about to tell you something controversial:

If you choose vibecoding first, you’ll probably fail.

Let me show you the data, then explain why the “better” tool might be the wrong starting point.

What We’re Actually Comparing

Before we dive in, let’s define our terms clearly:

Low-Code: Platforms like Bubble, Flutterflow, and Webflow that let you build apps using visual interfaces and pre-built components. Minimal coding required.

Vibecoding: AI-assisted development where tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor write your code. You own everything but aren’t coding yourself.

Now let’s compare them head-to-head.

Round 1: Speed to Launch

Low-Code: 3-6 weeks (my average)

• Anntho.com: 3 weeks from idea to launch
• Launch28.com: 2 weeks
• Evallo.app (v1): 6 weeks

Vibecoding: 1 week (my average)

• PulseHUD.com: 7 days
• Cuebeam.com: 6 days
• Evallo.app (v2): 8 days

Winner: Vibecoding – 3-6x faster development cycles

But here’s the catch: My vibecoding speed only came after 18 months of low-code experience. When I first tried vibecoding in early 2024, a simple feature took me 3 days. Why? I didn’t understand what I was building.

Round 2: Cost Comparison

Low-Code Monthly Costs:

• Bubble Pro: $29-$115/month
• Flutterflow: $0-$70/month
• Supabase: $0-$25/month
• Various plugins: $50-$150/month
• Total: $200-350/month (for a single production app)

Vibecoding Monthly Costs:

• GitHub Copilot: $10/month
• Supabase: $25/month
• Vercel hosting: $0-20/month
• Total: $35-55/month (unlimited apps)

Winner: Vibecoding – 85% cost reduction

But here’s what the numbers don’t show: Low-code has zero learning curve costs. I was productive from day one. With vibecoding, I “wasted” 2-3 weeks learning Git, deployment pipelines, and basic architecture before I could ship anything.

Round 3: Customization & Control

This is where the gap becomes a chasm.

Low-Code Limitations I Hit:

• Custom animations? Fight the visual editor or pay for plugins
• Unique workflow logic? Hope the platform supports it
• Third-party API with complex auth? Good luck
• Advanced database queries? Limited by the platform’s UI
• Own your code? Not really—you own a subscription

Vibecoding Freedom:

• Any UI component imaginable
• Custom business logic without restrictions
• Any API integration (AI writes the boilerplate)
• Full database control with raw SQL when needed
• Complete code ownership in Git

Winner: Vibecoding – Not even close

The reality check: This freedom is useless if you don’t know what to customize. My first month with vibecoding, I stared at blank files not knowing where to start. Low-code’s “limitations” were actually training wheels showing me how apps work.

Round 4: Scaling & Long-Term Viability

Low-Code Scaling Problems I Experienced:

1. Cost explosion: Anntho.com went from $50/month to $350/month as users grew
2. Performance walls: Hit platform limits around 5,000 active users
3. Vendor dependency: Lived in fear of price hikes or feature deprecation
4. Technical debt: Workarounds stacked on workarounds as I pushed platform limits
5. Exit difficulty: Moving off the platform meant rebuilding from scratch

Vibecoding Scaling Benefits:

1. Linear costs: Pay for actual infrastructure, not user tiers
2. Performance control: Optimize exactly what needs optimization
3. Platform independence: Switch hosts, databases, or tools anytime
4. Technical flexibility: Refactor without fighting a visual editor
5. True portability: Code works anywhere with minimal changes

Winner: Vibecoding – Dramatically better long-term economics

The hidden cost: To leverage these benefits, you need to understand infrastructure, deployment, version control, and architecture. Low-code handles all this for you—which is both its strength and its trap.

Round 5: Learning Curve & Accessibility

Here’s where low-code shines.

Low-Code Learning Curve:

• Day 1: Built my first working prototype
• Week 1: Launched a functional landing page
• Month 1: Shipped my first production app
• No prior coding knowledge required

Vibecoding Learning Curve:

• Week 1: Learned Git basics, broke everything twice
• Week 2: Understood deployment pipelines (sort of)
• Week 3: Shipped first component that actually worked
• Month 3: Finally felt productive
• Requires understanding app architecture, data flow, and development workflows

Winner: Low-Code – Dramatically more accessible for beginners

This is the round that changes everything.

The Controversial Truth: The “Better” Tool Depends on Your Timeline

After building Anntho.com, Launch28.com, PulseHUD.com, Cuebeam.com, and two versions of Evallo.app, here’s what I’ve learned:

Vibecoding is objectively superior on every metric that matters:

• ✅ Faster development (once you know what you’re doing)
• ✅ 85% cheaper at scale
• ✅ Complete customization freedom
• ✅ True ownership and portability
• ✅ No vendor dependency risk

But I couldn’t have succeeded with vibecoding without low-code first.

Why I Needed Low-Code to Win at Vibecoding

My low-code phase (2023-2024) taught me things AI can’t explain:

1. How UI connects to data: Dragging a button and wiring it to Supabase showed me the full data flow
2. What “state management” actually means: Watching form data persist taught me state concepts
3. How authentication works: Implementing login with Flutterflow revealed the auth lifecycle
4. Why architecture matters: Hitting platform limits showed me what good structure prevents
5. What users actually need: Shipping fast let me validate ideas before overbuilding

The timeline that worked:

• Months 1-6 (2023): Pure low-code exploration
• Months 7-18 (2024): Low-code production + watching AI improve
• Month 19+ (2025): Full vibecoding with AI confidence

What would have failed:

• Jumping straight to vibecoding in 2023 (AI wasn’t ready)
• Staying in low-code after 2024 (leaving money on the table)
• Skipping low-code entirely (no foundation to build on)

The AI Factor: Why Timing Changed Everything

Here’s something nobody talks about: The “better” tool changed mid-2025.

In 2023:

• AI coding assistants gave 60% accurate suggestions
• Required heavy correction and coding knowledge
• Couldn’t handle full app development
• Low-code was objectively better for non-coders

In late 2025:

• AI gives 90% production-ready code
• Handles complex architecture with light guidance
• Can build complete features from descriptions
• Vibecoding became viable for educated non-coders

The crossover happened around August 2025 for me. That’s when AI + my low-code foundation made vibecoding faster than visual builders.

So Which Should YOU Choose?

Choose Low-Code If:

• ✅ You’ve never built an app before
• ✅ You need to ship in the next 2-4 weeks
• ✅ You don’t understand terms like “API,” “database,” or “deployment”
• ✅ You want to validate ideas quickly without technical overhead
• ✅ You’re okay with $200-350/month in tools costs for now

Choose Vibecoding If:

• ✅ You understand app architecture basics
• ✅ You’ve built 2-3 apps with low-code already
• ✅ You’re hitting customization or cost walls in low-code
• ✅ You want to own your code and control your destiny
• ✅ You can invest 2-4 weeks learning deployment and Git basics

The Optimal Path:

1. Months 1-6: Build 2-3 apps with low-code (Flutterflow + Supabase)
2. Months 6-8: Start experimenting with vibecoding on small projects
3. Month 9+: Transition fully to vibecoding for new projects
4. Maintain: Keep successful low-code apps running until you need to scale them

My Verdict: Vibecoding Wins, But You Need Low-Code First

After two years and six apps, the data is clear:

Vibecoding is superior in 6 out of 7 categories. But that one category—learning curve—determines whether you can access the other six benefits.

The uncomfortable truth: Low-code isn’t inferior technology. It’s essential education disguised as a product.

How to Start Your Journey Today

I spent six months testing every low-code tool and 18 months learning these lessons the hard way. You don’t have to.

I’ve built a 28-day program that compresses this journey using Flutterflow + Supabase—the exact stack that gave me the foundation to succeed with vibecoding.

This isn’t about staying in low-code forever. It’s about building the understanding that makes vibecoding 10x more powerful.

The app development landscape is evolving faster than ever:

• AI tools improve weekly, not yearly
• The gap between no-code and full-code is disappearing
• Developers who understand both worlds have an unfair advantage

You can spend two years figuring this out like I did, or you can start building with direction today.

The Real Question Isn’t “Which Is Better?”

It’s “Which is better for you, right now?”

And if you’re reading this article trying to decide, the answer is probably: Start with low-code, plan to graduate to vibecoding.

That’s the path that worked for me across six apps, $50K+ in revenue, and countless lessons learned.

What’s your next move?

Quick Decision Framework

I’m a complete beginner → Low-code (Flutterflow + Supabase)

I’ve built 1-2 low-code apps → Stay low-code, start learning Git/deployment

I’ve built 3+ low-code apps → Transition to vibecoding now

I’m hitting low-code limits → Vibecoding immediately

I’m a professional developer → Why are you reading this? Go build with AI.

Disagree with my assessment? Have experience with both approaches? Drop your thoughts in the comments.