Can Claude make apps? Yes, here is how (and what ChatGPT and Gemini can do)

Yes. Claude makes small apps right in the chat and full web or phone apps with Claude Code. ChatGPT and Gemini can make apps too.

Picks: 8; ranked

Yes. In a Claude chat you can describe an app and get a working one you can use and share, and it can even use Claude's AI inside it. For a real product with accounts, a database or an App Store listing, Claude Code writes the project and you publish it yourself. The free plan covers chat apps, while saving data, link sharing and Claude Code need Pro or higher.

Good for

People with an app idea and no coding background
Small teams that want a quick internal tool, tracker or dashboard
Founders who want a real web or phone app with logins and payments
Developers who want Claude Code to build, test and ship a mobile app

The short answer

Try the idea as a Claude artifact first, free on every plan. When it needs real users, logins or an App Store listing, build it with Claude Code on Pro, with Supabase for data and Expo for phones.

Our pick: Claude Code

The catch is the jump from chat to product. Artifacts live inside Claude, so a real app still means code you deploy, store accounts you pay for and review you wait on.

Best for

A personal tool or prototype: a Claude artifact
A web app with accounts and payments: Claude Code with Supabase and Stripe
An iPhone or Android app: Claude Code with Expo

Skip it if

You expect an artifact to become an App Store app
You want to skip Apple's developer account, signing and App Review

Make an app in a Claude chat

Claude

1
Check that artifacts are on
On claude.ai, open Settings, then Capabilities, and switch on Code execution and file creation. You can make artifacts on every plan, including Free.
2
Describe the app
Say what it does, what you see on screen and whether it should remember things. Saving data needs Pro or higher.
Prompt
```
Build a habit tracker app. I add habits, tick them off each day, and see a 30-day streak chart. Save my data with personal storage.
```
3
Give it AI if you want
Artifacts can call Claude with no API key. When other people use it, the AI counts against their own Claude plan, not yours.
Prompt
```
Make a flashcard app where the user types any topic and Claude writes 10 cards, then quizzes them and tracks their score.
```
4
Share it
Open the artifact, click Share, and under Who has access pick Anyone with the link (Pro, Max and Ultra). Choose Can view, Commenter or Can edit. People who open it need a Claude account.
Tip: Storage holds 20 MB of text per artifact. Shared storage is visible to everyone who uses the app, so keep private data out of it.

Build a phone app with Claude Code and Expo

Claude

1
Install Claude Code
Claude Code needs Pro or a higher plan. On a Mac or Linux run curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash. On Windows PowerShell run irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex.
Uses Claude Code
2
Create the app and open Claude Code in it
Run npx create-expo-app@latest, move into the new folder with cd, then type claude.
3
Add Expo's own plugin
Inside Claude Code run /plugin install expo@claude-plugins-official. For builds and screenshots, also add Expo's connector with claude mcp add --transport http expo https://mcp.expo.dev/mcp, then type /mcp to sign in with your Expo account.
Uses Expo MCP Server

Describe the app

Name the screens and what they store. Ask Claude to run it and fix errors as it goes.

Prompt

Create an Expo app for logging my runs: a list screen, an add-run form, and a stats tab. Store runs on the phone, then help me run it in Expo Go.

5
Try it on your phone
Run npx expo start and scan the QR code with the Expo Go app. Your phone and computer need to be on the same Wi-Fi, or use npx expo start --tunnel.
6
Send it to the App Store or Google Play
You need a paid Apple Developer account for iPhone. Run eas build --platform ios --profile production, then eas submit --platform ios. The build shows up in TestFlight in about 10 to 15 minutes, and you still add screenshots and submit it for App Review. For Android, eas submit --platform android sends a new app to the internal testing track first.
Uses Expo MCP Server

Give a web app a database, then put it online

Claude

1
Connect Supabase
In your project run claude mcp add --scope project --transport http supabase "https://mcp.supabase.com/mcp", then type /mcp and pick Authenticate. Limit it to one project and use read-only mode while you explore.
Uses Supabase
2
Ask for the backend
Claude can create tables, sign-in and storage in your Supabase project and wire the app to them.
Prompt
```
Add Supabase to this app: email sign-in, a table for each user's saved items with row level security, and a page that lists them.
```
Uses Supabase
3
Deploy it
Add Vercel's connector with claude mcp add --transport http vercel https://mcp.vercel.com, sign in with /mcp, and ask Claude to deploy the project.
Tip: Keep tool approval on. Supabase warns that connecting an AI to your projects carries security risks.
Uses Vercel MCP

Best plugs for this

Ranked for this job: backends and hosts first, then payments, then mobile build and test tools. Official status, GitHub stars and weekly downloads from our data.

Claude

Plan: Free makes chat apps. Pro ($20 a month, or $17 billed yearly) adds saved data, link sharing and Claude Code.

What it can do

Build small apps as artifacts that you can use and share
Put Claude's AI inside an app with no API key
Save personal or shared data on Pro and higher
Write full web and phone apps with Claude Code

Limits

Artifacts are web pages, not App Store apps
Storage is 20 MB of text per artifact
Viewers need a Claude account, and the AI uses their own plan
Claude Code artifacts are one page with no backend or sign-in

Plugs to turn on

Supabase: Database, sign-in and storage for a real app.
Expo MCP Server: Builds and tests phone apps with Expo.
Stripe MCP: Adds payments.

ChatGPT

Plan: Codex is included on every ChatGPT plan, from Free ($0) to Plus ($20) and Pro (from $100).

What it can do

Write app code with Codex on the web, desktop, phone or command line
Build and host a web app with a database through ChatGPT Sites, in public beta

Limits

Sites hosting is free only through December 31, 2026, then metered
Sites takes payments only through a third-party processor
OpenAI does not offer its own path to the App Store; you publish Codex code yourself

Gemini

Plan: Canvas is open to all Gemini users. Google AI Studio's Build mode uses your own Gemini API key.

What it can do

Build apps and games in Canvas and add Gemini features to them
Share an app on a gemini.google.com link
Build React web apps or native Android apps in Google AI Studio, then deploy to Google Cloud

Limits

Anyone with a shared Canvas link can view and edit the app's data
AI Studio shared apps count against the creator's limits
AI Studio has no built-in storage yet

Comparison

Use Claude artifacts or Gemini Canvas to try an idea in minutes. Use Claude Code when the app needs real accounts, its own backend or an App Store listing.

Option	Free plan	Saves data	AI inside	App stores
Claude artifacts	Yes	Pro, 20 MB	User's plan	No
Claude CodeThis page	No, Pro	Your backend	You add it	Yes, with Expo
ChatGPT Sites	Not documented	Yes, 10 GB	Not documented	Web only
Gemini Canvas	Yes	Not documented	Yes	Web only

Questions

Can Claude make apps?

Yes. In chat it builds small apps as artifacts that you can use and share, and Claude Code builds full web and phone apps that you publish yourself.

Can Claude make an iPhone or Android app?

Yes, with Claude Code and Expo. You still need a paid Apple Developer account, and Apple reviews the app before it goes live. Chat artifacts are web pages, not App Store apps.

Can I build an app with Claude for free?

Yes, a small one. Free can make artifacts, but saving data and sharing by link need Pro. Claude Code starts with Pro at $20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly.

Can a Claude artifact save data?

Yes, on Pro and higher. Storage can be personal or shared, holds 20 MB of text per artifact, and shared data is visible to everyone who uses the app.

Who pays when other people use the AI in my shared Claude app?

They do. AI use in a shared artifact counts against each person's own Claude plan, and they need a Claude account. Shared apps from Google AI Studio work the other way, counting against the creator's limits.

Can ChatGPT make apps?

Yes. Codex, included on every ChatGPT plan, writes app code. ChatGPT Sites, in public beta, builds and hosts web apps with a database, with hosting free through December 31, 2026.

Can Gemini build an app other people can use?

Yes. Gemini Canvas, open to all Gemini users, shares apps on a gemini.google.com link, and anyone with the link can view and edit the app's data. Google AI Studio's Build mode can deploy web apps to Google Cloud.

Can Claude connect my app to Supabase, Firebase or Stripe?

Yes. All three have their own connectors, so Claude Code can set up the database, sign-in or payments for you. Keep tool approval on, because they reach your real accounts.

Do I need to know how to code?

Not for a chat app. For a real product it helps to work the way an engineering team would, with a written plan, a spec and tests, which is what people who shipped apps with Claude Code describe.

What happened to GitHub Spark?

GitHub shut it down. No new apps could be made from August 4, 2026, and access ended on August 31, 2026.

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 25

Artifacts · support.claude.com
Publish and share artifacts · support.claude.com
Plans and pricing · claude.com
Artifacts · code.claude.com
Submit to the Apple App Store · docs.expo.dev
Build and share AI-powered apps with Claude · claude.com
Claude Code overview · code.claude.com
Create a project · docs.expo.dev
Expo skills · docs.expo.dev
Expo MCP server · docs.expo.dev
Start developing · docs.expo.dev
EAS Submit · docs.expo.dev
Model context protocol (MCP) · supabase.com
Vercel MCP · vercel.com
Firebase MCP server · firebase.google.com
Model Context Protocol (MCP) · docs.stripe.com
MobileBuildMCP · github.com
mobile-mcp · github.com
Sites · learn.chatgpt.com
Create with Canvas in Gemini Apps · support.google.com
Canvas · gemini.google
Build mode in Google AI Studio · ai.google.dev
Codex pricing · learn.chatgpt.com
Hacker News comment · news.ycombinator.com
Upcoming deprecation of GitHub Spark on github.com · github.blog