Can You Use CodeGPT to Build a Mobile App?

What CodeGPT Actually Does

CodeGPT is an AI-powered extension for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. You install it like any other plugin, and it gives you AI-assisted code completion, chat-based code explanations, refactoring suggestions, and an "agent" mode that can edit files across your project.

It supports multiple AI models — you can bring your own API key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or other providers. It's flexible in that sense. You choose the model, you control the costs, and your code stays local.

What CodeGPT Is Good At

If you're already a developer with a project open in VS Code, CodeGPT can genuinely speed things up. It autocompletes functions, explains unfamiliar code, generates boilerplate, and can run multi-step refactors across files. For experienced developers, it's a productivity tool.

The Key Limitation

CodeGPT operates inside your existing development setup. It assumes you already have a project, know the language, have the dependencies installed, and have the build pipeline configured. It writes code within the context of what you already have. It doesn't create projects from scratch, doesn't set up environments, and doesn't handle compilation or deployment.

Not a Web App or Mobile App Builder

This is the critical distinction. Tools like Bolt.new or Lovable generate entire web applications from a prompt. CodeGPT does not do that — for web or mobile. It's a coding assistant, not an app generator. If you ask it to "build me a fitness tracking app," it won't create a project structure, install dependencies, set up navigation, or give you something you can run. It might suggest some code snippets, but the heavy lifting is entirely on you.

Why CodeGPT Won't Build You a Mobile App

Mobile app development isn't just about writing code. It's an entire pipeline: project setup, dependency management, native module configuration, device previews, compilation for iOS and Android, and submission to app stores. CodeGPT handles exactly one piece of that — writing code — and even then, only if you already have everything else set up.

Two different tools

IDE Code Assistant vs. AI App Builder

CodeGPT

IDE Extension (VS Code / JetBrains)

Code Suggestions

Snippets, completions, refactors

You Still Need

Local dev environment setup

React Native / Swift knowledge

Xcode / Android Studio

Build & deploy pipeline

Natively

AI App Builder (fully online)

Complete Native App

React Native + Expo

App Stores

No local setup needed

No coding knowledge required

Deploy to both stores

Own 100% of your code

What's Missing for Mobile Development

The Local Environment Problem

To build an iOS app, you need a Mac running Xcode. For Android, you need Android Studio with the correct SDK versions. You need Node.js, a package manager, CocoaPods (for iOS), and often specific versions of Ruby and Java. Setting all this up correctly is one of the biggest barriers for people who want to build mobile apps. CodeGPT doesn't help with any of that — it only starts being useful after you've conquered the setup.

Can CodeGPT at Least Help if You Know What You're Doing?

Yes, if you're an experienced React Native or Swift developer with a fully configured environment, CodeGPT can speed up your coding. But at that point, you're already a mobile developer — you just want a faster autocomplete. That's a very different use case from someone searching "how to build a mobile app with AI."

What You Actually Need to Build a Mobile App

If your goal is to build a real mobile app — one that runs natively on iOS and Android, can be published to the app stores, and feels like a proper native app to users — you need something fundamentally different from a code assistant.

A Dedicated Mobile App Builder

You need a tool that handles the entire mobile app development pipeline: from describing what you want, to generating the code, to previewing it on a real device, to compiling and deploying it. Not a tool that assists with one step in a complex process.

Why "Fully Online" Matters

One of the biggest advantages of a dedicated app builder is that it runs in the cloud. You don't need to install Xcode, Android Studio, Node.js, or any local tooling. You don't need a Mac to build iOS apps. You don't need to debug CocoaPods or Gradle configuration files. Everything happens in the browser, which removes the single biggest barrier to mobile app development.

Native Output, Not Web Views

This is non-negotiable for a real mobile app. The output needs to be genuinely native — compiled code using native UI components, not a website wrapped in a shell. Both Apple and Google expect apps to provide a native experience. Wrapped web apps get rejected, and users can tell the difference immediately.

How Natively Works — The App Builder Approach

Natively is built specifically for creating native mobile apps. Unlike CodeGPT, which is a general-purpose code assistant, Natively is an AI app builder focused entirely on mobile. Here's what that means in practice.

Describe Your App, Get a Native App

You describe what your app should do in plain English. The AI generates a complete React Native + Expo project — real components, real navigation, real native code. Not code snippets in a chat window. A full, working app you can preview immediately.

Key Differences From CodeGPT

When to Use Each Tool

These tools aren't really competitors — they solve different problems. If you're a developer who wants faster code completion in your IDE, CodeGPT is a reasonable choice. If you want to build a mobile app and get it onto the App Store or Google Play, whether you can code or not, that's what Natively is designed for.

Can You Use Both?

Sure. You could build your app in Natively, export the code, open it in VS Code, and use CodeGPT to make further modifications. Natively gives you full source code ownership with zero vendor lock-in, so the code is yours to edit however you want. But for building the app itself — the structure, the screens, the navigation, the native features — that's where a dedicated app builder does what an IDE extension simply can't.

Curious how other AI developer tools stack up for mobile? Read our comparisons of OpenAI Codex and Claude Code for mobile app development.

Frequently Asked Questions