I built a vibe coded app. Now how do I actually launch it?
Updated
Your vibe coded app works for you, on a demo.
It has not yet
To launch a vibe coded app, start with a code audit: it shows what already works and what your app needs before customers use it.
We call this a Codebase Audit, and our CTO does the work. Then you choose: apply our recommended fixes yourself with your AI tool, or hire us to finish your build.
AL Del Degan, our CTO, has built software for 33 years, including work with the Calgary Airport Authority, the City of Calgary, and Travel Alberta. He oversees every build.
Was it a mistake to vibe code my app first?
No. It was the smart move.
The prototype you built already did the hardest thing in software. It showed people exactly what you want. Everything from here is faster and cheaper because of it.
You skipped where most projects get stuck
Most projects get stuck at the point where an owner tries to explain an idea to a developer in a document.
Weeks of back and forth saved
When your prototype lands on a developer's desk, they know exactly what you want, and you know exactly what your users need.
The same path our CTO takes
Our CTO built client screens with AI-assisted development himself, then built the back end the way it should be built. That is the same path your project takes.
What gets kept, and what gets rebuilt?
The interface you see is not your application. It is a window into it. Your real application is the part behind the window: the logic, the database, the rules about who can see what.
Kept
Built
Rate limits shut down anyone hammering it. AI tools can connect to it later without a rebuild.
Replaced
You're never stuck with one company, even us, and you decide where your app runs.
How do I launch a vibe coded app?
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1
A Codebase Audit of what you built
Find out what already works and what is needed to launch: our CTO audits your code. Most audits are done in a few days.
We will show you exactly what to fix. You simply upload the markdown files we provide you, and your AI tool does the rest.
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2
Choose how to finish
Option 1Apply our recommended fixes yourself
Upload the markdown files we provide to your AI tool, and it does the rest. Or hand them to your own developer.
Option 2Hire us to finish your build
Every part of your app works together: we plan your information first, then build where it is stored, then connect every screen to it.
Before launch, our CTO checks your whole app again, against security best practices and for how it is put together.
If you hire us: most builds finish in two months. During your build, you get
A demo every two weeksAccess to your code from the start, stored in your own GitHub accountUpdates on what was built, what's next, and what it costs -
3
Launch to real users
We're here when you need support or want new features added. Bring AL in as your fractional CTO for a few hours a month, and stop anytime.
What does it cost to launch a vibe coded app?
A Codebase Audit starts at
If you hire us to finish your build, having the front end already built means
What you are paying for
The design and planning work is done. You are paying for the back end, the security, and the launch. Our App Development Cost Guide shows what changes the price.
Pay only for hours worked
You pay only for the hours we actually work on your project, with a demo every two weeks, and you can leave at any time with everything you paid for. Canadian companies can often recover up to a third of the cost through government programs.
Can I add the back end myself?
Yes, keep going on your own when
Your app is standard, has no logins or payments, and does not hold sensitive financial or medical information. The AI tools do a fine job.
Start with a Codebase Audit when
It takes payments, holds customer data, has logins, or will be sold to other businesses. The audit shows which of our recommended fixes you can apply yourself with your AI tool and which need a developer.
Five questions that tell you if your vibe coded app needs an audit.
The moment money changes hands, security and updates stop being optional, and that is the part these tools do not do for you.
Should I finish my vibe coded app myself, or hire a freelancer, an agency or a fractional CTO?
It depends on what your app holds and who is building it.
Our 14 Questions To Ask Before You Hire an App Developer gives you more questions like these, with the answer a good development partner should give to each one.
We are one of these options: a development agency whose CTO also works as a fractional CTO.
What do owners ask about launching a vibe coded app?
Is a vibe coded app safe to launch?
Before customers use it, a vibe coded app that takes payments, holds customer data or has logins needs a Codebase Audit. You find out what already works and what to add first.
Can a vibe coded app make money?
Yes. Before it takes a customer's payment, it gets a Codebase Audit.
Does it matter which AI tool I built my app with?
No. A Codebase Audit works for any app whose code can go in GitHub, whether you built it with Lovable, Claude, ChatGPT or another AI tool. Not on GitHub yet? We'll help you get it there.
Do I have to leave the AI tool I built in?
In most cases, no. If you apply our recommended fixes yourself, you keep building in your tool. The screens you built get copied to your own GitHub account, and the build continues from there.
How do I test a vibe coded app for security risks?
Start with a Codebase Audit. Our CTO audits your code against the OWASP Top 10, the industry's standard list of web app security risks. He also looks for the gaps AI tools commonly leave, like keys to paid services left visible, one user seeing another user's information, and test settings left on.
You get a ranked list of security fixes. Apply our recommended fixes yourself with your AI tool, or hire us to finish your build.
Where do I host a vibe coded app?
If you hire us to finish your build, we set you up on your own hosting. Hosting is billed by how many people use your app.
How do I know if people will pay for my vibe coded app?
Talk to ten people who have the problem your app solves. Then ask people to commit before you launch: a deposit, a pre-order or a signed letter of intent. Our guide, How to Validate Your App Idea Before You Build It, covers four ways to validate an idea.
What happens after I launch my vibe coded app?
If you hire us to finish your build, we're here when you need support or want new features added. Most clients keep a small monthly retainer of 5 to 10 hours, and others handle it in-house.
My prototype is already earning. Will it go offline?
No. Nothing gets torn down. The existing version keeps running while the real one is built, and the switch happens when the new one is ready.
What do I need to bring to the audit?
Access to the code, or an export from the tool, and the working prototype so AL can click through it. We sign a mutual NDA before we look at anything.
Will it work on phones and in the app store?
Most of what we build is a progressive web app: it runs in a browser and installs on a phone like an app, without app-store fees or approvals. If you need a native app-store app, we'll say so at the audit, because it changes the cost.
Can I keep building on it myself afterwards?
Yes. You own your build, and you can add to it or hand it to another developer. Nothing is locked.
Ready to launch your vibe coded app?
Start with a complimentary meeting to find out whether we are a good fit for each other. If we are, the next step is the Codebase Audit.
Not there yet?
New Idea Machine is a Calgary custom software and AI automation agency serving small business owners worldwide.