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A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

Build Your First App
With Lovable

Describe what you want in plain English and Lovable builds a real, working web app. You can even start from your phone. Here’s how to actually use it.

In late April 2026, Lovable launched its app on iOS and Android. Lovable is a "vibe coding" tool. You describe an app in your own words and it builds a working version with pages, a database and logins. With the phone app, you can start building the second an idea hits you.

You don’t need a developer, funding or coding skills anymore. The only real question is what you build.

Step 1: Find Your Idea

Don’t invent something out of thin air. Look at your own life and answer these.

01

What annoys you right now

The part of your weekly routine that makes you sigh.

02

What you do by hand every week

The task that clearly should have an app by now.

03

What you keep Googling

Because nothing out there actually solves it well.

04

What your group chat complains about

Pick the loudest pain.

That gap is your idea. Don’t worry about whether it’s big or original enough. A niche pain solved well can be a real business.

Step 2: How Lovable Works

01

Sign up

Go to lovable.dev or download the app. The same account works on web, iPhone and Android. Free gives you 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, which is enough to test an idea. Pro starts at $25 a month for 100 credits and adds custom domains and code editing. (Lovable plans)

02

Describe your app

Type or speak your idea. The more specific you are, the closer the first version gets. You watch a live preview as it builds.

03

Change it by chatting

Tell it what to fix, one thing per message. "Make the buttons blue." "Add a way to invite my team." "Connect Stripe so I can charge $10 a month." Small steps save credits and come out better.

04

Publish it

Click Publish in the top right, then Publish again. Your app goes live at yourapp.lovable.app, even on Free. A custom domain needs a paid plan. Want your own copy of the code? Connect GitHub under Project settings, then Git, on any plan. (Publishing, GitHub)

Step 3: A First Prompt That Works

The biggest beginner mistake is typing "build me an app" and getting something generic. Fill in this template and send it as your very first message.

First Prompt Template
I'm building "[APP NAME]", a [type of app: booking tool, client tracker, directory, habit tracker, etc.] for [who it's for]. THE PROBLEM IT SOLVES [One sentence about the specific pain, e.g. "Dog walkers lose bookings because clients text them at random times."] PAGES I NEED - Sign up and log in (email and password) - [Main page: what someone sees right after logging in] - [The page people will use most and what they do there] - Settings / profile FIRST-VERSION FEATURES (keep it to these) - [Feature 1, e.g. "Users can create and save a booking"] - [Feature 2, e.g. "Users can mark a booking complete"] - [Feature 3, e.g. "Users can invite one other person by email"] STYLE Clean and modern, [minimal / playful / professional]. Use [color] as the main color. It must look good on a phone. RULES - Each user can only see and edit their own data. - Leave out payments for now. We'll add them later in their own step. - Use simple sample data so I can click around right away. Before you build anything, ask me any questions you need answered to get this right. Then give me a short plan of what you'll build first and wait for my OK.

Why The Last Line Matters

Asking Lovable to ask you questions and share a plan first saves credits and gets you a much better first version. Always keep it.

Stuck? Build One Of These
  1. A booking app for a niche service like dog walkers or tutors.
  2. A simple client tracker for freelancers.
  3. A landing page with a waitlist to test an idea before you build the rest.
  4. A local directory, like the best coffee shops or vetted plumbers in your city.
  5. A habit tracker or planner built around a routine you already use.
  6. A community space for a hobby that has no good home online yet.
Before You Share It

01

Run the security check

When you open the Publish dialog, Lovable runs a quick security scan. It won’t stop you from publishing, so read it and fix anything critical first. Then paste this into the chat.

Security Check
Before I publish, act as a careful security reviewer for this app. 1. Run the security scan and walk me through every finding in plain English: what it is, who could exploit it, and how bad it is (critical / medium / low). 2. Check that every database table only lets a logged-in user read and change their own rows. List each table and its current rule. 3. Look for any API keys or secrets in the frontend code and move them somewhere safe. 4. Make sure sign-up, log-in and password reset all work, and that logged-out visitors can't reach private pages. 5. Fix the critical and medium issues one at a time, telling me what you changed after each fix. Don't change how the app looks or works for users unless a fix requires it, and tell me first if it does.

Good To Know

Lovable builds web apps, not native App Store apps. They run in any browser, on any phone, and that’s usually enough to start. Expect the design to look a bit generic at first, so plan a few rounds of "make it feel more like [brand you love]."