Google has launched a vibe coding app that basically lets you build apps without code
You type a plain-language description of the app you want to build, and Opal turns it into a working web app.
Vibe Coding has gone from playful niche experiments to a full-blown shift in how software gets made. Coined by OpenAI’s Andrej Karpathy, it captures a new idea that you don’t need to know how to code, you just need to know what you want and be able to put it in a prompt.
Startups like Lovable and Cursor, which offer these AI coding tools, are riding the surge in interest. Both have found themselves at the centre of a hot market, fielding offers from investors eager to get in before the boom peaks. At the same time, design-first platforms like Canva, Figma, and Replit are expanding into app creation, offering drag-and-drop or AI-assisted tools for non-developers.
Meanwhile, Google doesn't want to be left behind. The tech giant has launched Opal, a new experimental tool housed within Google Labs. Now live for U.S. users, Opal lets anyone build a working web app by simply describing it in plain English. No code. No setup. Just an idea and a keyboard.
Louis Eriakha
You type a plain-language description of the app you want to build, and Opal turns it into a working web application. Without any code or setup, just an idea and a keyboard.
Once you enter your prompt, Opal breaks the project down into a visual flow. You can see how inputs, outputs, and processing steps are linked together. Each stage is editable. If something doesn’t work or needs tweaking, you can go in and adjust the prompt. You can also add new steps by dragging in tools from a panel on the side.
If you don’t want to start from scratch, there’s a gallery of prebuilt apps you can customise. Once your app is ready, Opal lets you publish it instantly. You get a link, and anyone with a Google account can try it.
This might sound similar to AI Studio, another tool from Google that helps developers build apps with prompts. But Opal is built for a different kind of user. It’s for people who have ideas but not the technical background to bring them to life. Now what used to take weeks of development time could be spun up in an afternoon.
Opal is still experimental, but it reflects where the industry is headed. More people are building. Fewer barriers are in the way. And as these tools become easier and more intuitive, the meaning of “developer” is starting to stretch. The future of software may not belong to the most technical, but to the most imaginative.
Oyinebiladou Omemu
