Bubble alternative
A Bubble alternative for native iPhone apps you own
Bubble builds web and mobile apps that run only on Bubble: its manual says there's no way to export an app as code. Borel is the alternative when you want an iPhone app you own outright. It writes native Swift and SwiftUI from a chat, you can download the project on any plan, and it publishes to the App Store from your browser.
Updated
Apps built by Borel, in the iOS Simulator.
Bubble
Who is Bubble for?
Bubble is one of the longest-running no-code platforms. You build with AI prompts and a visual editor, with a database and hosting included, and it handles complex web apps with many users and workflows.
Its native mobile editor builds React Native apps and submits them to App Store Connect for you.
The iPhone question
Where does Bubble stop for an iPhone app?
The app lives on Bubble. Its manual says Bubble apps can only run on the Bubble platform and can't be exported as code, so the app can't leave if your plans change.
Publishing to the App Store takes a paid mobile plan, from $42 a month billed yearly, and Bubble's mobile apps are React Native rather than Swift.
Borel
What Borel does differently
Code you own
Download the SwiftUI project on any plan, with an XcodeGen project.yml that opens in Xcode. The app works with or without Borel.
Native Swift and SwiftUI
Apple's own language and framework, compiled by Xcode on Borel's Mac.
A smaller bill to publish
Publish to the App Store on Pro for $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly.
At a glance
How do Bubble and Borel compare?
From Bubble's own site, as of October 2026. The full comparison has every row.
| Borel | Bubble | |
|---|---|---|
| Download your code | Any plan | No |
| Code | Swift and SwiftUI | React Native |
| App Store from | $16 a month billed yearly | $42 a month billed yearly |
| Submits to App Store Connect for you | Yes | Yes |
Switching
How to switch from Bubble to Borel
- 1
Describe the app's core
Tell Borel the screens and the things people save. Start with what the iPhone app needs, not the whole web app.
- 2
Keep Bubble for the web if you like
Your Bubble web app can stay. Borel's iPhone app comes with its own accounts, data and storage.
- 3
Own the result
Download the Swift project whenever you want, and publish to the App Store on Pro.
Choose Borel if…
- You want to own the code and take it anywhere.
- The app is for iPhone, and native SwiftUI matters to you.
- You'd rather pay less to publish.
Frequently asked questions
No. Bubble apps can't be exported as code, so Borel builds the iPhone app fresh from your description. Data in Bubble stays there unless you move it.
You do. Download the Swift project on any plan and open it in Xcode, and a published app sits under your own App Store Connect account.
Yes. Every Borel app has sign-in with email and password, a cloud database that keeps each person's records, file storage and Borel AI. Describe the data in plain words, such as clients, invoices or notes, and Borel builds the screens and storage around it.
No. Borel makes native iPhone apps, and the same app runs on iPad.
Yes. Describe the app and run it in the iOS Simulator for free, with 5 free credits a day, up to 30 a month.
Build an iPhone app you own
Describe it and download the Swift whenever you want.