Newly (formerly Natively) alternative with a free Android APK

Choose Newly (formerly Natively, at natively.dev) if you want one React Native app for both iPhone and Android, are ready to pay from the start, and want TestFlight and Google Play uploads handled from the chat: as of November 2026 it has no free plan and starts at US$25 a month for 100 credits. Choose App Builder Agent if your launch platform is Android and you want a working app on your phone before paying anything: you describe it, tap through it in the emulator preview, change it by chatting, and press Download APK. Both write real code you own; only Newly builds the iPhone version for you.

Who each tool is for

Newly (newly.app) is the new name of Natively; the old natively.dev address now redirects there, and Newly's About page calls itself "Newly, formerly Natively", a Stockholm-based team. As of November 2026 it builds native iPhone and Android apps from a text description. The stack is React Native with TypeScript and Expo, so one codebase targets both platforms, and its FAQ says an app can also be exported as a Progressive Web App. You chat with an agent that has Ask, Plan and Build modes, and you try the app on cloud iOS and Android simulators in a preview pane, so you do not need a Mac or Android Studio to start. For publishing, Newly uploads an iPhone build to TestFlight from the chat (you finish the listing and submit for review in App Store Connect), builds a downloadable production APK, and builds a signed AAB for Google Play, which later builds can upload for you. When an app needs accounts or shared data, the agent adds Newly Backend: sign-in, an API service, a Postgres database and file storage, with separate dev and production environments. Payments go through RevenueCat for in-app purchases and Stripe for web payments. You own the code, can download it as a ZIP or with the Newly command-line tool, and can keep it in two-way sync with your own GitHub repository. There is no free plan. It suits founders who want an App Store and Google Play product from one codebase and are happy to pay per credit from the first prompt.

App Builder Agent puts Android first. You describe the app in plain English; an AI agent writes one React Native codebase (or Flutter, if you ask); the app runs in the emulator preview in the builder, where you tap through it; and you change anything by chatting. Download APK in the Preview tab gives you a file to install on any Android phone, and a signed APK plus AAB is ready for Google Play on paid plans. The free plan starts with Google sign-in, no card: the agent builds your first app and you get a free APK download of it. A hosted backend with an online database, sign-in and an admin panel is added when you ask, AI features in the app use the AI backend that comes with the project with no API key, and the same account builds websites and games. It suits people who want to test an idea on real Android phones this week without paying first.

Side-by-side comparison

Choose Newly if

• You need the iPhone version from the same tool, with a build sent to TestFlight from the chat, rather than exporting code and opening Xcode yourself.
• You want both stores from one React Native codebase and Newly to prepare the signed AAB and later Google Play uploads.
• You want to test on cloud iOS simulators without owning a Mac.
• You plan to sell in-app purchases through RevenueCat, or you want a custom domain for your app's website.
• You are fine with paying from the first prompt on a credit plan, and you want two-way GitHub sync so a developer can join later.

Choose App Builder Agent if

• Your launch platform is Android, or Android first with iPhone later from the exported source.
• You want to start free and install a working app on a real phone before deciding to pay.
• You want AI features in the app without an API key, because the project comes with its own AI backend.
• You want to test with people directly by sharing an APK before any store listing.
• You also want a website or a game from the same account. The booking apps in the gallery show what a single description produces.

The same app in each tool

Take a small salon that wants a booking app: clients pick a service and a stylist, choose a free slot and get a reminder, and the owner sees the day's appointments. In Newly you describe it, perhaps in Plan mode first so the agent agrees on screens before it spends credits on building, and then you tap through it on the iOS and Android simulators. Asking for accounts and shared bookings brings in Newly Backend with sign-in and a Postgres database. When it works, you send an iPhone build to TestFlight, install it on your phone, and submit it in App Store Connect; for Android, you build the APK for testers and the signed AAB for Google Play. If the salon wants both stores at once, this is a tidy path, and you pay for the credits each step uses.

In App Builder Agent you open the AI app builder and describe it:

The app appears in the emulator preview within minutes. You book a fake appointment, check that the slot disappears, then refine: "stop two clients booking the same stylist at the same time", "let clients cancel up to two hours before", "add sign-in and save bookings online so the owner sees them on her phone". The last one brings in a hosted backend with an online database and an admin panel. Download APK in the Preview tab gives you the build to install on the salon's phone and send to a few regular clients; on a paid plan the signed build gives you the APK and AAB for Google Play. The details for this kind of app are in build a booking and appointment app, and the one-click starting point is the booking app maker.

What to expect if you switch

From Newly to App Builder Agent. There is no project import. Newly lets you download your project as a ZIP or sync it to GitHub, so keep that copy: it is a React Native and Expo app, and you can use it as a reference while you describe the app screen by screen to the agent. If your app is already on Google Play, an update to that listing must use the same package name and be signed with the upload key Google Play expects. Newly's FAQ says it either creates a project key or imports your existing upload key, so check what you hold before you move. You gain a free start, AI features without an API key and websites in the same account; you lose Newly's direct TestFlight upload, its cloud iOS simulators and its iPhone builds.

From App Builder Agent to Newly. On a paid plan, export the complete project and keep it. In Newly you then describe the app to its agent, with your exported project and your running APK as the specification, and budget credits for the rebuild.

Using both. You can prove the idea on Android with App Builder Agent's free plan, share the APK with real users, and pay for Newly once you know the iPhone version is worth building.

Tip: on any credit-based builder, ask for one clear change at a time and name the screen. Newly's own FAQ gives the same advice. Five small, checkable requests usually cost less and break less than one long wish list.

Free options, stores and iPhone

As of November 2026 Newly has no free plan: new accounts start with 0 credits unless Newly gives promotional or gift credits, and plans start at US$25 a month for 100 credits, with developer accounts, domains and connected services charged separately. App Builder Agent has a free plan with Google sign-in that builds your first app and includes a free APK download, and paid plans for unlimited APK builds, signed builds, source export and publishing websites to a link; what a free plan should really include is covered in AI app builder free plan: what you really get. For Google Play, both end in an AAB, and Google's one-time US$25 registration applies; new personal accounts must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before going to production. See publishing on Google Play from the US, UK or EU and signed APK and AAB for the Play Store. For iPhone, Newly is the direct route, with Apple's US$99 a year developer program; App Builder Agent's route is the source export plus Xcode on a Mac, explained in can an AI app builder make an iPhone app. If you are weighing a native iPhone-first builder too, read the Rork alternative guide, and for the wider field see best AI app builders in 2026.

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