What Is ‘Vibe Coding’?

If you’ve ever wanted to build your own app, but have no idea how to do it, then it’s probably time you learn about vibe coding.

In years gone by if you wanted to build an app, you’d have to learn a programming language, hire a developer or sift through lines of code just to get anything off the ground.

But what if we told you there was another way? Enter vibe coding – a method of building apps that uses AI to write the code for you. The term was first coined by Andrej Karpathy in a tweet, where he said “There’s a new kind of coding I call ‘vibe coding’, where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.”.

But vibe coding isn’t just a small trend, it has actually just been named The Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2025 and is quickly becoming a commonly-used buzzword across the tech and startup world.

So, what exactly is it? And how does it work?

Vibe Coding: You Talk, AI Builds

With normal coding you’d likely start with some code and build an app slowly, line by line from there. But with vibe coding, you do the opposite.

First, you tell an AI what you want in normal, every day language. For example, you might say ‘build me an app that searches for deals online’. Then, the AI generates the code for you, based on your prompt.

If something isn’t right, you can adapt and describe what you want to edit. You can change how it looks, what options people can click on and how users interact. Once it matches the ‘vibe’ you are after, you simply set it live.

No need to learn programming. No need to hire a developer. Just fast code, exactly how you want it.

Why Is Vibe Coding Becoming So Popular?

Yes, vibe coding is easy, but why is it so popular now? The truth is that a lot of countries are finding it hard to keep up with demand for specialist programmers. And without them, plans to build businesses and apps are stifled, which can impact growth.

In addition to this, coders are really expensive, with many in London commanding salaries of £80-90,000 per year. No surprise then for startups in particular, a cheaper way is far more appealing.

But most of all, vibe coding is really fast. You don’t need to spend months building a prototype or worry about someone else beating you to market. For startups racing to get a product off the ground, this can be a huge benefit.

And it looks like startups are using it.

In fact, a recent report even showed that 25% of Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 startups had codebases that were 95% AI-generated.

How Vibe Coding Is Helping Diversify The Startup World

Vibe coding isn’t just helping startups get their apps to market faster, it’s also making it easier for smaller enterprises to build.

With vibe coding, startups no longer need to pay high fees to build apps, meaning those that are bootstrapping are more able to create products people can use faster. This means solo founders or those self-funding can experiment, build and grow without spending a fortune.

But vibe coding doesn’t make the role of a coder moot. Quite the opposite – coders can now focus on problem solving and more complex areas, leaving the easy build to AI.

Why Vibe Coding Is Positive For UK Startups

In the UK, securing funding is harder than it is in economies like the US. It’s obvious why vibe coding has so much appeal because it can:

• Lower costs for startups.
• Help founders experiment more quickly.
• Reduce reliance on coders for basic builds.
• Support single-person startups.

For UK entrepreneurs looking to launch quickly or experiment before raising capital, vibe coding opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

Where Does Vibe Coding Fall Short?

Whilst vibe coding certainly has a lot of benefits, it does also come with some risks.

For example, in a world where cyberattacks are becoming more common, vibe coding could make an app vulnerable. It also has some limitations with the build, especially if it’s a little more complicated.

In addition to this, many coders have warned that code created by AI can be hard to debug, which means long-term, founders might be faced with untangling a big mess.

Ultimately, like many things, it’s the combination of an AI doing the legwork and a human checking and perfecting the code that makes it such a good option for startups.

So, Is Vibe Coding The Way Apps Of The Future Will Be Built?

Vibe coding is still very much in its early stages, but so far, it’s definitely helping founders and startups build faster.

And whilst it isn’t yet good enough to replace coders or software engineers, it can certainly give them a helping hand to speed things along.

So, whether you’re a bootstrapping founder or just someone with a good idea, vibe coding could be the way to build the app you always wanted.

All you need to do is describe the vibe, and let the AI do the rest…