Comparison

    Modaal vs Newly

    Both build iPhone and Android apps by chatting with an AI agent, and both help you publish. They differ in the code and in the bill: Newly builds React Native and Expo apps in a browser and charges in credits; Modaal builds native Swift and Kotlin apps on a Mac and runs on the AI subscription you already have.

    The sixty-second answer

    Choose Newly if you want to build in a browser without installing anything, use a backend that is set up for you, and have the app uploaded to both stores. Newly says its apps are “Built with React Native and Expo”.

    Choose Modaal if you want SwiftUI on iPhone and Jetpack Compose on Android, a fixed plan price instead of credits, a free plan to start, your own backend such as Firebase, and the code in your own Git repository.

    Newly (natively.dev redirects to newly.app) has no free plan; Modaal does not run in a browser.

    Side by side

    Newly from newly.app and docs.newly.app (Newly v2, the current version); Modaal from modaal.dev/pricing. Read 13 October 2026.

     ModaalNewly
    Code it writesSwift and SwiftUI for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch; Kotlin and Jetpack Compose for AndroidReact Native and Expo for iOS and Android
    How you pay for AIYour own agent subscription (13 agents supported). No credits.Credits: $25 for 100 a month up to $1,600 for 6,400; a message “doesn’t cost a fixed amount”
    Free planYes: one project, unlimited prompts, one platform“There’s no free plan, and a new account starts with 0 credits.”
    Paid pricePro €9 per month billed annually (€15 monthly), both platformsFrom $25 per month; yearly billing 20% less
    Where you buildMac app, builds locally with XcodeBrowser; a Mac app is announced but not yet available
    PreviewSimulators on your Mac, and your own devicesCloud simulator hosted by Newly; previews “can’t be installed on a phone”
    BackendYour own backend, for example FirebaseBuilt-in Postgres per environment and email sign-in; “doesn’t connect to Supabase, Firebase or other backend providers”
    Code and GitStandard Xcode and Android Studio projects in your Git repository; export any timeDownload as ZIP or with its CLI; v2 docs say projects “can’t connect to GitHub”
    App StoreAutomated App Store publishing and TestFlight builds (Pro)Builds on a cloud Mac and uploads to App Store Connect and TestFlight from the chat
    Google PlayAndroid Studio project; you upload the build to Google PlayBuilds, signs and uploads to Google Play internal testing
    How work is plannedRequirements document, a spec per feature and a plan approved before codeChat with the agent

    Which one fits

    If youWe recommendWhy
    You do not have a MacNewlyIt runs in a browser. Modaal needs a Mac with Xcode.
    You want the backend set up for youNewlyEach project gets a Postgres database and email sign-in.
    You want native Swift and Kotlin, not React NativeModaalIt builds a SwiftUI app and a Jetpack Compose app from one project.
    You want to try it before payingModaalThe Free plan covers one project with unlimited prompts. Newly has no free plan.
    You build every day and do not want to count creditsModaalThe AI runs on the subscription you already pay for.
    You already use Firebase or SupabaseModaalNewly v2 does not connect to other backend providers.

    React Native and Expo, or Swift and Kotlin

    Newly: “Built with React Native and Expo, your apps compile to real iOS and Android native code — not webviews.” One JavaScript codebase drives both apps.

    Modaal writes two native apps: SwiftUI for iPhone and Jetpack Compose for Android. Each feature’s logic is written once and shared, each platform gets its own native screens, and tests check that the two apps behave the same. Swift vs React Native compares the two approaches in more detail.

    The same feature running as a native SwiftUI app on iPhone and a native Jetpack Compose app on Android
    Modaal: one project, a SwiftUI app and a Jetpack Compose app. Our capture.

    Credits or your own subscription

    Newly’s plans are measured in credits: “Every plan gives 4 credits for each $1”, from $25 a month for 100 credits to $1,600 for 6,400. “A message doesn't cost a fixed amount.” In a shared project, credits come from “the project owner's organization, whoever sends the message.”

    Modaal has no credits. Each builder connects an agent they already subscribe to, such as Claude, Codex, Cursor or Gemini, and the plan price stays the same however much they build: free for one project on one platform, or €9 per month billed annually for Pro.

    Modaal’s build agent picker listing Claude, Codex, Cursor, Gemini and other agents
    Modaal runs on the agent subscription you already have. Our capture.

    Backend and code: built in, or your own

    Newly gives each project “A Postgres database for each environment” and email sign-in that works right away. Its docs also say: “Newly v2 doesn't connect to Supabase, Firebase or other backend providers.” You can download the code as a ZIP or with Newly’s CLI, but “You can't send app code from your computer back into a Newly project.”

    Modaal connects to a backend you choose, such as Firebase, and keeps the app as standard Xcode and Android Studio projects in your Git repository. You, a developer or another AI agent can change the code outside Modaal and continue inside it.

    Frequently asked questions

    natively.dev redirects to newly.app, and press coverage describes Newly as formerly Natively. Newly’s current version is Newly v2; its docs say v1 is closed to new sign-ups.

    Newly builds with React Native and Expo and says the apps compile to real iOS and Android native code, not webviews. Modaal writes the apps in Swift and SwiftUI for iPhone and Kotlin and Jetpack Compose for Android.

    No. Newly’s docs say there is no free plan and a new account starts with 0 credits; plans start at $25 a month for 100 credits. Modaal has a Free plan with one project, unlimited prompts and one platform.

    Yes, if you want native Swift and Kotlin apps, no credits, your own backend and the code in Git. Newly fits if you want to build in a browser with a backend set up for you.

    Both publish iPhone builds to App Store Connect and TestFlight for you. Newly also uploads Android builds to Google Play internal testing; with Modaal you upload the Android build to Google Play yourself.

    Related

    Native iPhone and Android apps. Start free.

    One project, two native apps: Swift for iPhone, Kotlin for Android.

    Download for Mac