cloudparts

Dyad

A free, open-source desktop app builder: you chat with the model of your choice, and it writes a React or Next.js app into a local Git repository and runs it on your own machine.

What it is
AI app builders
Type
Open source
Made by
Dyad Tech, Inc.
License
Apache 2.0 (the src/pro directory is under the Functional Source License 1.1, Apache 2.0 future license)
Facts checked
13 October 2026
Website Source code

What it is

Dyad is an Electron app for macOS, Windows and Linux (experimental) that does what Lovable or v0 do, but locally. Each app is a regular folder, by default under ~/dyad-apps/<app-name>, holding a JavaScript project built from a template: a minimal React and Vite app by default, or Next.js with shadcn/ui and Tailwind. Dyad runs it with your own Node.js and shows a live preview next to the chat. Every edit the AI makes becomes a Git commit with an AI-written message, and restoring an old version adds a revert commit, so history is never lost and you can open the same repository in VS Code at any time.

You bring the model. Dyad calls OpenAI, Anthropic or Google with your own API keys, OpenRouter, or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, so the code and prompts go only where you send them. For backends it connects to Supabase or Neon; for deployment it pushes to GitHub, and Vercel or another host builds from there. Build mode applies one generation at a time; Agent mode keeps a task list, reads server and browser logs and fixes its own errors. A basic Agent mode is free for 20 messages a day.

The code outside src/pro is Apache 2.0. Dyad Pro ($20 a month, 200 AI credits) and Dyad Max ($79 a month, 900 credits) add the full Agent mode and two cost savers: Turbo Edits, which hands routine file edits to a faster, cheaper model, and Smart Context, which uses a small model to pick the relevant files instead of sending the whole codebase.

Why teams pick it

  • No lock-in: apps are plain Git repositories on your disk, and you can switch to another editor or tool at any time
  • Any model, including free tiers such as Google’s Gemini API and offline local models
  • Free to use with your own keys, with no sign-up and no limit on the number of projects
  • Open source and built in public, with signed releases built directly on GitHub

Watch out for

  • JavaScript apps only: no other languages, and mobile apps only as hybrid web apps
  • You run everything: Node.js must be installed, and hosting, databases and API costs are yours to arrange
  • The best agent features (full Agent mode, Turbo Edits, Smart Context) are in the paid Pro tier, under a source-available license
  • Linux support is experimental and untested, without auto-updates

Alternatives

What all ai app builders have in common →Compare side by side →
Firebase StudioDeprecatedGoogle CloudGoogle’s browser-based workspace that pairs a Gemini app-prototyping agent with a full Code OSS IDE on a Nix-configured cloud VM; it is being shut down on 22 March 2027 in favor of Google AI Studio and Antigravity.LovableRenamedCommercialA Stockholm-built prompt-to-app service that generates a TanStack Start web app with a built-in Supabase-based backend, hosts it, and syncs the code to your Git repository.ReplitCommercialA cloud workspace where Replit Agent builds an app from a prompt, with separate development and production databases, checkpoints you can roll back, and one-click hosting on Google Cloud.RiffRenamedCommercialAn Oslo-built AI builder, formerly Databutton, whose agent writes React and FastAPI apps and configures ERP-connected agents for procurement and operations teams in manufacturing.v0CommercialVercel’s prompt-to-app agent: it writes a Next.js app inside a Vercel Sandbox VM, pushes each chat’s changes to its own GitHub branch, and publishes to Vercel.

How it fits with other technologies

See it in a real stack

No architecture uses Dyad yet. Drop it into the playground and wire it up yourself.Open playground →
Where it came from2025–2026

Will Chen created Dyad as a local, open-source alternative to cloud app builders such as Lovable, v0 and Bolt. The idea, in Chen’s words, was that builders should feel like owners, not renters: the code stays on their computer, they choose the model, and nothing is locked into a hosted platform. The first public releases came in April 2025; version 0.1.7 on 22 April simplified onboarding and added opt-in telemetry.

Through frequent releases, Dyad added Supabase and Neon integrations, MCP servers, a security review, imports of existing apps, hybrid mobile apps, Agent mode and a paid Pro tier whose code lives in a separate, fair-source directory. Version 1.0.0 shipped on 19 May 2026, after a year of development, with a redesigned app sidebar and Neon support for Vite and Nitro projects. Version 1.19.0 followed on 12 October 2026, by which time the repository had more than 21,000 GitHub stars.

Why it’s built this way

Run locally instead of in the cloud
Chen wanted users to own their apps rather than rent them: projects live on disk as ordinary Git repositories, and with a local model even prompts never leave the machine.
Bring your own API key
Letting users pick any provider, including free tiers and local models, avoids locking them into one vendor’s model or pricing.
Open core with a fair-source Pro directory
The free builder stays under Apache 2.0, while the paid Pro features, kept in src/pro, are fair source: published under the Functional Source License 1.1 with Apache 2.0 as its future license.

Timeline

  1. 2025

    First public releases in April

  2. 2025

    Version 0.10.0 in June

  3. 2026

    Version 1.0.0 on 19 May

  4. 2026

    Version 1.19.0 on 12 October

Sources9 · facts checked 13 October 2026

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