An AI chatbot can do a lot of things. However, one of its newer skills that doesn’t get as much attention is coding. The likes of ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok have all been trained up on the art of ‘vibe coding.’ This is, quite simply, the ability to write code by inputting prompts. By doing this, anyone can build apps, websites, and tools with absolutely no coding experience.
While it started out a bit rocky, vibe coding has seen huge growth in the past couple of months, now pumping out some pretty incredible results. If you’re new to the idea of coding with a chatbot, it is really simple to get started. Below, I’ve listed five easy Claude prompts to make your own app from scratch, and it will only take a couple of minutes.
While you can’t install the apps you’ve made on your smartphone, they will appear in the Claude app or website if you’ve created them while logged in.
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Budget tracker
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Prompt: Create a simple budget tracker where I can add my monthly expenses by category (like groceries, rent, utilities) and see a pie chart showing where my money goes.
It’s a simple prompt, but one that can generate an app that can be really useful for pretty much anyone. The great thing about using AI to make your own app is that you can customize it to your liking.
Start off with this prompt and then, depending on how you feel about the end result, throw in some changes. You can alter the colors, add categories or change the formulas that it uses for calculations.
Workout timer
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Prompt: Build me a workout timer that lets me set different exercises with custom durations and rest periods, then runs through them automatically with sound alerts.
Some workout timer apps can be intimidating, filled with niche terminology and complicated additional settings for the dedicated gym-goer. However, you can always just make your own that is perfectly matched to you.
With this prompt, you can create a timer with your exact exercise routine put in. Equally, you can make it more customizable, inputting more features like a quick bit of advice for each exercise before it happens, or a repeat function for specific exercises.
Habit tracker
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prompt: Build a simple habit tracker where I can list daily habits (like ‘drink water’, ‘exercise’, ‘read’) and check them off each day, showing my streak for each habit.
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There are loads of habit tracker apps out there, all approaching the task in different ways… but none of them are designed specifically for you.
By making your own from scratch, you can set it up to work exactly how you want it to. For example, you can have it set reminders, work on a tick-off-based system, or just be a place to list out all the things you want to do.
Start by using the prompt above, and then build on it with follow-up requests to get your end product nailed down to exactly what you want.
Tip calculator
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Prompt: Create a tip calculator that splits the bill among multiple people, lets me choose the tip percentage, and shows how much each person owes, including tax.
This is a great prompt to try out when you’re first getting started with vibe coding. It is simple, but really useful once you get it up and running.
I tried making this exact app a couple of weeks ago and have used it a few times when I’ve been in a restaurant.
A similar, but also effective app is to ask Claude to make a bill sorter. A prompt along the lines of “Create an app that allows me to take a photo of a receipt and input which items each person had, splitting it into fees for each.”
Trivia games
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prompt: Build a simple quiz app with 5 trivia questions. Show one question at a time with multiple-choice answers. At the end, tell me my score and which ones I got right or wrong.
Compared to the other apps above, this one is less useful, but more just a fun test of what you can do with vibe coding. It is a simple app to make and one that you can customize to your own liking, adding and removing topics and changing the scoring system if you prefer.
Equally, you can add a step to the prompt that will allow you to randomize the topics each time, letting Claude come up with the questions.
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