Cabano vs Rork (2026) — Which AI App Builder Fits Your Project?
Cabano and Rork are both AI app builders: you describe a mobile app in chat, an AI agent writes the code, and you iterate on a working preview until it’s ready to publish. If you’ve tried one, the other will feel familiar.
The meaningful difference is a single architectural decision — what kind of app comes out — and almost everything else follows from it. (Details below are accurate as of July 2026; both products move fast, so check current docs before deciding on specifics.)
The short version
| Cabano | Rork | |
|---|---|---|
| Output | Native SwiftUI (Xcode project) | React Native / Expo |
| Platforms | iOS-first (Expo also supported) | iOS + Android from one codebase |
| Preview | Real iOS simulator streamed to your browser | In-browser preview / Expo Go on device |
| Publishing | TestFlight + App Store built in | App Store / Play Store flows |
| Games | Native Metal / SpriteKit (Max plan) | Web-tech or RN-based approaches |
| Free tier | 30 generations/month | Yes (see current pricing) |
What follows from the architecture
Rork builds React Native. That buys you one codebase for iOS and Android, which is genuinely valuable if you need both stores on day one. The trade is that your app runs on a JavaScript bridge with React-Native versions of iOS components — close to native, and for many apps close enough, but visibly an approximation in scrolling feel, keyboard handling, and how quickly it adopts each year’s iOS design changes.
Cabano builds SwiftUI. The output is the same kind of project an iOS developer would hand you: Apple’s frameworks, Apple’s current design language (including iOS 26’s Liquid Glass look), Apple’s performance characteristics. The trade runs the other way — you’re iOS-first. Cabano can build cross-platform Expo apps too, but native iOS is the default and the point.
The preview experience mirrors this. Rork’s preview reaches a device through Expo Go, which is a slick loop for RN development. Cabano streams a real iOS simulator into your browser — what you’re watching is a compiled native build, so what ships is exactly what you saw.
When Rork is the better choice
Be honest about your requirements:
- You need Android at launch. This is the decisive one. Cabano is iOS-first; if half your audience is on Android and you can’t wait, a cross-platform tool is the right call.
- You have React/JS developers who’ll take over the codebase — a React Native project fits their skills directly.
When Cabano is the better choice
- Your audience is on iPhone — you’re building for the App Store first, and you want the app to feel indistinguishable from one a senior iOS developer built.
- You want the app on your own phone fast. Cabano’s TestFlight lane builds, signs, and delivers with your Apple Developer account; the app is on your device in minutes.
- You’re building a game. Cabano’s Max plan generates true native games on Metal and SpriteKit — 60fps, physics, particles — which web-based approaches can’t match on iOS.
- You care about resale value of the code. A SwiftUI Xcode project is the canonical form of an iOS app; any iOS developer can pick it up.
The bottom line
Choose by output, not by demo videos: need iOS + Android from one prompt → Rork; want the best possible iPhone app → Cabano. Both have free tiers, so the cheapest way to decide is to build the same idea in each and put the results side by side on a phone.
Build yours with Cabano — the free plan’s 30 monthly generations are plenty for a real comparison.