Vibe Coding Tools in 2025 – Useful, but No Replacement for Professionals - Dalbe's Take
Alpar Torok"Vibe coding" has become a hot topic. More and more tools are emerging, promising to make development faster and simpler. The list is long and growing almost daily.
We haven't tested them all. In recent months, we’ve worked with just a few: Claude / Claude Code, ChatGPT / Codex, Firebase Studio, and Lovable. Our experience with these four tools has shown us what they can do, where they help, and where they fall short.
Claude / Claude Code – A Pleasant Surprise
Claude Code truly impressed us. It writes boilerplate quickly, understands OOP basics, and has helped us simplify debugging and even solve more advanced logic.
We’ve used it on complex projects, and it's an enormous help for backend development, specifically in logic, Python, and Laravel Nova.
But then… it starts hallucinating when we hit larger projects with high complexity. And not just a little. It’s like watching The Matrix and suddenly Neo starts cracking jokes from Friends. Funny, but completely unsuitable for production.
👉 Verdict: Very useful as a partner for ideas and supporting code, but we’re not handing over the keys to the application just yet.
ChatGPT and Codex – Brainstorming, but with Limits
We use them often for small snippets of JavaScript and Python code, as well as for brainstorming. We even created a complete API plan with them. It looked flawless at first glance.
But when we started the implementation, the details betrayed a lack of rigor: incomplete documentation, half-correct logic, and a lack of attention to security.
It’s a good friend to Shopify and Liquid, but very often the generated code isn't directly usable. A developer who understands the context and platform rules must adapt it. However, this way we are about 50% faster at creating custom Liquid components for Shopify. We even created a small test game with ChatGPT5.
👉 Verdict: Excellent for prototypes and shortening thinking time, but serious code still requires professionals.
Firebase Studio – High Expectations, Small Reality
This is where we had the highest hopes. We are frequent Firebase users; it’s our foundation for fast mobile apps and POCs (proof of concept).
But Studio… it couldn't even correctly run its own example. Total disappointment.
👉 Verdict: One day it will likely be a powerful tool, but in August 2025, it’s not delivering yet. We haven't managed to get functional code out of it so far.
Lovable – Love/Hate, but the Most Creative Experience
Lovable is a special case. You can tell it juggles a few templates. For a simple 1-pager, a quick presentation site, or even a landing page, it works surprisingly well.
If you dedicate more time to it, you can connect Supabase and get something decent out. But for a serious project, you need an experienced developer.
We used it for creative ideas, even for a site to test color palettes or for a presentation within BNI (Dalbe has been a BNI Action member since 2021).
It was fast and fun. Out of all the tools tested, Lovable is the one that brought us the most smiles and inspiration.
Our Conclusion
Claude / Claude Code and ChatGPT / Codex – We use them daily for ideas, logic, and debugging.
Firebase Studio – Not ready yet, but we’re watching its evolution.
Lovable – Fun, creative, suitable for small projects or inspiration.
These tools are part of the future and help us work faster. But the truth remains simple: they cannot replace professional developers.
Repetitive tasks have reason to fear, but security, UX, authentication, and scalability still demand a trained eye and an analytical mind.
👉 We love the future and test everything that comes out. But we remain realistic: hype doesn’t write good code.
Question for you: Have you tried vibe coding tools? Where did they help you and where did they let you down?
