Vibe Coding vs. No-Code vs. Traditional Coding: A Developer's Guide
If you're reading this article, there's a high chance that I just triggered you because I told you not to vibe code. And I mean it. If you're vibe coding or you want to learn how to vibe code, there's a high chance that it might not be the best option for you. I've been creating and shipping software for over a decade now, and in this article, I'm going to share insights into this new technology. We'll explore Vibe Coding, no-code tools, and standard coding. By the end of this article, you'll have a clear overview of when to use each one to boost your productivity and bring your development experience to the next level.
Understanding the Landscape: Vibe, No-Code, and Traditional Coding
Vibe Coding With vibe coding, I'm referring to all of these new frameworks and tools where you can build things using natural language. You can use prompts, chain-of-thought processes, or build a Product Requirements Document (PRD) to generate applications from scratch. They started mainly with UI tools. Initially, they were building just static websites, but now with new tools like Lovable, Cursor, and Firebase Studio, they are getting better and better every day. They are now able to connect to databases, handle authentication, and perform a wide range of tasks. They are evolving at an incredible speed.
No-Code Tools With no-code tools, I'm referring to all those websites or applications where you can simply go in and drag and drop elements. Mainly, they are used to build static pages. Technically, vibe coding frameworks can be seen as a subset of no-code. Sometimes you really need to know a little bit about coding because AI is just going to build the code, and then you can review it. With no-code tools, however, you don't directly interact with code. You just drag and drop elements and components to build things.
Standard Coding Finally, with standard coding environments, the field is huge. I basically refer to everything that involves writing code yourself using frameworks like Angular, Vue, React, or languages such as Vanilla JavaScript and C#.
A Real-World Example: When Vibe Coding Falls Short
A few days ago, my brother wanted to build his own website—something completely static, listing some data, and maybe a contact form. He jumped into these vibe coding tools and iterated over it for a little while, and then in the end, he called me. He was very happy because in just a couple of hours, he had iterated over the website. It was kind of good and it was working.
However, when I looked at it, the design wasn't quite right. As soon as I resized the page, the text overflowed, and the icons were not positioned correctly. I told him, "Yeah, okay. I mean, you really do not know how to code, and you were able to achieve this, so it's kind of impressive. But you would need to iterate on it repeatedly to achieve a polished, clean, and sleek result." You've already invested a couple of hours. Why not use no-code tools instead? If you're non-technical and just want a static website, you can buy a well-designed template for around $20. Basically, you get a perfect, customizable design, and it probably only takes you about an hour.
