Dyad
Local open-source AI app builder that turns chat into full-stack apps using your own model keys.
About
Chat-driven app builders like v0, Lovable, and Bolt run in someone else's cloud; Dyad delivers the same workflow as a desktop application for Windows and macOS that keeps code, prompts, and API keys on the user's machine. Describing an app in chat produces a working full-stack web project with a real-time preview, and every iteration edits the local codebase directly, so projects open in any editor and deploy to any host with no platform lock-in. Model access is bring-your-own-key across OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Qwen, or fully offline through Ollama. The core is Apache 2.0 open source, while the src/pro directory sits under the Functional Source License and backs an optional paid Pro tier with managed AI credits and extra modes; the base app downloads free with no signup. At around 21k GitHub stars it has become the default self-hosted answer to hosted AI app builders, particularly for developers who want generated code they actually own from the first prompt onward.
Should you use Dyad?
Pick it when
Pick Dyad when you like the chat-to-app flow of hosted builders but want the generated project, prompts, and API keys kept on your own Windows or Mac machine, with the option to run fully offline through Ollama.
Look elsewhere when
Skip it when the job is extending an existing production repository or building something other than a web app; Cline or Aider fit established codebases. Note that Pro features sit under the source-available FSL, not Apache 2.0.
Alternatives to Dyad
- bolt.diy
Same prompt-to-full-stack-app idea in the browser with Netlify and Vercel deploys and no install, but commercial production use needs a paid WebContainers license.
- Screenshot to Code
Better when you start from a mockup or screenshot and want front-end scaffolding, but it produces UI code rather than a running full-stack app.
- Cline
Better for iterating on an existing repo inside VS Code or JetBrains with approval on each step, but it offers no app-builder preview or scaffolding flow.
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Details
- Category
- AI Code Assistants
- Price
- Freemium
- Platform
- Local/Desktop
- Difficulty
- Beginner (1/5)
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Added
- Aug 24, 2026