Palm is an AI app builder for Mac. You describe an app in everyday language and it writes a native SwiftUI and SwiftData iPhone app, generates the Xcode project, compiles it, fixes build errors, and launches it in the iOS Simulator. You then ask for changes in plain English. It can add an Apple Watch app, widgets and a StoreKit paywall, and it drafts launch material. The AI runs on your Mac. Pro is $49 once.
How it works
- Describe. One sentence, such as "A simple home inventory for my family, with rooms, items and notes". Say whether it is for a business, a product, something personal or a community. Palm plans the screens, the data and the first useful action.
- Build. Palm writes SwiftUI views and SwiftData models, creates the Xcode project and compiles it. If the build fails, it reads the errors and repairs them until it compiles.
- Preview. The app launches in the iOS Simulator beside the code, in light and dark mode.
- Change. Ask for "add search", "make it darker" or "add a settings screen". Palm rewrites only the files that need to change.
- Open in Xcode whenever you like. The project is plain files with no lock-in.
What you get from a first build
- Lists with search, add, edit and delete
- A tab bar and a working Settings screen
- Data stored with SwiftData
- An Xcode project you own
- A brief kept with the project, so later changes remember who the app is for
Extending, charging and shipping
| Stage | What Palm adds |
|---|---|
| Extend | Apple Watch app, widgets, push notifications, camera and GPS, maps, an offline sync queue |
| Monetise | A StoreKit paywall with restore, Terms and Privacy links, and pricing guidance for the kind of app |
| Ship | An App Review risk check, store listing and screenshot copy |
| Launch | A launch kit: landing page, positioning, content, press, outreach and ad drafts, and a checklist |
Nothing in the launch kit is published until you approve it.
Why native, and why on your Mac
| Browser-based AI builders | Palm | |
|---|---|---|
| Output | Usually a web app | Native SwiftUI iPhone app |
| Where the project lives | The provider's cloud | Files on your Mac |
| Where the AI runs | The provider's servers | On your Mac |
| Account | Required | Not required |
| Pricing | Often subscription or credits | One-time |
| Platforms | Any browser | Mac with Xcode |
Browser builders are quicker to start and better for web products. Not every alternative is browser-based: Dyad, for example, is a free, open-source desktop app that runs locally with your own model keys, and it builds web apps, not native iPhone apps. Direct comparisons: Lovable, Bolt, Dyad and Polsia. A general chat assistant can also write Swift, but you assemble the project, fix the build and wire the pieces yourself.
Who it suits
- Founders and makers who want a real first version to test with users, not a slide deck.
- Developers who want the boilerplate, data layer and settings screen done, then take over in Xcode.
- People with an idea and no Swift, prepared to learn enough to test and submit an app.
- Anyone who does not want early ideas on someone else's server.
Before you start
The quality of the result follows the quality of the sentence. Decide who the app is for and the single action it must make easy. These help: validate the idea before coding, the MVP scope template and prioritising features for a first app. Apps already shipped with Palm are on the Made with Palm page.
Honest limits
- You need a Mac with macOS 26 and Xcode. Palm generates an Xcode project and builds it locally.
- Shipping still needs an Apple Developer account and App Review. Palm's review check flags common risks; it cannot guarantee approval.
- Generated code needs your judgement. It is a strong first version of a list-and-detail style app, not a finished product. Test it, read it and decide what to change.
- It will not find your customers. The launch kit drafts the material. Distribution is still your work.
- iPhone and Apple Watch apps. It does not build Android or web apps.
Price
Palm is a Mac app. The setup is free to try, and Pro is a one-time payment of $49 with no subscription, covering the builder, editor, marketing studio and launch kit. It requires macOS 26 and Xcode. Download Palm, or read the FAQ.
Common questions
Do I need to know Swift?
Not to get a first build running. To ship and maintain an app, some understanding helps, and the project is standard Swift you can learn from.
Does my idea leave my Mac?
The AI runs on your Mac and projects are local files.
Can I edit the code myself?
Yes. It is a normal Xcode project.
Does it publish to the App Store for me?
No. It prepares the app and the listing copy. You submit through your own Apple Developer account.
Is there a subscription?
No. Pro is a one-time payment.
Build a first version on your Mac: Get Palm for Mac.