VibeView builds your app in the cloud for iOS, Android, Apple TV and Android TV from one CLI command. You don't need a Mac or a local toolchain. Each simulator or emulator build lands in your app's build history, ready to open on a cloud device in your browser and share with your team. For React Native and Expo, open the preview build: it runs without Metro. A Roku channel is a zip of source files, so you upload it instead.
Xcode Cloud is Apple's own CI/CD service. It is built into Xcode, it builds apps for Apple platforms, and it delivers them to TestFlight and the App Store. Teams usually look for an Xcode Cloud alternative for one of three reasons: they also ship on Android, nobody on the team has a Mac, or they want people to try each build without a device of their own.
One command for phones and TV
Install the CLI with npm install -g vibeview and run
vibeview build --cloud in your project. The first build of each platform
saves its command, and from then on --platform all builds every one of
them. The free plan includes 30 build
minutes a month.
VibeView and Xcode Cloud side by side
| Question | VibeView | Xcode Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Which platforms does it build? | iOS, Android, Apple TV and Android TV, from the same project and the same CLI | Apple platforms only; Android and Android TV need another service |
| Do you need a Mac? | No — iOS and Apple TV build on managed macOS builders, with Xcode 26.5 by default | To set it up, yes — the first workflow is configured in Xcode, which installs on macOS; later workflows can be edited in App Store Connect |
| Can someone try the build without a device of their own? | Yes — a simulator or emulator build (preview for React Native and Expo) opens on a cloud device in the browser, and you can share it | Testers install new builds through TestFlight on their own Apple devices; Apple's docs don't describe opening a build in a browser |
| Which projects? | Expo, React Native, Flutter, Capacitor or Ionic, Kotlin Multiplatform, and native Xcode or Gradle, with suggested build commands | An Xcode project or workspace that is always present; Apple warns that tools which generate or edit it can make setup and builds fail |
| Where do you set it up? | A vibeview.json file in your repository, written for you by the CLI on each platform's first build | In Xcode first, then in Xcode or App Store Connect |
| Builds on every push? | Yes — the GitHub App builds pushes and pull requests with no workflow file, and a pull request gets one comment linking each build to a cloud device | Yes — workflows start on branch changes, pull requests or tags, from GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket |
| TestFlight and the stores? | Yes — signed production builds for iOS, Apple TV, Android and Android TV, ready to download or submit to the stores | Yes, and closely tied in — builds go to TestFlight testers automatically; you submit for App Store review in App Store Connect |
| Automated tests? | Yes — tests you record, describe or import from Maestro run on several live devices at once, phones or TV, and, on paid plans, on every new build. VibeView doesn’t run XCTest. | Yes — a workflow can run your tests on many simulated devices |
| What does it cost? | Build minutes included on every plan; past them, $0.08 a minute for Mac builds and $0.03 for Linux builds on paid plans (pricing) | 25 compute hours a month with the Apple Developer Program, then monthly plans from 100 hours for US$49.99 |
The first three rows matter most. If you ship on Android or Android TV, work without a Mac, or want each build in front of people who have no test device, VibeView covers it.
Where VibeView is the better fit
One pipeline for Apple and Android
The same vibeview build --cloud command makes iOS, Android, Apple TV and Android TV builds. --platform all builds every platform your project configures.
No Mac, start to finish
Setup is a file in your repository, not a workflow you configure in Xcode, and nothing in it needs a Mac. A managed Expo project builds with no extra setup.
The build opens on a device
Each simulator or emulator build appears in your app's build history; for React Native and Expo, use the preview build. Open it on a cloud iPhone, Android phone, Apple TV or Android TV in the browser, or share it.
When Xcode Cloud is enough
If you ship only Apple apps and your team works in Xcode, Xcode Cloud is a good fit. It sends builds to TestFlight testers with no separate upload and runs your tests on simulated devices. The Apple Developer Program includes 25 compute hours a month.
Other options teams consider
If you want to stay on Apple's own tooling, the other route is a Mac you run yourself: build with Xcode on it, or connect it to your CI as a self-hosted build machine. You then keep Xcode and macOS up to date yourself.
GitHub Actions also offers macOS runners, and you write the workflow yourself. Standard runners are free on public repositories. On private ones you pay per minute after the included usage, and macOS minutes cost more than Linux.
Moving your builds to VibeView
- Install the CLI.
npm install -g vibeview, then sign in withvibeview login. - Build each platform once. From your project root, run
vibeview build --cloud --platform ios, then--platform android(andtvosorandroidtvif you ship TV). Each first build suggests a command and saves it tovibeview.json. After that,--platform allbuilds every platform in one go. For React Native and Expo, add--profile previewso the app runs without Metro. - Open the build. The build appears in your app's build history. Run it on a cloud device in the browser.
- Build on every push. Install the GitHub App, or run the same command from any CI.
- Ship. Add a production profile for signed builds, then send them to the stores. See App signing.
Frequently asked questions
Can Xcode Cloud build Android apps?
No. Apple describes Xcode Cloud as a CI/CD system built into Xcode for apps and frameworks on Apple platforms. An Android or Android TV build needs a second service. VibeView builds iOS, Android, Apple TV and Android TV apps from one CLI.
Do I need a Mac to use Xcode Cloud?
To set it up, yes. Apple says your first workflow has to be configured in Xcode, and Xcode installs on macOS. After the first build, you can edit workflows and start builds from App Store Connect in a browser. VibeView needs no Mac at any point.
How does Xcode Cloud pricing compare?
Apple includes 25 compute hours a month with the Apple Developer Program and sells more by the hour. For Apple-only builds, Apple’s hours cost less than VibeView’s Mac build minutes. VibeView includes build minutes on every plan and bills by the minute after that, and the same minutes also build Android and Android TV, need no Mac, and open simulator and emulator builds on a cloud device.
Can I keep Xcode Cloud for iOS and use VibeView for the rest?
Yes. Nothing stops you from keeping Xcode Cloud for TestFlight and building Android and Android TV with VibeView. You can also upload a simulator build you made elsewhere and open it on a cloud device.
Does VibeView work with React Native, Expo and Flutter?
Yes. Expo, React Native, Flutter, Capacitor or Ionic, Kotlin Multiplatform, and native Xcode or Gradle projects all build, and the CLI suggests the build commands. A managed Expo project needs no extra setup: the build generates the native project each time. For React Native and Expo, build the preview profile when you want an app that runs on a cloud device without Metro.
Try one build on each platform
Run vibeview build --cloud on the free plan (add
--profile preview for React Native and Expo), open the result on a cloud
device, and see whether one pipeline is enough.
Published October 31, 2026 · Apple's Xcode Cloud pages and GitHub's Actions docs verified October 31, 2026