Should you use Google’s NEW Firebase Studio for vibe coding (Full Demo)

Опубликовано: 02 Май 2025
на канале: Greg Isenberg

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Join me as I chat with Yoni Smolyar, as we explore Google's new Firebase Studio by comparing it to Lovable through building a budgeting app. We demonstrate how Firebase Studio caters to more technical users with its code-heavy interface and Google ecosystem integrations, while Lovable offers a more user-friendly experience with better visual results. Despite Firebase Studio's current limitations, we discuss its potential to become a strong competitor in the AI-powered development space.

Episode Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - Firebase Studio Overview
02:09 - Fire Studio Templates
04:46 - Gemini 2.5 Pro Overview
06:22 - Sample Project Dog-Swiping App
11:03 - Firebase Studio vs Lovable
18:42 - Improving App UI
23:49 - Debugging App
26:04 - Who is Firebase Studio for?
27:29 - Firebase Studio's future potential

Key Points:

• Firebase Studio is Google's new free app prototyping tool aimed at more technical users familiar with coding
• The tool offers tight integration with Google's ecosystem (Firebase, Google Cloud, etc.)
• Firebase Studio has a more complex UI with direct code access compared to Lovable's simplified interface
• When tested side-by-side, Lovable produced more visually appealing results with less technical friction

1) What is Firebase Studio?

Google's FREE new app prototyping tool that just launched!

It's deeply integrated with Google's ecosystem (Firebase, GCP, etc.) but comes with a learning curve.

The UI is DEVELOPER-FOCUSED - meaning it's powerful but can feel overwhelming if you're not technical.

2) Two ways to use Firebase Studio:

A) Template approach: Start with pre-built templates (React, Next.js, etc.)

Great for devs who know what framework they want
Gives you best practices built-in
But requires technical knowledge

B) App Prototyping Agent: More conversational

Similar to Lovable's approach
Just describe what you want to build
Less technical, more accessible

3) The HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

Yoni tested both tools with the SAME prompt:

"A budgeting app that aggregates all transactions across financial institutions and displays daily, weekly, monthly spending as well as net worth."

4) Firebase Studio strengths:

• Completely free
• Deep Google ecosystem integration
• One-click deployment to Firebase hosting
• Great for developers already in Google's ecosystem
• Uses Gemini (though not yet the best version)
• Shows you all code as it's generated

But it's clearly in ALPHA stage with many bugs.

5) Lovable strengths:

• Much cleaner, more polished UI out-of-the-box
• Animations included automatically
• Hides code complexity by default
• Better visual design
• One-click Supabase integration
• Working auth flows that actually send emails

The UI difference was DRAMATIC.

6) Who is each tool ACTUALLY for?

Firebase Studio: Mid to experienced developers who:

Already use Google Cloud/Firebase
Want tight integrations with Google products
Need more control over their code

Lovable: Anyone with an app idea who:

Isn't necessarily technical
Wants a polished UI quickly
Doesn't want to see/deal with code

7) The FUTURE of Firebase Studio

Greg's take: "Don't count Google out!"

While Firebase Studio feels rough now, Google has:

Access to Gemini 2.5 Pro (a "banger" model)
Visibility into all user prompts
Resources to improve rapidly

In 6 months, it could be FIRE

8) The BIG takeaway

We're still EARLY in AI app development tools.

The ecosystem is expanding rapidly with options for all skill levels:

Non-technical: Lovable, Bolt
Technical: Firebase Studio, Windsurf, Cursor, Tempo

And yes - you can build REAL BUSINESSES with these tools!

Try them all, see what fits your style, and start building!

Notable Quotes:

"Firebase Studio has a feedback ticketing system... And the number one feedback request was please use Gemini 2.5 Pro for the app prototyping." - Yoni

"I think it's still so early in AI land. I think that there are still so many high lever opportunities that you can build apps, if not with Firebase Studio today, with Replit, with Lovable, to make real revenue." - Yoni

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