How to share a vibe-coded app privately
By Will Hannigan · Published , updated
You built an app with ChatGPT or Claude, and it works. Now you want the people it is for to actually use it, whether that is your partner or the ten people in your book club. You do not have to publish it to the open internet or stand up a login system to make that happen. Podda gives the app a private home: you invite people by name, and only they can open it.
Why can't I just send them the code?
Because the people you share it with cannot do anything with raw code. A chat window hands you the source, not a running app, and no phone-friendly way to sign in. For someone else to use it, the app has to be hosted somewhere with a real address and a login that is not a shared password you pass around by hand. That gap, between "the AI built it" and "my group can open it," is the whole problem Podda solves.
What about Vercel or Netlify?
They are very good, and they answer a different question: how to put a site on the open internet for anyone with the link. When your app is meant for a named few, that model works against you. You would still have to build your own login and access control on top, so that no stranger can wander in. That is real engineering effort spent on something no outsider was ever meant to reach.
How do you keep it private instead of public?
You build it on Podda instead of on the open internet. Connect Podda to ChatGPT or Claude, describe the app, and ChatGPT or Claude builds it into a private home with a real URL and per-person access already handled. Then you invite people by name. Anyone without an invite cannot find the app, and cannot open it.
Who is this for?
- A couple who want one shared tracker for rent and bills.
- Housemates splitting a kitty, or a group of friends planning a trip.
- A book club or a five-a-side team that needs a signup sheet no outsider can see.
- One person with a routine or a collection that no generic app quite fits.
Steps to share your first app privately
1. Connect Podda, then describe the app to ChatGPT or Claude.
2. Invite the people it is for. They sign in on their phone and use it, with no separate account and nothing to pay.
See the connect guide for the click-by-click version.
Can I add or remove people later?
Yes, at any time, and the app is never rebuilt. Invite someone and they can open it right away. Remove someone and their access ends the moment you do. Membership is something you hold and can see, not a setting buried in a dashboard, so who can open the app is always clear.
Built it somewhere specific? There are step-by-step versions for an app you made with ChatGPT and an app you built with Claude Code.
Still comparing routes? Here are the best ways to build a private app for your family, and how to make an app for your friend group.
Connect Podda to ChatGPT or Claude and get the app off your screen and into the hands of the people it is for. The free plan covers your first few.
Last updated 22 August 2026.