# What is Podda?

By Will Hannigan, one of the people building Podda.
Published: 2026-08-17. Updated: 2026-08-22.
Canonical: https://podda.app/blog/what-is-podda


Podda is a private home for personal software. You build an app by talking to ChatGPT or Claude, and Podda is where it lives: on your phone and the phones of the people you invite, and nowhere else. There is no public link, and no way for anyone outside your invite list to find it or open it.

Personal software means an app made for one person or a small named group, not for customers or the public: a tracker just for you, or a shared list for the people you live with. Plenty of tools will build you an app. Podda is the one that keeps it to the people it is for.

## Who is Podda for?

Anyone who already talks to ChatGPT or Claude and wants the app to become something real, not code stuck in a chat thread. One person sets it up. Everyone they invite just opens it on their phone, with no account to create and nothing to learn.

## What can I build on Podda?

Almost any app for yourself or a group you know: something to track, plan, split, or vote on. If you can describe it, ChatGPT or Claude can usually build it.

- A shared tracker for a couple splitting rent and bills.
- A trip planner for a group of friends, with the itinerary and packing list in one place.
- A signup sheet for a book club or a five-a-side team.
- A habit or collection tracker built around your own routine.
- A game-night quiz built with three.js that runs in the browser.

## How do you make an app on Podda?

You connect Podda once, then ask ChatGPT or Claude for the app you want, in plain words.

1. Connect Podda, then describe the app to ChatGPT or Claude. It builds and publishes the app for you.
2. Invite the people it is for. They sign in on their phone and start using it, with no separate account and nothing to pay.

See the [connect guide](/guides/connect) for the click-by-click version.

## Who can see an app on Podda?

Only the people you invite. There is no public link and no search listing, so an app you build stays private to the exact list you set. Anyone who is not on that list cannot find it or open it. If you ever want wider reach, link sharing is yours to switch on, never the default.

## What does Podda cost?

Podda is free to start. The free plan has room for a few apps and the people you invite, and the people you invite are never charged. See the [pricing](/pricing) page for what each plan includes, or [how to make a free app for your family and friends](/blog/make-a-free-app-for-your-family-and-friends) for the honest breakdown of what free gets you elsewhere too.

## What don't you have to do on Podda?

None of the technical work. No servers to run, no domain to buy, no deploy pipeline to set up, and no public website to launch first. Podda hosts the app privately, for the people you invite.

Comparing options first? Here are [the best ways to build a private app for your family](/blog/best-ways-to-build-a-private-app-for-your-family-2026).

Connect Podda to [ChatGPT or Claude](/guides/connect) and build the first app you or your group actually need.