Been building iOS apps on the side for about 8 months. Milq and Rork keep coming up in every thread, so here's what actually happened when I used both.

**Rork**

Onboarding is smooth, UI is clean, you can get something on screen fast. Describe what you want, it builds, you iterate. First time it works you feel like you cracked something.

The issues showed up pretty quickly though. Rork builds in React Native, not native Swift. On paper that shouldn't matter. In practice, iOS users notice. Scroll behavior feels slightly off. Animations don't quite match the native feel. Nothing you can point to specifically, but something that makes the app feel like it was built for a browser and wrapped in an iOS container. Which is exactly what it is.

Then there's the pricing. $200 a month is a serious commitment. If you're still figuring out if the idea works, $200 a month is a lot to commit.

**Milq**

First thing I did was build a simple app on free credits just to test the output. Nothing serious, just wanted to see what came out the other side. The difference from Rork was immediately obvious on a real device. Actual native Swift. Scroll behavior, animations, transitions. Feels like it belongs on an iPhone. The difference is noticeable immediately when you put both side by side on a real device.

Mac desktop app, files stay local. Didn't think I'd care about this but it matters more than I expected. Supabase integration is built in, which removes a whole setup step that used to take me half a day. Pricing is where Milq is a completely different proposition. Bring your own API key. Started on free credits, still haven't paid anything, have two apps in TestFlight.

When you're not sure if the idea will work, starting for free changes everything.

Not everything is smooth though. You still need Xcode installed even though you never really open it. Apple Developer account is $99 a year. Private beta so availability is limited. Complex logic I still handle in Claude Code since Milq struggles with the harder stuff.

**Which one to choose**

Rork if you need something working right now with no setup friction and React Native output is fine. The polish and documentation are better.

Milq if native Swift matters, if you're cost-sensitive early on, or if you want files staying local. The native Swift thing was the deciding factor for me. That and not paying $200 a month for something I'm still figuring out.

Still early on both of these tools so things might change.

Milq vs Rork, Best iOS app builder in 2026