Vibe coding statistics from 1,093 buildability reports
How much of today's paid software can an AI coding agent actually rebuild? We assessed 1,093 products across 68 categories. These are the counts, taken straight from those reports.
The headline
How verdicts are set ↗Verdicts across the index
- 14%158 strong builds
Yes, for personal use.
- 47%514 scoped builds
Partly, if you narrow it.
- 39%421 weak replacements
Not faithfully.
What the counts say
Key findings
- 14% of the 1,093 paid products we assessed are strong builds: a focused personal version keeps the main value. 47% are buildable only once scoped down, and 39% are weak replacements.
- Execution polish is the most common moat, in 611 reports (56%), yet only 17% of those reports are weak. It makes a good build harder, not impossible.
- Proprietary models is the moat most tied to a weak verdict: 69% of the 133 reports that carry it are weak replacements.
- Home is the most buildable category, with 73% strong builds across 11 reports. AI Image is the least, with 100% weak replacements across 16.
- The easiest software to replace tends to be the cheapest. The median recorded flat or per-seat price is $11 a month for strong builds, against $19 for scoped builds and $19 for weak replacements.
- 1,797 free or open-source alternatives were checked, 67% of them open source. 71% of reports list at least one, so switching is often an option before building.
Why people keep paying
The moats an agent cannot build
Every report is tagged with the parts of the product a prompt cannot reproduce. A report carries 2.3 tags on average, so the counts overlap. The last column shows how often a moat comes with a weak verdict.
| Moat | Reports | Share of index | Weak when present |
|---|---|---|---|
| execution polishThe last 20 percent is sync, migration fidelity, speed, and edge cases. | 56% | 17% | |
| scale infraReliability at the vendor's scale is an operations problem, not a prompt. | 43% | 52% | |
| integrationsConnectors, OAuth flows, and vendor API changes require constant upkeep. | 41% | 29% | |
| collaborationPermissions, presence, and shared workflows are difficult to simplify. | 17% | 18% | |
| proprietary dataThe useful dataset is owned, accumulated, or expensive to reproduce. | 12% | 56% | |
| proprietary modelsModel quality and inference operations are part of the product. | 12% | 69% | |
| compliance regulatoryCompliance, licensing, and legal accountability are core features. | 11% | 67% | |
| content rightsLicensed content and distribution rights are not reproducible with an LLM. | 10% | 46% | |
| brand trustTrust, audits, and counterparties matter more than feature parity. | 9% | 69% | |
| network effectsThe value comes from the people already using it. | 8% | 67% | |
| switching costsYears of history, configuration, and habits make migration costly. | 6% | 32% | |
| marketplace liquidityThe buyer and seller network cannot be generated with code. | 1% | 90% | |
| hardwarePhysical devices or hardware-generated data cannot be cloned in software. | 1% | 25% |
By category
All 68 categories ↓Verdict mix in the 19 largest categories
Categories with at least 20 reports, ordered by their share of strong builds.
- Strong builds
- Scoped builds
- Weak replacements
| Category | Verdict mix | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Notes Knowledge | 121312 strong builds, 13 scoped builds, 0 weak replacements | 25 |
| Productivity Utilities | 119311 strong builds, 9 scoped builds, 3 weak replacements | 23 |
| Forms | 8158 strong builds, 15 scoped builds, 1 weak replacements | 24 |
| AI Writing | 1091310 strong builds, 9 scoped builds, 13 weak replacements | 32 |
| Website Builder | 7197 strong builds, 19 scoped builds, 1 weak replacements | 27 |
| Analytics | 713137 strong builds, 13 scoped builds, 13 weak replacements | 33 |
| Scheduling | 4214 strong builds, 21 scoped builds, 1 weak replacements | 26 |
| Design | 42344 strong builds, 23 scoped builds, 4 weak replacements | 31 |
| SEO Marketing | 18204 strong builds, 18 scoped builds, 20 weak replacements | 42 |
| Meeting Notes | 212 strong builds, 21 scoped builds, 2 weak replacements | 25 |
| Finance Accounting | 4202 strong builds, 4 scoped builds, 20 weak replacements | 26 |
| Audio Video | 15122 strong builds, 15 scoped builds, 12 weak replacements | 29 |
| Dev Tools | 24193 strong builds, 24 scoped builds, 19 weak replacements | 46 |
| Automation | 19122 strong builds, 19 scoped builds, 12 weak replacements | 33 |
| Security | 4181 strong builds, 4 scoped builds, 18 weak replacements | 23 |
| Social Media | 29162 strong builds, 29 scoped builds, 16 weak replacements | 47 |
| Newsletter | 1681 strong builds, 16 scoped builds, 8 weak replacements | 25 |
| 1490 strong builds, 14 scoped builds, 9 weak replacements | 23 | |
| Creator Commerce | 9170 strong builds, 9 scoped builds, 17 weak replacements | 26 |
The full table
Download as CSV ↓Every category profile
Largest categories first. Shares are rounded to the nearest whole percent.
Scroll the table sideways for every column.
| Category | Reports | Strong | Scoped | Weak | Strong share | Most common moat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Media | 47 | 2 | 29 | 16 | 4% | integrations (41) |
| Dev Tools | 46 | 3 | 24 | 19 | 7% | scale infra (28) |
| SEO Marketing | 42 | 4 | 18 | 20 | 10% | proprietary data (29) |
| Analytics | 33 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 21% | scale infra (31) |
| Automation | 33 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 6% | integrations (31) |
| AI Writing | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 31% | execution polish (28) |
| Design | 31 | 4 | 23 | 4 | 13% | execution polish (30) |
| Audio Video | 29 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 7% | execution polish (22) |
| Website Builder | 27 | 7 | 19 | 1 | 26% | execution polish (26) |
| Creator Commerce | 26 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 0% | compliance regulatory (22) |
| Finance Accounting | 26 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 8% | integrations (24) |
| Scheduling | 26 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 15% | integrations (25) |
| Meeting Notes | 25 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 8% | integrations (25) |
| Newsletter | 25 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 4% | scale infra (25) |
| Notes Knowledge | 25 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 48% | execution polish (25) |
| Forms | 24 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 33% | integrations (23) |
| 23 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 0% | integrations (17) | |
| Productivity Utilities | 23 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 48% | execution polish (23) |
| Security | 23 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 4% | brand trust (22) |
| Sales Outreach | 18 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 6% | scale infra (13) |
| Tasks | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 50% | execution polish (17) |
| Personal Finance | 17 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 6% | integrations (13) |
| AI Image | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0% | proprietary models (16) |
| AI Video | 15 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0% | scale infra (13) |
| Hosting | 15 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0% | scale infra (15) |
| Read It Later | 15 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 7% | proprietary data (14) |
| Screen Recording | 15 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 33% | execution polish (15) |
| Community | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0% | network effects (12) |
| CRM | 14 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0% | integrations (13) |
| Customer Support | 14 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 0% | scale infra (14) |
| Generative Media | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0% | scale infra (13) |
| HR | 14 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0% | compliance regulatory (14) |
| No Code Apps | 14 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 0% | execution polish (13) |
| User Research | 14 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 14% | collaboration (10) |
| Wellness | 14 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 14% | execution polish (10) |
| Databases | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0% | collaboration (13) |
| Diagrams | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 38% | execution polish (13) |
| Documents | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 31% | execution polish (12) |
| Education | 13 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0% | content rights (12) |
| Travel | 13 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0% | proprietary data (11) |
| Voice AI | 13 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0% | proprietary models (12) |
| Audio | 12 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0% | content rights (11) |
| Career | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 58% | content rights (10) |
| Cloud Storage | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0% | scale infra (12) |
| Photo Editing | 12 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8% | execution polish (12) |
| Project Management | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0% | collaboration (12) |
| Time Tracking | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 25% | execution polish (11) |
| Home | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 73% | collaboration (10) |
| Legal | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0% | compliance regulatory (11) |
| Localization | 11 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0% | integrations (10) |
| Podcasting | 11 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 18% | scale infra (11) |
| Video Conferencing | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0% | scale infra (11) |
| Monitoring | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10% | scale infra (10) |
| Writing Assistant | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 56% | execution polish (9) |
| AI Assistant | 8 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0% | execution polish (5) |
| Reading | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 63% | execution polish (8) |
| RSS Research | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 57% | execution polish (7) |
| Presentations | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 17% | execution polish (6) |
| Commerce | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0% | marketplace liquidity (3) |
| Tasks Calendar | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0% | execution polish (4) |
| Testimonials | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50% | execution polish (4) |
| Voice Dictation | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75% | execution polish (4) |
| Whiteboard | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25% | collaboration (4) |
| AI Audio | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0% | proprietary models (3) |
| AI Search | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0% | proprietary data (3) |
| Bookmarks | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33% | execution polish (3) |
| Screenshots | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | execution polish (2) |
| Uptime | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | execution polish (2) |
Price, alternatives, and evidence
The rest of the record
- Median price, strong builds
- $11/mo
- Median price, scoped builds
- $19/mo
- Median price, weak replacements
- $19/mo
- Alternatives checked
- 1,797
- Reports with an alternative
- 777
- High-confidence verdicts
- 544
113 flat or per-seat prices
379 flat or per-seat prices
262 flat or per-seat prices
1,206 open source, 591 free
71% of the index
527 medium, 22 low
Prices are the plan recorded in each report, checked Jul 2026 to Aug 2026; usage-based, custom, and one-time pricing are left out of the medians. 154 build prompts have been reviewed by a person, and 13 reports have a full layer-by-layer review; the rest use the published scoring method.
How to cite this data
Every figure on this page is counted from the 1,093 reports in the index when the site is built, so it always matches the reports themselves. Each verdict and moat tag is an editorial judgement, explained in the methodology.
Can It Be Vibe Coded? (2026). The state of buildability: vibe coding statistics from 1,093 reports. Snapshot 2026-08-23. https://www.canitbevibecoded.com/vibe-coding-statistics
Explore the data behind the counts: all 158 strong builds, the build brief library, or every category.