What is Dyad?
Dyad is a free, local, open-source AI app builder designed to help users create full-stack applications with minimal or no traditional coding. It runs entirely on your personal computer (macOS, Windows, Linux), ensuring privacy and eliminating vendor lock-in.
Think of it as a powerful alternative to tools like Cursor, Bolt, or Replit, but focused on running locally with full user control.
It’s built by Will Chen, who created it to empower developers and non-developers alike to be true “owners” of their projects, without artificial limits or subscription traps.
You can build full-stack web applications, including authentication, databases, and backend functionality. There’s also experimental support for turning your web apps into mobile apps using Capacitor.
“Dyad” is not a known or established competitor to Cursor: There is no widely recognized AI development tool named “Dyad” that is currently positioned as a serious alternative to Cursor, the a popular AI-powered IDE.
While, It is a promising project, that does comes with a power suite of AI integration within, it is still have dozens of issues especially when importing projects.
Dyad’s Features
- Free & Open-Source: Completely free to use, with source code publicly available. No hidden costs or restrictions.
- Runs Locally: All development happens on your machine, no data sent to the cloud. Ensures privacy and speed.
- No Vendor Lock-In: You’re not tied to one AI provider. Use any AI model via your own API keys (e.g., GPT-5, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Gemini 2.5 Pro).
- Build Full-Stack Apps: Create UIs, connect to databases (via Supabase integration), manage auth, and run server functions, all within Dyad.
- Supports Local Models: Use Ollama to run powerful AI models directly on your computer (great for privacy and offline work).
- Instant Feedback & Fluid UX: Real-time previews, instant edits, and smooth interactions, no lag from cloud dependency.
- Flexible Workflow Integration: Seamlessly export or integrate your code into your preferred IDE (VS Code, Cursor, etc.).
- Unlimited Projects: Build as many apps as you want without usage caps.
- Community-Driven Development: Feedback shapes updates. Active community on Reddit, GitHub, and X (Twitter).
Dyad Pro & Max Plans (Optional)
- Pro ($30/month): More AI credits, exclusive modes for large codebases, direct support, roadmap influence.
- Max ($79/month): Higher credit limit, flexible reloads, best for complex projects.
Is Dyad Free?
Dyad is free to use and bring your own API keys. You can build as many apps as you want and use any AI model (including local ones).
If you don’t want to manage your own API keys and be able to take advantage of exclusive Pro features, you can subscribe to Dyad Pro.
No Desktop Apps!
You can’t build desktop apps with Dyad. Although Dyad itself is a desktop app, it currently doesn’t support building desktop apps.
Dozens of Unusual Errors When Importing Projects
While trying it out in a serious project, Dyad failed to run, or even compile, the project.
After checking GitHub and several discussion threads, I found that the developer recommended installing and using the beta version. I tried the beta version as well, but it failed with the same error.
I’ve built three apps using it, but since it fails to import my projects, I think I’ll have to drop it for now and try again later, once the issue is resolved.
License
Dyad is released under the open-source Apache 2.0 License.