PM’s AI toolkit - Replit review

 

I continue to test different AI agents that could create digital products with no coding knowledge required. Next in the list is the tool called Replit.

What are AI agents?

Put simply, AI agents can do things for you. Unlike most known chatbots like ChatGPT - AI agents can perform actions and create "stuff" while still being prompted by text.

AI agents can write code, create pictures and videos, some even can control your operating system and perform different tasks.

For PMs, AI agents can analyse data, create mockups and prototypes, or even create full products - code, design and all. It is still early doors for AI agents but the future looks very exciting - finally PMs would be able to create products end-to-end, on their own, having full control, just like a "mini-CEO" 😅 So soon we'll see if that leads to a dawn of new super apps or PMs gain more appreciation for their colleagues in design and engineering.

But let's get back to AI agents, and more specifically - product creation AI agents. There are plenty of options on the market already. Some just write code, others can create working apps in full. Those we will focus on first. As this is a test - I need to set the test criteria. Those are

• Time to create a working product
• The need to modify code directly
• Could be done on a free plan?
• How easy it is to deploy and share your product
• Have I succeeded?

Product example

To test the Al agents I needed a product idea, simple enough to not take ages to create, but slightly more challenging than just a pretty landing page. For my company, I often need to convert currencies to keep my accounts in order. So I decided to create a little product that will make this easier by allowing me to insert the date of transaction, currency used for payment, and the amount paid. It should take the exchange rate on the day of the transaction for the currency paid in and then convert the amount paid into GBP.

Replit

Right from the start, Replit greets you with a prompt example, showing you how easy you can start creating your product by just using a normal language. Replit also claims to be able to create complex digital products, such as video games.

Sign up and interface

Replit allows you to dive right into building. You can start with a suggested prompt or write your own. Initially, the interface consists of just a chat window, so you can be focused on that prompt engineering.

Once you have your original prompt in and Replit has created the first iteration of your product, you'll see the visual preview on the right. The cool feature is that you can see in real time how Replit is creating your product, both the steps it is making so as the visual interface that appears gradually in the preview window.

The menu on the left allows you to browse the files of your project as well as to see and edit the source code directly without leaving Replit. The preview interface also offers built-in console and inspection tools to make debugging easier.

Creation process

The chat is the main way to interact with the Replit system, even though direct code or file changes are possible as well. After every prompt you send to Replit, it creates a checkpoint. You can return to any checkpoint if you want to undo your changes.

A unique feature of Replit's creation process is that it can "ideate" with you. When you put in your original prompt, Replit analyses it and suggests possible improvements, additional features or even alternative directions you can take your product. Potentially, it could be a really good feature for people who are not familiar with the best practices of app development or just want to bounce their ideas off "something".

Integrations and using APIs

Replit provides comparable options to use integrations and APIs like other AI agents. In my original prompt, I provided the API URL that my product should use. It didn't work out of the box, as the API requires my unique access code, and the error message I have in Replit wasn't that helpful in understanding the problem.

 

However, with another simple prompt, I've asked Replit to add my API key, and once done, my product started working as expected. Later, Replit suggested I store the API access key in the secure storage and made all necessary changes.

Deployment and sharing the product

Replit offers many different ways to deploy your product, however, none of those ways are free. I wasn't able to test the deployment and couldn't share my project with anyone.

Same story with the database. I didn't find an option to easily connect Replit to Supabase or an alternative. Replit offers its own database solution that is available in its paid plans.

Results

• Time to create a working product - less than 30 minutes.
• The need to modify code directly - no need.
• Could be done on a free plan? - partially. I was able to build, modify, but not deploy a product.
• How easy it is to deploy and share your product - n/a
• Have I succeeded? - partially. My product worked in preview, but I wasn't able to deploy it on a free plan.

Final remarks

Replit appeared to me like a more advanced AI agent for people who need to create more complex products. It's very easy to get started with, the interface is similarly easy and comparable to other agents. It lacks a visual editor, but provides good tools for debugging and modifying code directly.

It's a shame that deploying apps is not available on a free plan, but I trust it should be fairly easy, and the multiple hosting options they offer provide a wide variety for any type of app you're building. I found Replit's attempts to engage you in the creative thinking process a distinctive feature of the tool. In addition to its main use case, building apps, it could be used to learn about product creation and to get inspired with ideas.