Every day, thousands of developers are turning to AI-powered coding tools to build mobile apps faster than ever before. Vibe coding—one of the latest AI-assisted development approaches—promises to streamline the entire process. But here's the thing that keeps me up at night: can these tools actually handle the complex stuff that makes or breaks a real app?
When clients come to me wanting payment integration, user authentication, or advanced functionality, I can't just wave a magic wand and hope an AI tool will sort it all out. The reality is that vibe coding complexity becomes a serious consideration when you're dealing with features that need to be bulletproof. We're talking about people's money, personal data, and business-critical operations.
The difference between a simple app and a complex one isn't just the number of features—it's the depth of integration and the reliability requirements that come with advanced functionality
Throughout this guide, we'll explore whether vibe coding can truly handle payment integration and other complex features, or if AI limitations mean you'll need to look elsewhere. I'll share real examples, break down the technical challenges, and help you understand when these tools work brilliantly—and when they fall short. Because getting this decision wrong can cost you time, money, and potentially your entire project.
What Is Vibe Coding and How Does It Work
Vibe coding is a term that's been floating around the development community for a while now, and I'll be honest—it's not what you might think. Rather than being some mystical programming method, vibe coding refers to the approach where developers build applications based on intuition, feel, and rapid prototyping rather than following strict technical documentation or detailed specifications.
The concept works like this: instead of spending weeks planning every single feature and mapping out complex system architecture, developers jump straight into coding and let the application evolve organically. They build something, test how it feels, make adjustments, and repeat. It's coding by instinct, if you will.
How Vibe Coding Actually Works
When developers use vibe coding, they typically start with a basic idea and begin building immediately. They might create a simple user interface, add some basic functionality, and then see how it performs. The process involves constant iteration—tweaking, adjusting, and refining based on what feels right rather than what a technical specification demands.
The typical vibe coding workflow includes:
- Quick prototyping without detailed planning
- Immediate testing and user feedback
- Rapid iterations based on gut feelings
- Minimal documentation during development
- Focus on user experience over technical perfection
This approach can work well for simple applications or when exploring new ideas quickly. But when it comes to complex features like payment systems, things get trickier.
Understanding Complex App Features and Their Requirements
When I talk about complex app features, I'm referring to functionality that goes beyond basic screens and buttons. These are the features that make users go "wow, how did they do that?" — things like payment processing, real-time chat, GPS tracking, or AI-powered recommendations. The key word here is integration; these features need to talk to external services, handle sensitive data, or process information in real-time.
Complex features typically require multiple components working together. Take payment integration as an example — you need secure data handling, connection to payment gateways, fraud detection, receipt generation, and error handling. That's just the technical side! You also need to consider user experience, legal compliance, and different payment methods across various countries.
What Makes a Feature "Complex"?
Not all features are created equal. Here's what separates simple features from complex ones:
- External API connections and third-party services
- Real-time data processing and synchronisation
- Security requirements and data encryption
- Multiple user states and error scenarios
- Platform-specific implementations
- Legal and compliance considerations
Before jumping into complex features, map out all the moving parts. What happens when something goes wrong? How do you handle slow internet connections? These edge cases often determine whether a feature works in the real world.
The challenge with vibe coding complexity is that these tools excel at creating interfaces but struggle with the behind-the-scenes logic that makes complex features actually work. They can build the form where users enter their card details, but connecting that form to a payment processor? That's where things get tricky.
Can Vibe Coding Handle Payment Integration
Payment integration is where things get tricky with Vibe Coding—and I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you. The simple answer is: it depends on what you're trying to build and how complex your payment needs are.
For basic payment functionality, Vibe Coding can actually do a decent job. If you need a straightforward "buy now" button that connects to something like Stripe or PayPal, it can usually handle that. The AI has been trained on enough payment integration examples to generate the basic code structure. But here's where it gets interesting (and a bit concerning).
The Security Problem
Payment processing isn't just about making transactions work—it's about making them secure. We're talking about handling people's credit card details, personal information, and money. That requires proper encryption, PCI compliance, secure data handling, and rigorous testing. Vibe Coding might generate code that looks right on the surface, but it doesn't understand the security implications of what it's creating.
Complex Payment Scenarios
Things get even more complicated when you need advanced features like subscription billing, marketplace payments, multi-currency support, or refund handling. These scenarios require careful logic, error handling, and integration with multiple systems. While Vibe Coding might give you a starting point, you'll likely need significant human intervention to make it production-ready and secure.
AI Limitations When Building Advanced Functionality
Here's the thing about AI limitations that most people don't realise—they're not just technical barriers, they're fundamental challenges that affect how we approach complex app development. When I work with clients who want to use vibe coding for payment integration and other advanced functionality, I have to be honest about what AI can and can't do right now.
The biggest limitation is context understanding. AI struggles with the nuanced requirements that complex features demand—it might generate code that looks correct but misses critical security protocols or fails to handle edge cases properly. Payment systems are particularly tricky because they require deep understanding of compliance standards, error handling, and security measures that go beyond simple code generation.
Security and Compliance Challenges
AI limitations become really apparent when dealing with PCI DSS compliance, GDPR requirements, and other regulatory frameworks. The AI might create functional payment code but miss the sophisticated security layers that protect user data and financial transactions.
AI can write code that works, but it can't understand the legal and security implications of that code in complex financial systems
Another major limitation is debugging and maintenance. When AI-generated code breaks—and it will—developers need to understand not just what the code does, but why it was written that way. This becomes exponentially harder with complex features where multiple systems interact.
Real-World Examples of Complex Feature Development
Right, let's get into the nitty-gritty of what vibe coding can actually handle when it comes to complex features. I've worked on hundreds of apps over the years, and trust me when I say there's a massive difference between what looks simple and what actually is simple under the hood.
Payment Systems and User Authentication
Take payment integration—something that sounds straightforward but involves multiple moving parts. Vibe coding tools can handle basic Stripe or PayPal integration quite well. They'll generate the front-end forms, connect to APIs, and manage basic transaction flows. But here's where it gets tricky: what happens when a payment fails halfway through? Or when you need to handle refunds, disputed transactions, or complex subscription models with different billing cycles?
I recently worked on an app that needed multi-currency support with real-time exchange rates, tax calculations for different regions, and the ability to split payments between multiple vendors. Vibe coding got us about 60% of the way there—the basic structure was solid, but we needed custom code for the complex business logic.
Common Feature Complexity Levels
| Feature Type |
Vibe Coding Success Rate |
Main Challenges |
| Basic user login |
90% |
Password recovery edge cases |
| Simple payments |
70% |
Error handling and security |
| Real-time chat |
50% |
Message queuing and offline sync |
| AI recommendations |
30% |
Algorithm complexity and data processing |
The pattern I've noticed is that vibe coding excels at the happy path—when everything goes according to plan. But real-world apps need to handle the unhappy paths too, and that's where human expertise becomes invaluable.
When to Choose Vibe Coding vs Traditional Development
After building apps for countless clients over the years, I've learned that choosing between vibe coding and traditional development isn't about which one is "better"—it's about matching the right approach to your specific needs. If you're building a simple app with basic features like user profiles, content display, or simple forms, vibe coding can get you there faster and cheaper. But when payment integration or other complex features enter the picture, that's when you need to think twice.
Traditional development still wins when you need advanced functionality that pushes boundaries. Banking apps, e-commerce platforms with multiple payment gateways, or apps requiring custom security protocols? These need the precision and control that only human developers can provide. The AI limitations become obvious when you're dealing with intricate business logic or need to integrate with complex third-party systems.
Making the Right Choice
Think about your app's complexity honestly. Simple social features, basic user authentication, or straightforward content management? Vibe coding might handle it. But if you're planning multiple payment methods, advanced user permissions, or custom integrations, traditional development is your safer bet. The vibe coding complexity just isn't there yet for truly sophisticated features.
Start with a detailed feature list and categorise each one as simple, moderate, or complex. If more than 30% fall into the complex category, traditional development is probably your best choice.
Alternative Solutions for Complex App Requirements
When vibe coding isn't quite cutting it for your complex app needs, you're not stuck without options. There are several paths you can take—some involve mixing different approaches, others mean switching gears entirely.
Hybrid Development Approaches
One route I've seen work well is starting with vibe coding for the basic structure, then bringing in traditional developers for the tricky bits. Think of it like building a house where you use prefab sections for the standard rooms but get specialists in for the fancy kitchen. This keeps costs down whilst ensuring your payment systems and complex features work properly.
No-Code Platform Alternatives
Platforms like Bubble, Adalo, or FlutterFlow offer more sophisticated tools than basic vibe coding. They're still visual and user-friendly, but they come with better integration options and more advanced functionality. You won't need a computer science degree, but you'll get more control over complex features.
Professional development agencies (like us at Glance) can also build your entire app using traditional methods. Yes, it costs more upfront, but for apps with serious requirements—banking features, real-time chat, complex databases—it's often the most reliable path. The key is matching your solution to your actual needs, not just your budget.
Conclusion
After years of working with both traditional development methods and newer AI-powered tools, I can tell you that vibe coding has its place—but it's not the magic solution some people think it is. When it comes to complex app features like payment integration, AI limitations become pretty obvious pretty quickly. The technology just isn't there yet to handle the intricate security requirements, compliance standards, and custom logic that advanced functionality demands.
Don't get me wrong, vibe coding can be brilliant for basic apps and simple features. It's fast, it's accessible, and it can get you a working prototype without breaking the bank. But if you're building something that needs to handle real money, complex user authentication, or sophisticated business logic, you'll likely hit a wall sooner rather than later.
The key is knowing when to use what. For simple apps with straightforward features, vibe coding might be perfect. For anything involving payment processing, data security, or complex integrations, traditional development with experienced developers is still your best bet. The vibe coding complexity just isn't sophisticated enough to handle the heavy lifting that real-world apps often require. Choose your tools wisely—your users (and your business) will thank you for it.
