The coding agent for your app,
without the terminal.
Claude Code and Codex are built for developers. Refinar runs your app from GitHub in the cloud, so you describe a change, watch it made in a live preview, then publish it or send it for review.
Where people who don't code get stuck
Getting the app to run
Claude Code's desktop app works on a copy of the code on your own machine, which means cloning the repository and getting the app to start locally, keys and all (desktop docs). Codex is the same story locally, or a cloud task on a paid plan.Judging a diff
Cloud sessions in both end with a branch and a diff. That's the right output for a developer, and the wrong one for someone who wants to know whether the page looks right and the button still works.How a change works in Refinar
01
Connect the app once
An owner or admin connects the GitHub repository through Refinar's GitHub App. Refinar starts the app in the cloud, so nobody installs anything or keeps keys on a laptop.
02
Describe it, or point at it
Type the change in plain words, or use Select an element in the preview and click the heading, button or section you mean.
03
Watch it in the real app
The preview updates as the agent works, and any message can be rewound until the change is published.
04
Publish, or send it for review
Publishing merges the change into the app's main branch. Send for review opens a pull request for a developer you name, with the request and the running preview attached.
Claude Code or Codex, and Refinar
- Built for
Claude Code or Codex: Developers, in a terminal, code editor or desktop app
Refinar: Anyone on the team, in the browser
- Running your app
Claude Code or Codex: Started on your machine, or a cloud task that returns a diff
Refinar: Started in the cloud from GitHub
- Checking the change
Claude Code or Codex: Read the diff, or check it in a local browser
Refinar: A live preview of the real app while it's built
- Risky changes
Claude Code or Codex: Permission settings you configure
Refinar: The agent stops before sign-in, payments or deleting data
- Who pays
Claude Code or Codex: Per person: Codex starts at $20 a month on ChatGPT Plus
Refinar: Per team: from $25 a month, 20 teammates included
| Claude Code or Codex | Refinar | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Developers, in a terminal, code editor or desktop app | Anyone on the team, in the browser |
| Running your app | Started on your machine, or a cloud task that returns a diff | Started in the cloud from GitHub |
| Checking the change | Read the diff, or check it in a local browser | A live preview of the real app while it's built |
| Risky changes | Permission settings you configure | The agent stops before sign-in, payments or deleting data |
| Who pays | Per person: Codex starts at $20 a month on ChatGPT Plus | Per team: from $25 a month, 20 teammates included |
Claude Code details from Anthropic's docs as checked on 7 October 2026; Codex from OpenAI's pricing page on 10 October 2026.
What the agent won't do on its own
Three kinds of change stop it
Editing who can sign in or what they can see, changing what customers are charged, and deleting data. It also stops before switching on anything that sends to the outside world, like scheduled emails or webhooks.When it stops, you choose
Build the part that's safe, or hand the whole thing to a developer as a request with a GitHub issue attached. An owner can also set the app so nothing goes live without a developer's approval.Questions people ask
Do I need GitHub or a terminal?
No terminal. An owner or admin connects the repository once, and members never need a GitHub account.
Does Claude Code have a GUI now?
It has a desktop app and cloud sessions. The desktop app still runs against a local copy of your code, and cloud sessions end with a diff and a branch rather than a preview of your running app (Claude Code for product managers walks through both).
Is my app a good fit?
If its code is in a GitHub repository, Refinar can start it: apps from Lovable, Bolt or Base44, or ones a developer built. It doesn't create an app from a blank prompt.
What does it cost?
From $25 a month for 250 credits, which is about 50 requests, with unlimited apps and 20 teammates included. Unused credits roll over (pricing).
Claude Code details are from Anthropic's desktop docs, checked on 7 October 2026. Codex details are from OpenAI's pricing page, checked on 10 October 2026. Refinar details are from its app and documentation.