Gizmo, a TikTok-like app for vibe-coded mini-applications, offers a new way to create interactive media. Startup Atma Sciences’ relatively new mobile app allows anyone to create experiences using text, photos, sound, and touch, which appear in a vertical feed similar to TikTok or Reels. But unlike traditional short-form video apps, Gizmo doesn’t just watch and scroll; it plays.
Depending on the type of “gizmo” you encounter, you may interact with the mini-app by poking, swiping, tapping, drawing, dragging, etc. on the screen. These gizmos are more like digital toys than just games. This includes interactive puzzles, memes, art, animations, and anything else the creators can come up with.
The result is an engaging and playful feed where you can like and comment on small creations, and even remix existing gizmos to create your own versions if you wish.
Plus, you don’t need to know how to code or make vibe cords to get started. Instead, you can simply type AI prompts to explain your ideas using natural language.
The app then turns your ideas into interactive experiences by leveraging AI coding technology to generate the code that makes your ideas work. As part of this process, Gizmo visually renders your ideas to ensure each app functions properly and runs smoothly. The company’s FAQ states that the app is also vetted using AI and human moderation to ensure user safety.
Gizmo comes from a New York-based startup called Atma Sciences, co-founded by Ladd Fawcett and Brandon Francis, CEO Josh Siegel, and CTO Daniel Amitay. Last year, the company raised a $5.49 million seed round from First Round Capital and others, according to PitchBook data. On the company’s website (which is also silly and interactive), the team explains that it’s focused on combining “powerful technology with simple, elegant foundations,” starting with its creativity app Gizmo.
None of the company’s founders responded to interview requests when TechCrunch reached out via multiple emails, investor requests, and LinkedIn. One investor told me the team wasn’t ready to press yet. (sorry!)
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TechCrunch was attracted to Gizmo because of the app’s growth potential and unique approach to the vibe coding space (and an unusual recommendation from a teenager). The company, like other vibecoding app platforms for microapps such as Anything, envisions a world where anyone can create apps for fun, not just for purpose.
Despite being relatively new, Gizmo’s feed isn’t repetitive. Packed with creative mini-apps, it brings an experience like a mashup of TikTok and interactive 3D space designer Rooms. But while Rooms introduced the programming language Lua to those who wanted more control over their creations, Gizmo keeps things prompt-based and simple.
The app is incredibly easy to use. Just enter the prompt, see how it looks, and change it as needed. In one test, the AI quickly coded a mini-quiz, but I had to tell it to edit the title, which cut it off at the top of the screen.
Once created, you can share your creations in your app’s feed, message them to friends, or post them on social media using a unique URL.
Since its much-hyped introduction less than six months ago, Gizmo has had about 600,000 installs, about half of them from the United States, according to data from market intelligence firm Appfigures. In December alone, the number of downloads reached approximately 235,000, accounting for 39% of the total downloads.
Gizmo’s growth rate from October to December was 312%, with installs in December up 50% month over month and installations in November up 180% over October.
This app is available for both iOS and Android.
