# How to Vibe Code Your Own Pumble (and Stop Paying for It) > The all-in-one team communication app - Site: https://pumble.com - Category: Team Communication & Collaboration - Verdict: **Serious undertaking** (42/100 vibecodeable) - Estimated effort: 4-6 weeks of part-time work ## Verdict You can build a functional personal chat subset with AI agents, but multi-party WebRTC video conferencing and robust real-time state synchronization require significant engineering overhead. Replicating a tool like Pumble as a solo developer involves wiring complex real-time WebSocket state management, persistent database schemas for channels and threads, and WebRTC streaming for calls. While AI coding agents handle CRUD and UI scaffolding rapidly, debugging edge cases in WebRTC connection states, race conditions in unread counters, and multi-user presence tracking will test your patience over several weeks. ### What you can't replicate - The massive enterprise user network and workspace gravity - Native bundled integrations with established tools like Clockify and Plaky - Enterprise compliance certifications (SOC 2, SAML/OAuth2 SSO at scale) ## What it does Cloud-based team communication and collaboration platform with public and private channels, threads, direct messages, voice and video calls, screen sharing, file sharing, and MCP support. ### Core features - Public and private channels with topic organization - 1-on-1 and group direct messaging - Threaded side-conversations - Real-time message synchronization via WebSockets - File sharing and persistent object storage - 1:1 and group voice/video conferencing via WebRTC - Screen sharing and live annotations - Unlimited full-text search across history ## The business ### Pricing - Free: $0 - Pro: $2.49/seat/mo - Business: $3.99/seat/mo - Enterprise: $6.99/seat/mo Founded 2021. Team size: 200-500+. ## The hard parts - Real-time state synchronization for typing indicators, read receipts, and multi-channel message streaming across connected clients - WebRTC SFU architecture and media negotiation for multi-party video conferencing and screen sharing without severe latency - Low-latency full-text search indexing across unlimited historical messages and uploaded documents - Granular permission models for public, private, and guest-restricted channels ## How to vibe code Pumble ### Prerequisites - Node.js (free): Required for running the TypeScript runtime and package management. - GitHub (free): Source control repository and deployment integration. - Cursor (free tier / $20/mo Pro): Primary AI code editor for iterative full-stack development. ### Recommended AI tools - Claude Code: Best-in-class terminal agent for scaffolding complex multi-file backend and frontend features. - Cursor: Ideal for side-by-side component refactoring and interactive UI polish. ### Stack - Frontend: Next.js - Backend: Next.js API routes with WebSockets - Database: Supabase - Auth: better-auth - Payments: none - Other: LiveKit, Tailwind CSS, Vercel AI SDK ### Hosting - Vercel (Hosting the Next.js web application and serverless endpoints.): $0-20/mo - Supabase (Providing PostgreSQL database storage, real-time channels, and file buckets.): $0/mo (Free tier) - Fly.io (Hosting the WebRTC SFU server (LiveKit) for voice and video conferencing.): $5-10/mo ### Build guide 1. **Project Scaffolding & Database Schema** — Initialize the Next.js project with Tailwind CSS, configure Supabase for database persistence, and set up better-auth for user management. ``` Scaffold a new Next.js project using App Router, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. Integrate better-auth with email/password authentication connected to a Supabase PostgreSQL database. Create database migrations for users, workspaces, channels, channel_members, messages, and threads. Ensure proper foreign key constraints, indexes on channel_id and created_at for message history pagination, and set up a clean folder structure with absolute path aliases. ``` 2. **Workspace & Channel Management** — Build the core UI layout mirroring team chat layouts, allowing workspace creation, public/private channel management, and direct messaging. ``` Build the core team chat shell layout in Next.js with a collapsible sidebar for workspaces, channels (public and private), and direct messages. Implement server actions and UI components to create new workspaces, invite users, create channels, and toggle between views. Add unread message indicators and channel membership validation rules so private channels are restricted to invited members only. ``` 3. **Real-Time Messaging & Threads** — Implement real-time message sending, receiving, threading, emoji reactions, and message quoting using Supabase Realtime subscriptions. ``` Implement the real-time messaging interface using Supabase Realtime channels. Create components for message input with markdown support, file attachments, message quoting, and emoji reactions. Add a dedicated thread view sliding pane that allows users to spin off side conversations from any root message. Ensure optimistic UI updates for message sending and auto-scroll behavior on new incoming messages. ``` 4. **File Sharing & Object Storage** — Integrate file upload handling for documents, images, and media files with Supabase Storage buckets and file browser UI. ``` Implement file upload functionality using Supabase Storage. Create an attachment preview modal and drag-and-drop file upload zone in the chat input. Store file metadata (file name, size, type, URL) in a new attachments table linked to messages. Build a file browser sidebar panel that lists all shared files, images, and links within a channel or workspace with search filtering. ``` 5. **Voice/Video Conferencing & Screen Sharing** — Integrate LiveKit for real-time WebRTC audio/video calls, 1-on-1 meeting initiation, and screen sharing capabilities. ``` Integrate LiveKit WebRTC infrastructure to enable voice and video calls within channels and direct messages. Build a call initiation button that launches an active meeting overlay with grid video participant views, microphone mute/unmute toggles, camera toggles, and screen sharing controls. Handle token generation securely via API routes for authenticated workspace members. ``` 6. **Full-Text Search & Polish** — Add full-text search indexing across historical messages, refine keyboard shortcuts, and optimize UI responsiveness. ``` Implement full-text search across all historical messages using PostgreSQL full-text search vectors and tsvector indexes. Build a global search modal with keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+K) allowing users to filter messages by channel, sender, and date. Add final polish including loading skeletons, error boundaries, responsive mobile layout tweaks, and user presence status indicators. ``` ### Cost vs paying **Starting costs (one-time):** - AI Coding Assistant Subscription: $20 - Total: $20 one-time **Ongoing costs (monthly):** - Supabase Pro / Database & Storage: $0-25/mo - Fly.io / LiveKit SFU Hosting: $5-10/mo - Vercel Hosting: $0-20/mo - Total: ~$5 - $55/mo - Paying for the SaaS instead: $2.49 - $6.99 / seat / mo - Build time: 40-60 hours - AI tool credits: $20 (Cursor/Claude Pro) - Break-even: N/A (Built for personal/learning use) ## Sources - [Pumble Official Website](https://pumble.com) - [CAKE.com Productivity Suite Bundle Overview](https://cake.com)