DevHelper

A free desktop toolkit for developers.

One app with the tools a developer opens every day. Its main tool, Sketchly AI, turns a description of an app into a wireframe, a project plan and a starter repo.

Download DevHelper

No subscriptions and no ads. Builds for macOS, Windows and Linux are in the download section.

Runs on
macOS, Windows, Linux
AI features
Free with sign-in
Paid for by
Donations

What it does

Sketchly AI takes an idea to a starter repo.

Sketchly is the wireframe canvas inside DevHelper. Every step below happens in that one window.

Wireframes from a description

Draw screens by hand or describe them in plain English. Sketchly AI lays out the navigation, content blocks, buttons and cards.

  • Templates for mobile apps and websites, with many screens per project
  • A one-line brand brief sets the palette, fonts and corners for every screen
  • Interactive Plan builds one screen at a time, and you continue or stop after each

A project plan for any coding agent

Click Plan and answer a few questions about frontend, backend, auth and code generation. Each question depends on your earlier answers, and you review your picks before anything is sent.

  • A plan.md with Mermaid diagrams for navigation, data and build order
  • A PNG of every screen, and the theme as design tokens
  • One ZIP for Codex, Claude Code, Cursor or any other agent

Code it: a starter repo on your computer

Click the green Code it button. OpenAI Codex writes a starter repo that follows your plan and wireframes: layout, theme, components and navigation.

  • A project in the stack you chose, with files checked before saving
  • Components, routes, API stubs, styles and config files
  • Open it in your editor or hand it to another AI agent

How it works

From download to a first wireframe.

  1. 1

    Install the app

    Download DevHelper for macOS, Windows or Linux. The local tools work right away, with no account.

  2. 2

    Sign in for the AI

    Any email works, even a temporary one. Signing up claims a welcome voucher, so Sketchly AI works from day one.

  3. 3

    Describe your app

    Open Sketchly, press Cmd/Ctrl+K and type an idea, such as "a meditation app with onboarding, streaks, and a daily session list".

See it in the demo video

The video shows Sketchly AI generating a wireframe and a project plan.

Open it on YouTube

The toolbox

The everyday tools around Sketchly.

DevHelper also holds the small tools you would otherwise keep open in browser tabs.

  • Chartly

    Mermaid flowcharts you edit visually or as code. Templates include API flow, CI/CD and ER. Export to SVG or PNG.

  • Devily

    A compact dev.to reader with default tags, search, top articles and a save-for-later list.

  • Tray launcher

    Pin URLs, terminal commands, scripts and nested menus to your menu bar. A network pinger lives in the same tray.

  • Claude and ChatGPT usage trays

    Two trays show your usage percentage and the time until reset in the menu bar. A compact mode fits MacBooks with a notch.

  • Extensions marketplace

    Install extensions from the community and from SmileyTech, all with an AI safety review. Build your own with HTML, CSS, JS and window.appAPI.

  • JSONly and Sparkly

    A JSON formatter that generates types in 7 languages, and a Markdown idea canvas. Both are now installable extensions.

Everything works offline except AI, voucher claims and news. The app also has global hotkeys, standalone tool windows and launch at startup.

Download

Free for macOS, Windows and Linux.

The same app on every system, with every feature.

  • macOS

    Apple Silicon or Intel

    .dmg installer, signed and notarized

    Updates install themselves in the background when a new version ships.

    Download for Apple SiliconDownload for Intel

  • Windows

    x64 or ARM64

    .exe installer, not signed yet

    We are still saving for a Windows publisher certificate, so Windows may warn you the first time you run the installer. Click More info, then Run anyway.

    Download for x64Download for ARM64

  • Linux

    Debian or Ubuntu, amd64

    .deb installer, not signed

    The same Sketchly, Chartly, Devily and extensions as on macOS and Windows.

    Download the .deb

FAQ

Common questions.

Yes. Every feature and every export is free. There are no Lite or Pro tiers, no subscriptions and no ads. The AI features are free too: the tokens are paid for by donations through Buy Me a Coffee.

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