--- title: "Replit vs while: the French alternative for your AI agent" url: https://while.sh/en/comparisons/while-vs-replit/ author: "Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap" updated: 2026-11-02 --- # Replit vs while: which one to choose when your AI agent deploys? Replit writes your app with its agent, in its editor, and hosts it in the United States or in Europe. while lets your AI agent, the one you already use, deploy over MCP, in France, with your keys kept safe. ## What changes between Replit and while | What matters | Replit | while | |---|---|---| | Who it's for | People who describe their app to Replit's agent, without coding (source 1) | People who build their apps with an AI agent, solo or as a team | | Your AI agent | An MCP server that passes your requests to Replit's agent, which writes the code (source 2) | Connected over MCP, with OAuth: it deploys, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things | | What protects production | The production database is out of the agent's reach during development (source 3) | Sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for a person | | Your API keys | Kept by Replit, out of its agent's reach (source 8) | Your agent never sees them: they stay in while | | The database | Managed PostgreSQL, point-in-time recovery over 7 days, 28 with Pro (source 4) | PostgreSQL in while, backed up every day, with point-in-time recovery | | Who opens your app | Public, a shared password, or the workspace members (source 5) | Everyone, a password, or the company account with the Pro plan | | In France | No, the United States, or Europe with a paid plan (source 6) | Yes, with Nextmap, a French company | | To get started | Free to try, one app published for 30 days, then Core at $20 per month, plus deployments billed by usage (source 7) | A trial without an account. Then €0 to get started, and €13.75 per month for an app and its database | ## Replit, the whole app in the browser Replit does everything in one tab: you describe the app, and its agent writes it, tests it and publishes it, database included. Each step has its checkpoint, code and development data included (source 9), and each app is scanned before it is published (source 8). For a first prototype with nothing to install, it's hard to beat. ## With while, your AI agent does the rest - **Your agent deploys, over MCP.** It writes while.yaml, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things, with no command line to learn. - **Nothing serious happens without you.** Deleting a production database waits for your approval, before it runs, and every action is recorded in a signed activity log. - **Your keys stay secret.** Your app uses them, your agent never sees them. - **Your colleagues sign in with the company account.** Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code. - **A mistake is quickly undone.** In the 30 minutes after a deployment, the previous version comes back in a second, and your database goes back to a precise moment. ## Moving from Replit to while ### Take over your app > You, to your agent: Move our Replit app to while. You push the code from Replit to GitHub in one click, then your agent takes it over, writes while.yaml and deploys the app. ### Copy your PostgreSQL database > You, to your agent: Copy our Replit database to while. Your agent exports the database with `pg_dump`, then loads it into while. ### Carry over your secrets > You, to your agent: Carry over our environment variables. Your agent carries your settings over to while. You enter your secret keys yourself: it never sees them. ## Which one to choose - **Choose Replit** if you want to do everything in the browser, with Replit's agent, without installing any tool. - **Choose while** if you already work with Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, and your apps must run in France, with your colleagues and your keys kept safe. ## Next steps - [Deploy a React app built with Vite](/en/guides/deploy-vite-react/) ## Sources 1. [Replit, home page](https://replit.com/), 2026-11-02 2. [Replit, Claude and the Replit MCP server](https://docs.replit.com/features/platforms/claude), 2026-11-02 3. [Replit, development and production databases](https://docs.replit.com/features/data-and-storage/development-and-production), 2026-11-02 4. [Replit, data recovery](https://docs.replit.com/features/data-and-storage/data-recovery), 2026-11-02 5. [Replit, access to published apps](https://docs.replit.com/features/publishing/private-deployments), 2026-11-02 6. [Replit, publishing regions](https://docs.replit.com/features/security/geography), 2026-11-02 7. [Replit, pricing](https://replit.com/pricing), 2026-11-02 8. [Replit, security](https://replit.com/security), 2026-11-02 9. [Replit, checkpoints and rollbacks](https://docs.replit.com/features/version-control/checkpoints-and-rollbacks), 2026-11-02 ## Questions ### Can I keep Claude Code or Codex with Replit? Yes, through the Replit MCP server, but your requests go to Replit's agent, which writes the code (source 2). You can also open the Replit workspace from Cursor or VS Code, over SSH. With while, your agent deploys by itself, from your folder. ### Where are my apps hosted? At Replit, in the United States, or in Europe with a paid plan (source 6). At while, in France, by Nextmap, a French company. ### Can my agent move from Replit to while? Yes. It takes your code from GitHub, copies the database with pg_dump and carries over your variables. ### Can my colleagues sign in with the company account? On while, yes, with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code. At Replit, company SSO requires the Enterprise plan.