Build and ship with Afren

Welcome to Afren

Afren turns an idea into working software and connects you with Elite Tech talent to take it further. You describe what you want; our AI scopes it, designs it, builds a full stack app, and gives you a live preview you can share the same day. When you are happy with it, publish it to its own address in one click.

These docs cover both sides of Afren: founders and teams who build and hire, and talent who get verified, matched, and paid. Use the menu on the left to jump to what you need, or ask the assistant above.

Create your account

1. 1

   Sign up

   Choose to join as a founder or as talent. You can sign in with Google or GitHub, or with an email and password. Afren is only for people aged 18 or over, and you confirm this when you sign up.

2. 2

   Verify your email

   Confirm your address so we can keep your projects, matches, and payouts secure.

3. 3

   Set up your profile

   Founders add a company and what they want to build. Talent add skills, experience, and availability so we can match you well.

Plans and build credits

Scoping is free. Building is on a plan or a one off credit.

Subscriptions renew automatically each month until you cancel. Cancel any time from Billing; you keep your plan until the end of the period you have already paid for.

1. 1

   Free

   Every account gets 3 free project scopes, with the project documentation, budget and talent estimates, and risk analysis that come with them.

2. 2

   Pro

   Unlimited scoping, design generation, code generation, publishing and deploys, and you can download your source code.

3. 3

   Team

   Everything in Pro, with seats for colleagues. Invite them from Settings, Profile, under Your team.

4. 4

   Build credit

   Not ready to subscribe? A build credit unlocks designs, code, publishing and deploy for a single project.

Scope your project

Start on the home page by describing your idea in plain language.

1. 1

   Describe the idea

   Write what you want to build. A sentence is enough to start; more detail gives a sharper scope.

2. 2

   Review the scope

   Afren returns a structured plan: the product summary, core features, the pages you need, and the skills the build calls for.

3. 3

   Adjust and confirm

   Tweak anything that is off, then confirm. The scope becomes the shared brief for the design, the build, and any talent you hire.

Generate designs and play the prototype

Turn the scope into real screens before a line of code is written.

1. 1

   Generate designs

   Pick a brand colour or let the AI choose, then generate Figma style screens with component specs for each page in your scope.

2. 2

   Play the prototype

   Open the interactive prototype and click through your screens like a real app. Buttons and links move between screens so you can feel the flow early.

3. 3

   Iterate

   Regenerate with new preferences until the direction is right. The approved designs feed straight into the build.

Generate full stack code

Afren writes the frontend and backend, then verifies the build for you.

1. 1

   Choose your stack

   Select a frontend and backend from the supported stacks, then generate. Afren produces the full project, file by file.

2. 2

   Automatic verification

   The build runs in a sandbox that compiles the code, fixes errors, and rebuilds until it is green, so you get a working app, not a draft.

3. 3

   Open the live preview

   The preview goes live the moment the app builds. It runs on realistic sample data, so it works even before the backend is wired to real services.

Preview and refine

Change anything by describing it in words.

Every build gives you a preview link and the full source. To make a change, tell Afren what you want in plain language, for example make the hero dark or add a settings page. The edit runs through the same verify loop and refreshes the preview.

Download the complete project as a zip at any time and take it anywhere.

1. 1

   Live preview

   For supported stacks your app also runs live while you work on it. Live Preview opens it, and each change you make shows there within seconds, without waiting for a full rebuild. The link is private to you and expires after a couple of hours; click Live Preview again for a fresh one.

2. 2

   Queue changes while it builds

   You do not have to wait for a build to finish before asking for the next change. Changes you send while a build is running wait in line, run in order as soon as it finishes, and can be cancelled while they wait. Up to five can wait at once.

3. 3

   Version history

   Every build is saved as a version: the first generation, each change, and each restore. Open Version history from the left bar to see them, with what produced each one. Restore puts an earlier version back; it is saved again as the newest version, so you can always return to where you were. The last 30 versions are kept.

Publish your app

Put your app on its own public address in one click, hosted by Afren.

The live preview is temporary; publishing makes your app permanent at an address that stays the same. A published site is the same app you see in the preview, including its sample data, and anyone with the link can open it.

Publishing is not the same as deploying. Publish is instant and hosted by Afren. Deploy to AWS (below) puts the app in your own cloud account, where you connect it to your own backend and data.

You are responsible for what you publish. Published sites follow our Terms of Service and copyright policy, and we take down material that infringes someone else's rights. To take a published site down, email business@afren.ai.

1. 1

   Build first

   Publish appears on the build screen once your build has completed. It needs an active Pro or Team plan, or a build credit for the project.

2. 2

   Click Publish

   Afren puts your app live at its own address on demo.afren.ai, for example https://p1a2b3c4d5.demo.afren.ai. Use View Published Site to open it and share the link with anyone.

3. 3

   Publish again to update

   After you refine the app, click Publish again. The same address updates to your latest build, so links you have already shared keep working.

Deploy to AWS

Ship the app to your own cloud when you are ready.

1. 1

   Connect your account

   Deployment uses your own AWS and GitHub credentials, so you keep full ownership of the code and the infrastructure.

2. 2

   Deploy

   Afren pushes the code to GitHub and deploys it, then gives you the live URL and the region it runs in.

Find and hire talent

Every scope maps to the skills it needs, so we can suggest the right people.

You are never locked in. Build the first version with AI, then bring in talent to extend, harden, or take ownership when you are ready.

1. 1

   Get matched

   From your confirmed scope, Afren suggests vetted Elite Tech talent whose skills fit the work. Review their profiles, verification status and profile strength, then invite the people you want onto the project.

2. 2

   Browse and save

   Find Freelancers lets you search the network yourself. Save anyone you like to Saved Freelancers to come back to later.

3. 3

   Post a job

   Prefer applications? Post a job from Jobs. Talent who have completed onboarding and the pre interview apply with a note on why they fit, and you review and respond to each applicant in one place.

Contracts and escrow

Every engagement runs on a contract, and the money is held safely until the work is approved.

1. 1

   Agree the contract

   Send a contract to the talent you want to hire, or accept a proposal they send you. It sets the scope, the amount, the due date, and the milestones the work is paid against.

2. 2

   Fund escrow

   You pay the contract amount plus a 5% platform fee into escrow. The breakdown is shown before you pay. The money is held by Afren, not released to anyone yet.

3. 3

   The talent signs

   Once escrow is funded, the talent signs and work begins. Both of you get a copy of the signed contract by email.

4. 4

   Approve milestones

   As each milestone is delivered, approve it and that part of the escrow is released to the talent. The AI Project Manager can also check a milestone against its description and release it when the work is done.

5. 5

   If something goes wrong

   Raise a dispute from the contract and our team reviews it. When the contract ends, both sides can leave a review.

The AI Project Manager

Once you have a team, an AI Project Manager keeps the work on track.

1. 1

   Plan

   The AI PM turns your scope into tasks and milestones with due dates. Add, edit or remove tasks and milestones yourself at any time.

2. 2

   Track

   Talent move tasks along and flag blockers, so you can see what is done, what is next, and what is stuck.

3. 3

   Progress reports

   Get a progress report whenever you ask for one, and after milestones complete. Each report is saved in the project and emailed to you.

Your wallet

Fund your wallet by card or bank transfer, in US dollars, naira, cedis, shillings or rand, and convert between currencies inside the wallet. Escrow is paid from your wallet balance, so top it up before you fund a contract.

Join and get verified

1. 1

   Create a talent profile

   Add your skills, experience, and availability. This is what founders see and what we match against.

2. 2

   Verify your identity

   Afren uses AI assisted checks on your ID and CV so founders can trust who they are hiring. We tell you how your ID is used before you upload it, and verification keeps the network high trust.

The pre interview

A short AI led interview that unlocks the job board and helps you stand out.

Your profile strength grows as you complete skill assessments and add work experience. Founders see it when they review you.

1. 1

   Before you start

   The interview is conducted and scored by an AI interviewer. We explain what that means and ask for your agreement before it begins.

2. 2

   Take the interview

   It is a focused conversation about your experience. Your answers are transcribed and scored, and the result is added to your profile.

3. 3

   Ask for a human review

   AI scores support decisions, they do not make them. If you think your score is wrong, request a human review from your result.

4. 4

   Retake

   You can take the pre interview again 30 days after your last attempt. The date you can retake is shown on your result.

Find work

1. 1

   Get matched

   When a founder confirms a scope, Afren matches it to talent whose skills fit. Keep your skills and availability current to get the most relevant work.

2. 2

   Answer invites

   Founders can invite you onto a project directly. Accept or decline from Invites, or from the links in the invite email.

3. 3

   Apply to jobs

   The job board opens once you have finished onboarding and taken the pre interview. Search by title or skill and apply with a note on why you are a great fit. Track everything you have applied to under My Applications.

Work with your team and the AI PM

Every project has a team chat for the talent on it, with the AI Project Manager, Stella, in the room. Mention @pm to ask for advice, to adjust the timeline when plans change, or to help the team settle a disagreement. Your team can also choose how it works, for example Scrum or Kanban, and Stella plans around it.

Your tasks for every project are in one list under Tasks. Flag a blocker on any task so the founder and the AI PM know what is holding you up.

Contracts and getting paid

1. 1

   Sign the contract

   A founder sends you a contract, or you send them a proposal. You can sign once the founder has funded escrow, so the money for the work is already secured before you start.

2. 2

   Deliver milestones

   As each milestone is approved, its share of the escrow is released to you. Your earnings show on Billing.

3. 3

   Withdraw

   Add a local bank account (we check the account number with your bank before you can use it), or set up international payouts through Stripe, then withdraw your balance.

Sign in securely

1. 1

   Passkeys

   Add a passkey in Settings, Security to sign in with your fingerprint, face or device PIN instead of a password. Your password keeps working too.

2. 2

   Two step verification

   Turn on two step verification to ask for a code from an authenticator app when you sign in with a password on a new device. Keep your recovery codes somewhere safe; each one works once if you lose your phone.

3. 3

   Trusted devices

   Choose trust this device to skip the code on that device for 30 days. You can see and remove trusted devices at any time.

Email, timezone and your data

1. 1

   Email preferences

   Turn non essential email (birthday greetings, product news and tips) on or off in Settings, Account, or use the unsubscribe link in any of those emails. Account, security, payment and contract email always reaches you.

2. 2

   Timezone

   Afren uses your timezone for deadlines, meetings and reminders. It is picked up from your browser, and you can change it in your account settings.

3. 3

   Policy updates

   When our Terms or Privacy Policy change, we ask you to review and accept the new version the next time you use Afren.

4. 4

   Delete your account

   Delete your account from Settings, Security. It is disabled straight away and permanently deleted after 14 days. You cannot sign in during those 14 days, and once they pass it cannot be undone.

Frequently asked questions

1. 1

   Do I own the code?

   Yes. You can download the full project at any time and deploy it to your own AWS account with your own credentials.

2. 2

   What is the difference between Publish and Deploy?

   Publish puts your app live on an Afren hosted address in one click. Deploy puts it in your own AWS account, where you run it with your own backend and data.

3. 3

   Do I have to hire talent?

   No. You can build entirely with AI. Talent is there when you want people to extend or own the work.

4. 4

   When does the talent get paid?

   When you approve a milestone, or the AI Project Manager verifies it, that milestone's share of the escrow is released to them.

5. 5

   What if the build has an error?

   The sandbox verify loop fixes build errors automatically and only hands you a version that compiles.

6. 6

   How do I report copyright infringement?

   Follow our copyright policy, which explains how to send a notice to our designated agent and how counter notices work.

7. 7

   How do I get help?

   Ask the assistant on this page, join the community, or email business@afren.ai.