Vibe Coding vs. Agentic Coding: Battle of AI Coding Styles

We all know AI is no longer just assisting us, it’s actively shaping how developers write code.

So lets start the battle between Vibe Coding and Agentic Coding.

Both are powered by AI, but approach the development process very differently.

Let’s break it down 👇

What Is Vibe Coding?

Vibe Coding is all about the developer’s flow. It’s a collaborative process where AI acts as an intelligent assistant, helping you build faster and with fewer interruptions.

✅ Key traits:

• Prompt-led, not prompt-dominated.
• Dev remains in control; AI supports ideation and structure.
• Works best for rapid prototyping, MVPs, small tasks, or ideation.
• Tools: ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Cody, CodeWhisperer.

✅ Common vibe coding workflow:

• Start with a rough idea
• Prompt AI to scaffold or refine
• Iterate quickly, ask follow-up questions
• Refactor and finalize

What Is Agentic Coding?

Agentic Coding takes AI assistance to the next level by giving AI autonomy. Instead of responding to specific prompts, AI agents are given goals and allowed to plan, decide, and execute multiple steps on their own.

Agentic Coding is a newer, more autonomous concept.

It’s about giving AI goals instead of tasks — and letting it plan, decide, and act through multiple steps with minimal human input.

✅ Key traits:

• Multi-step autonomous agents (like Auto-GPT, Devika, SWE-agent).
• AI takes broad instructions (“Build me a task manager app”) and executes through a planning-execution loop.
• Promising for large builds, boilerplate-heavy setups, or systems generation.

Vibe Coding vs. Agentic Coding

Which AI Coding Style Should You Choose?

• If you want fast, focused, human-in-the-loop coding, vibe coding is your go-to.
• If you’re looking to offload repetitive or large tasks and experiment with AI autonomy, explore agentic coding.

The future is likely a blend — starting with vibe coding and gradually incorporating agentic agents for efficiency.

So, Which One Is the Future?

Honestly? Both — but for different reasons.

Vibe Coding is already mainstream. It’s the natural next step for devs using AI tools day-to-day.

Agentic Coding is still experimental, but evolving fast. It’s where AI starts making architectural and planning decisions.

The real power? Possibly in combining both:

Prompt to vibe → Agent to build → You to refine.

Have you tried building with agents like SWE-agent or Devika?
Drop your thoughts, or workflows in the comment.