Building an Offline-First POS SaaS Entirely with AI Including Desktop, Mobile Apps, and Landing Page
Source: Dev.to
As a full‑stack developer, I’ve built countless apps using traditional coding workflows. Recently, I challenged myself to build an entire SaaS product using AI tools—from the Electron.js desktop app and mobile app to the landing page and blog.
The product? TransactFlow – an offline‑first POS system designed for small retailers in Pakistan. You can also see the launch on Product Hunt.
Starting with AI: Cursor Claude 3
I began experimenting with Cursor Claude 3, and it blew my mind. AI could not only generate code snippets but also help architect an entire application structure. Instead of writing everything line by line, I guided the AI to create complex workflows efficiently.
Free Trials and Exploring New Tools
- Windsurf – offered a free trial for a few weeks. I used it extensively for rapid prototyping, testing components, and generating code for specific modules. The iteration speed was far beyond traditional methods.
- Augmented Code – its context engine is extremely powerful. The AI understood the overall architecture of TransactFlow and generated large, connected modules, which was a game‑changer.
- Claude Opus 4.5 – my current go‑to model. My personal favorite remains Claude Sonnet 4.5 for its balance of creativity and context understanding.
Frontend & UI with Gemini 3 Pro
For UI and design components, I rely on Gemini 3 Pro. It helps create polished, clean, and intuitive interfaces ready for production, all generated with AI guidance. This combination allowed me to build desktop, mobile, and web versions simultaneously, saving weeks of development time.
Lessons Learned
- AI is a co‑developer, not a replacement. Guiding it and validating output is still key.
- Start small, iterate fast. Use AI to generate components, but test them immediately.
- Documentation is still important. AI can help generate docs, but reviewing them ensures clarity.
- Experiment with multiple models. Different AI engines excel in different areas: code generation, UI design, or context understanding.
- Mix tools smartly. Combining Claude models for backend logic and Gemini for UI gave the best results.
Why I Built TransactFlow
Small retailers often struggle with POS systems that require constant internet connectivity or are overpriced for local markets. TransactFlow is offline‑first, syncs automatically when internet is available, and is priced in PKR for real‑world businesses.
You can check it out here: https://www.transactflow.pk
Final Thoughts
Building a complete SaaS product entirely with AI was a mind‑opening experience. It didn’t replace my skills as a full‑stack developer; it amplified them.
Advice for other developers curious about AI‑assisted development:
- Start experimenting with one model at a time.
- Combine multiple tools for best results.
- Always validate and iterate.
The future of software development is collaborative: humans + AI, not humans vs AI.