Visual editor for R Shiny

Build R Shiny apps by drag and drop, and get clean `app.R` code

DropToApp is a Shiny UI designer for data scientists and R users. Lay out sidebars, cards, grids and tabs, add inputs and outputs, and watch the Shiny and bslib code write itself, ready to run with shiny::runApp().

Design the interface visually, with the R code updating side by side
Edit the code by hand and the design follows, or the other way round
Run the real app in your browser, server code included, without installing R
Export standard Shiny and bslib code, with no lock-in

Create a free account See how it works

Free to use. Your projects are saved in your account.

The DropToApp editor: a component palette on the left, a Shiny app with a sidebar, value boxes and a histogram in the middle, and the generated app.R code below it — The editor: components on the left, your app in the middle, the generated R code underneath.

Everything you need to design a Shiny user interface

Building a Shiny UI by hand means nesting function calls and remembering argument names. DropToApp lets you see the layout while you build it, and still gives you code you'd be happy to write yourself.

Drag-and-drop layouts

Pages with a sidebar, cards, tabsets and value boxes, built from modern bslib components. Preview Bootswatch themes at desktop, tablet and phone widths.

Grids of rows and columns

Add a column or row one cell at a time, split cells, and nest grids inside grids. Column widths stay balanced automatically.

Visual and code editing, in sync

Type in app.R and the canvas updates as you go. Change the design and the code is regenerated. Errors show the line and column.

Inputs, outputs and server code

Sliders, selects, buttons, plots, tables and more, each with its server code: renderPlot(), renderTable() and observeEvent() blocks are written for you.

Open existing apps

Import an app.R and keep working visually. Code DropToApp has no editor for, such as DT tables or helper functions, is kept exactly as written.

Run it live in your browser

Click Run and your Shiny app starts for real, with working inputs, outputs and server code, powered by webR and shinylive. No R installation needed.

From idea to a running Shiny app in three steps

No setup and nothing to install: DropToApp runs in your browser.

Drag in your components

Start from an example or a blank page, then drop layouts, inputs and outputs where you want them.
Fine-tune the details

Set IDs, labels, choices and widths in the properties panel, or edit the R code directly. Both stay in sync.
Run and export

Click Run to try the real app in your browser. Then download app.R and run it with shiny::runApp(), locally or on Shiny Server, Posit Connect or shinyapps.io.

Supported Shiny and bslib components

DropToApp writes the same functions you'd use by hand, so the code is easy to read, extend and maintain.

Layout

page_sidebar(), page_navbar(), page_fillable(), page_fluid()
sidebar() and card() with headers
layout_columns() grids of rows and columns
navset_card_tab() with nav_panel() tabs, and accordion()
value_box() for key numbers, conditionalPanel()

Inputs

sliderInput(), numericInput()
textInput(), textAreaInput()
selectInput(), radioButtons()
checkboxInput(), checkboxGroupInput()
dateInput(), actionButton(), fileInput()

Outputs and content

plotOutput() and interactive plotly::plotlyOutput()
tableOutput() and searchable DT::DTOutput() tables
textOutput(), verbatimTextOutput(), downloadButton()
Headings, paragraphs, dividers and tooltip()
R code blocks for any other UI, like leaflet::leafletOutput()

Start from a template

Complete Shiny apps to copy, run in your browser or open in the editor: a KPI dashboard, a data explorer, a form, a multi-page app and more.

KPI dashboard

A Shiny dashboard with KPI value boxes, sidebar filters, a chart and a top-5 table, built with bslib on R’s airquality data. Free app.R to copy, edit and run.

DashboardValue boxesFilters

Data explorer

Pick a dataset and two columns to get a scatter plot, a searchable DT table and a summary, with axis choices that update per dataset. Free R Shiny template.

Data explorationDT tableTabs

Feedback form

A feedback form in R Shiny: text, choice and rating inputs, a conditional field, validation, a live table of responses and a CSV download. Free app.R.

FormsValidationDownload

Browse all Shiny app templates →

Made for people who build with R

Whether you ship dashboards every week or are building your first Shiny app.

Data scientists

Prototype a dashboard layout in minutes, then spend your time on the analysis instead of on nested UI code.

Analysts and researchers

Turn an R analysis into an interactive app your colleagues can use, without becoming a web developer first.

Teachers and students

See how every part of the interface maps to Shiny code. It's a hands-on way to learn how Shiny apps are built.

Frequently asked questions

What is DropToApp?

DropToApp is a visual editor for R Shiny user interfaces. You drag layouts, inputs and outputs onto a canvas, adjust them in a properties panel, and DropToApp writes a complete, readable app.R file using Shiny and bslib as you work.

Do I need to know R to use it?

Not to design the interface: layouts, inputs and outputs are all point-and-click. To connect your own data and logic you write R in each output's server code field, and seeing the generated code next to the design is also a practical way to learn how Shiny apps are put together.

Does the exported app depend on DropToApp?

No. The export is plain Shiny and bslib code with no DropToApp package or runtime. Install the packages with install.packages(c("shiny", "bslib")), plus DT or plotly if you use those components, and run the app with shiny::runApp(), locally, on Shiny Server, Posit Connect or shinyapps.io.

Can I open an existing Shiny app?

Yes. Open an app.R whose UI uses page_sidebar(), page_fillable() or page_fluid() and DropToApp rebuilds the design from it. Anything it has no visual editor for is kept as an R code block, and code outside the UI (data loading, reactives, helper functions) is preserved as written.

Can I run my app without installing R?

Yes. The Run button starts your app for real, in your browser, using webR (R compiled to WebAssembly) and shinylive, so inputs, outputs and server code all work. The first start downloads R and the packages your app uses, which can take a minute. Packages need to be available for webR; most of CRAN is. To publish the app, export app.R and deploy it as usual.

Can I edit the code by hand?

Yes. The code view is a full editor: type in app.R and the canvas updates as you go, or change the design and the code is regenerated. Syntax errors are pointed out with the line and column, and the design waits until the code is valid again.

Which Shiny components are supported?

Page layouts with a sidebar or a navigation bar, cards, grids of columns and rows, tabsets, accordions, value boxes and conditional panels; sliders, numeric and text inputs, text areas, select inputs, radio buttons, checkboxes, date inputs, file uploads and action buttons; plots, interactive plotly charts, tables, DT data tables, text and console outputs and download buttons; headings, paragraphs and tooltips, plus R code blocks for anything else.

Where are my designs stored?

In your account. Every design is saved as a project automatically while you work, so it is there on any computer you log in on, and a copy is kept in your browser in case the connection drops. You can also download a design file or export app.R at any time. When you click Run, the code is handed to shinylive in the part of the link after #, which browsers don't send to servers.

Is DropToApp free?

Yes, creating an account and using the editor is free.

Start building your Shiny app

Create a free account and have your first layout on screen in a minute.

Create a free account