The best ai app builders, according to hackers

14 ai app builders recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.

All ai app builders

LovableLets people without coding experience turn ideas into working apps quickly, with hosting, login and payments included. Critics warn that generated apps can have security and maintenance problems.73recommend
ReplitBrowser-based platform for building and hosting apps with an AI agent, valued for fast prototyping and mobile use. Critics most often cite security lapses and rising costs at scale.51recommend
SquarespaceHosted website builder with visual editor and templates, so people avoid coding and server upkeep. Critics say it is expensive for simple sites and hard to move away from.23recommend
Bolt.newFast AI app builder for prototypes and mockups. Critics say it stalls on harder work and has made destructive changes.20recommend
v0 by VercelPeople recommend v0 for fast, good-looking website and app designs from a prompt; the most common caveat is that the generated code is weak and breaks as projects grow.19recommend
WixDrag-and-drop site builder that non-technical people use to get a polished site online quickly. Critics say sites look generic, monthly fees add up, and control over files and URLs is limited.18recommend
Sites in ChatGPTRecommended for turning quick app and site ideas into working prototypes within minutes or an hour.17recommend
Glaze by RaycastLets people turn prompts into working apps quickly and publish them to app stores; critics warn of lock-in and thin wrapping over other AI APIs.16recommend
FramerPeople recommend Framer for building polished websites quickly, with fine layout control and scroll effects. Critics say it suits designers more than everyone and is hard to learn.9recommend
Base44Recommended as a no-code app builder, with one user calling it the best on the market. Common caveats: heavy ad exposure and limited control over tooling.6recommend
Figma MakePeople recommend it for quickly generating app concepts and prototypes that need little adjustment in Figma. Critics say its output often ignores existing components, tokens and brand guidelines.6recommend
Gemini CanvasPeople use Gemini Canvas to turn a prompt into a working app, script or visualization in minutes.6recommend
WebflowVisual site builder with CMS and hosting that many find fits their sites well. Critics call it pricey for the value and say sites break.5recommend
GigacatalystAn embedded AI builder that lets SaaS customers generate sandboxed features and apps, with guardrails and validation before and after generation. Critics note that security and compliance of on-the-fly generated apps need careful supervision.5recommend