AI-powered website creation platforms are revolutionizing how products are built. Tools like Bolt, Lovable, and v0 are capturing the attention of both technical and non-technical users alike. Public data reveals that Bolt has already hit an annualized revenue of 20 million, while Lovable reached 10 million in annualized revenue just two months after launching its commercialization efforts.
A new paradigm in application development, powered by large language models (LLMs), is emerging. In the past, asking a developer about their tech stack would yield a list of libraries and frameworks. But now, this new approach—building through text prompts—introduces a higher level of abstraction. Non-coders can directly use tools for pixel-based design generation, image creation, website building, and hosting without needing to understand the underlying technical stack.
For this rapidly growing user base, the focus is on pixels and natural language, rather than the SDKs and frameworks familiar to developers.
1. The State of AI Website Builders
1.1 Static Site Generation vs. Application Generation
Static websites are primarily used for displaying information and offering basic interactivity, such as contact forms or appointment scheduling. Applications, on the other hand, are more dynamic, enabling users to perform complex operations. Static site generation is relatively straightforward and often template-based. Dynamic applications, however, require more sophisticated state management.
These applications rely on third-party tools like databases and authentication systems to handle functions such as customer relationship management (CRM), form submissions, and user logins.
1.2 Code Export Support
All tools capable of generating web applications—and some website builders—are essentially generating code. However, some tools allow users to export and edit the code elsewhere, while others lock users into deploying through:
- The tool’s own platform, or
- An integrated partner platform.
For developers, the ability to download, view, and edit code is crucial.
2. How AI Website Builders Work
Building websites with LLMs involves multiple steps. Most tools follow a similar (highly simplified) architecture: at their core, the LLM generates code examples based on user inputs in the interface. This code is then processed by middleware logic to track files, code changes, and third-party API calls.
One of the most critical steps is third-party component integration. Like human developers, coding agents rely on existing libraries to implement features such as email sending, state storage, data caching, and authentication.
But unlike humans, who consult documentation to find the right components, coding agents reference llms.txt to identify how to use these tools.
3. Which AI Website Builder Should You Use?
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For Technical Users Starting with Code: If you’re a technical user looking to start with code, you might opt for AI-driven code generation and editing tools like Cursor or Windsurf.
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For Non-Technical Users Starting with Text Prompts: If you prefer starting with text prompts, you might explore tools designed for website or web app generation.
That said, the scope of what these tools can reliably generate remains limited—much like working with a junior developer who understands the basics but struggles when projects grow in complexity.