# What is an AI website builder? URL: https://xodia.ai/ai-website-builder Description: What an AI website builder is, the three kinds and Xodia, Webflow, Framer and Lovable compared with sources, and how to set one up for real code. Last updated: 2026-11-08 An AI website builder is a tool that uses AI to plan, write and lay out the pages of a website from a description, and lets you edit and publish the result. Xodia is an AI website builder for real code: your AI builds the site in React or plain HTML, and you edit it visually in your own git repo. Updated November 8, 2026 [Start free](https://app.xodia.ai/auth/sign-up?ref=ai-website-builder) [Take the tour](https://xodia.ai/product) Free plan. No card needed. The life of a site ## What an AI website builder does, start to finish A good one covers every stage of a site, not only the first draft. - ### 1. Start Pick a starter, import from GitHub, or copy a website you own by its address. [See ways to start](https://xodia.ai/start) - ### 2. Plan Your AI drafts the sitemap, wireframes and style from a brief, and the plan stays in sync with your site. [See Plan with AI](https://xodia.ai/product/plan) - ### 3. Build Your AI builds every page from the plan and runs design, copy and link checks. [See your AI in Xodia](https://xodia.ai/product/ai) - ### 4. Edit Click and style anything, at every screen size, or open the code. [See the visual editor](https://xodia.ai/product/visual-editor) - ### 5. Content Xodia CMS keeps collections in your repo, with a page and its own SEO for every item. [See Xodia CMS](https://xodia.ai/product/cms) - ### 6. Grow SEO checks, PageSpeed tests and your analytics next to the pages. [See SEO](https://xodia.ai/product/seo) - ### 7. Team Comments on the page, a live team view, roles and a full history. [See comments and review](https://xodia.ai/product/comments) - ### 8. Publish Go live on Xodia hosting in one click, or push to git and deploy to your own host. [See git and publishing](https://xodia.ai/product/git-and-publishing) Three kinds ## Hosted, AI app and real-code builders Most tools called an AI website builder fall into one of three kinds. They differ most in who owns the code and where the site runs. | | Code ownership | Framework | Visual editing | CMS | Host | AI | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Hosted site builders1 | The site lives on the builder's platform. Exporting code you can run elsewhere is limited or not offered. | The builder's own system. | Drag and drop on a canvas. | The platform's own CMS. | The builder hosts the site. | AI features inside the builder, such as a first draft or text. | | AI app builders2 | Generated code you can usually export or sync to a git repo. | Usually one stack the tool picks for you. | Mostly by prompting. Point-and-edit, where offered, is limited. | Usually none; you add one in code. | Often hosted by the tool, or deployed to a host you connect. | AI is the main way to build and to change the site. | | Real-code builders, such as Xodia3 | The code is in your own git repository from the start, with its full history. | A real framework: React with Vite and React Router, or plain HTML. | Click and style the real code on a live preview, at every screen size. | A CMS in your own repo, such as Xodia CMS, or a headless CMS such as Sanity, Contentful, Storyblok or Prismic. | The builder's hosting with your own domain, or your own host, such as Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare. | The AI you already use, over MCP4, following skills written by developers with 18+ years of building websites. | 1. 1. Website builders, hosted and offline: [Website builder, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website_builder) 2. 2. Building software by prompting an AI: [Vibe coding, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibe_coding) 3. 3. Code kept with its history in a repository: [About version control, Pro Git](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-About-Version-Control) 4. 4. How AI apps connect to tools: [Model Context Protocol specification](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2026-07-28) Compared ## Xodia, Webflow, Framer and Lovable compared Four questions for each product, answered from its own pages and checked on November 8, 2026. Products change often, so follow the sources for the latest. | | Xodia | Webflow | Framer | Lovable | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Your site's code | A real project, React with Vite or plain HTML, in your own git repository from the start. | Built in Webflow. HTML and CSS export on paid Workspace plans; CMS pages can't be exported, and exported code can't be brought back in.5 | Built and hosted in Framer, with code components, plugins and APIs. Framer's own comparison lists code export on Webflow's side only.8 | Generated app code, with export and two-way sync to a GitHub repository.10 | | Changing a style by hand | Click any element and set its style in the Style panel, for every screen size or one. The panel writes the code itself, with no AI and no credits. | A visual canvas with a CSS class system, to change the style of many elements at once.6 | A freeform canvas for placing and refining responsive layouts.8 | Point at elements in the preview and describe the change. That counts as build usage and spends credits; inline text edits have a free daily allowance.11 | | Your own AI over MCP | An MCP server on every plan, Free included. Your AI's usage is on your own plan with that AI app. | An MCP server, listed on the free Starter plan and on paid site plans.5 | An MCP server in preview, free during the preview. AI usage follows your own agent's plan or credits.7, 9 | An MCP server on all plans. Creating projects and sending messages through it spend Lovable credits; its other tools are free.12 | | Hosting on your own domain | Xodia hosting on a xodia.site address, a custom domain with the hosting add-on on Starter, Pro and Agency, or your own host, such as Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare. | Webflow hosting: a webflow.io address on the free Starter plan, and a custom domain from the Basic site plan.5 | Framer hosting. Connecting a custom domain needs a paid plan.7 | Lovable hosting. Custom domains are on paid plans.13 | 1. 5. [Pricing, Webflow](https://webflow.com/pricing) 2. 6. [Designer, Webflow](https://webflow.com/designer) 3. 7. [Pricing, Framer](https://www.framer.com/pricing) 4. 8. [Framer vs Webflow, Framer](https://www.framer.com/compare/framer-vs-webflow) 5. 9. [MCP, Framer](https://www.framer.com/mcp/) 6. 10. [Sync your Lovable project with GitHub, Lovable docs](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/github) 7. 11. [Preview toolbar, Lovable docs](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/visual-edit) 8. 12. [Lovable MCP server, Lovable docs](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/lovable-mcp-server) 9. 13. [Custom domains, Lovable docs](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/custom-domain) Webflow, Framer and Lovable are trademarks of their owners. Moving from one? See [switch from Webflow](https://xodia.ai/switch/webflow), [switch from Framer](https://xodia.ai/switch/framer) or [bring your Lovable or Bolt site](https://xodia.ai/switch/lovable-bolt). Set it up ## Set up an AI website builder for real code in five steps From sign-up to a published site, with the AI you already use. 1. 1 ### Create a workspace Sign up for Xodia with GitHub, Google or email and verify your email. You start on the Free plan, with no card, and you can connect your AI on Free. 2. 2 ### Start a project In New project, pick a starter and tick Plan the site with AI next, import a repository from GitHub, or import a website you own by its address. 3. 3 ### Connect your AI Add Xodia's MCP server, https://app.xodia.ai/mcp, to Claude Code, the Claude app, Cursor, Codex or any MCP app, and sign in to Xodia when it asks. 4. 4 ### Plan and build Write a brief and add sites you like in the Plan tab. Your AI drafts the sitemap, wireframes and style, then builds every page and checks its own work. 5. 5 ### Edit and publish Click and style anything on the canvas at every screen size, push to git, and deploy to Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare. Step by step for each app: [Claude Code](https://xodia.ai/ai/claude-code), [Cursor](https://xodia.ai/ai/cursor), [Codex](https://xodia.ai/ai/codex) or [any MCP app](https://xodia.ai/ai/mcp). Questions ## Common questions **What is an AI website builder?** A tool that uses AI to plan, write and lay out a website from a description, often called [vibe coding](https://xodia.ai/glossary/vibe-coding), and lets you edit and publish the result. Some keep the site on their platform; real-code builders like Xodia keep it as code in your own repository. **Can an AI website builder make a whole site?** Yes. In Xodia your AI plans every page in the Plan tab, builds each one and checks its own work for design, copy and broken links. You review the result and change anything before it goes live. See [Plan with AI](https://xodia.ai/product/plan). **Do I own the code?** With a real-code builder, yes. Xodia's sites are normal projects in your git repository. Stop using Xodia and the site keeps working. **Which AI does Xodia use?** The one you connect over MCP: Claude Code, the Claude app, Cursor, Codex or any MCP app, on your own plan with it. See [connect your AI](https://xodia.ai/ai). **What is MCP?** The Model Context Protocol, an open standard for connecting AI apps to tools. Xodia's MCP server gives your AI 54 tools and 9 prompts to work on your site. See [the MCP reference](https://xodia.ai/ai/mcp). **Do I need to know how to code?** No. You edit pages by clicking and typing, and in the panels. The code is there when you or a developer want it. **Which frameworks does it support?** The Xodia template (Vite, React and React Router), Vite sites with React or plain JavaScript, and plain HTML sites, styled with Tailwind CSS 4 or plain CSS. Sites on other frameworks can come in through Import a website. See [frameworks](https://xodia.ai/frameworks). **Can I edit a site an AI tool already made?** Yes. Import it from GitHub, or by its address if it's live, and edit it visually, without a prompt for every change. See [sites built with AI](https://xodia.ai/solutions/ai-built-sites), or the guides for a [Cursor-built site](https://xodia.ai/guides/edit-cursor-site-visually) and a [v0 or Bolt export](https://xodia.ai/guides/edit-v0-bolt-export-visually). **Where does my site live?** The code lives in your git repository. Put the site live on Xodia hosting, on its own xodia.site address or your custom domain, or deploy it to your own host, such as Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare. The preview you edit on runs in your browser. See [Xodia hosting](https://xodia.ai/product/hosting). **Does it handle content and a CMS?** Yes. Xodia CMS keeps collections such as blog posts or team members in your own repo, with fields you choose, lists on any page and a page with its own SEO for every item. It also edits Markdown folders, Decap CMS and headless CMSs such as Sanity, Contentful, Storyblok and Prismic. See [Xodia CMS](https://xodia.ai/product/cms). **Is it good for SEO?** Your AI builds real pages in your framework, with titles, descriptions and links checked. The SEO tab runs PageSpeed tests of the live site. See [SEO](https://xodia.ai/product/seo). **Can my team work on it together?** Yes. Comment on the page, see who is editing what, and see who changed what on every branch. See [comments and review](https://xodia.ai/product/comments). **How does Xodia compare with Webflow, Framer and Lovable?** Webflow and Framer build and host the site on their own platforms, each with its own canvas, and Webflow can export HTML and CSS on paid plans. Lovable builds an app from your messages and syncs its code to GitHub. Xodia keeps your site as real code in your own repository from the start, and lets you style it by hand or with the AI you already use. The [comparison above](https://xodia.ai/ai-website-builder#compare) links each fact to its source. **Does changing a style cost AI credits?** Not in Xodia. The Style panel writes the change into your code itself, with no AI involved, so a colour or spacing change costs nothing. When your AI does the work, it runs on your own plan with that AI app. **Can I edit the site without an AI?** Yes. The visual editor, the Content tab and the Plan tab all work without an AI, and the plan stays in sync with your site on every plan. Connect your AI when you want it to build or change pages for you. **Can I bring a site from another builder?** Yes, if it's a site you own. Import its repository from GitHub, such as a Lovable project synced to GitHub, or bring a live site in by its address with Import a website. See [switch from Webflow](https://xodia.ai/switch/webflow), [switch from Framer](https://xodia.ai/switch/framer) and [bring your Lovable or Bolt site](https://xodia.ai/switch/lovable-bolt). **Can I put the site on my own domain?** Yes. Every site can go live on its own xodia.site address. A custom domain comes with the hosting add-on on Starter, Pro and Agency, or deploy the code to your own host and point your domain there. See [Xodia hosting](https://xodia.ai/product/hosting). **How much does it cost?** The Free plan is free, with no card. Paid plans start at $9 a month with Starter, billed monthly per workspace. See [pricing](https://xodia.ai/pricing). **Is there a free plan?** Yes. The Free plan includes the visual editor, Import a website and a live site on Xodia hosting, with no card. Xodia CMS, your own AI and planning with it are included too, within the Free limits, and the Plan tab stays in sync with your site on every plan. See [pricing](https://xodia.ai/pricing). Keep exploring ## Related pages - [Plan with AI Sitemap, wireframes and style in sync with your site](https://xodia.ai/product/plan) - [Start a site Plan with AI, a starter, GitHub or a website](https://xodia.ai/start) - [Bring your AI Claude, Cursor and any MCP app, with Xodia's tools and skills](https://xodia.ai/product/ai) - [Guides One task each, step by step](https://xodia.ai/guides) - [Glossary Website building terms, explained](https://xodia.ai/glossary) - [Build a new site From a brief to a live site with your AI](https://xodia.ai/solutions/new-site) - [Frameworks The stacks Xodia supports and what you can edit](https://xodia.ai/frameworks) - [Pricing Plans, limits and what Free includes](https://xodia.ai/pricing) ## Build with the AI you already use. [Start free](https://app.xodia.ai/auth/sign-up?ref=ai-website-builder-cta) [See pricing](https://xodia.ai/pricing)