The Shift
Nocode promised freedom. Build anything without writing a line of code. But somewhere along the way, the trade-off became clear: you got speed, but you gave up ownership. Your site lives on someone else's servers, in someone else's format, behind someone else's paywall.
Then AI changed everything. In February 2025, Andrej Karpathy coined the term "vibe coding", describing how he builds software by talking to AI, barely looking at the code. The post got 2,362 upvotes on Reddit. Not because it was hype, but because thousands of people were already doing it.
Tools like Cursor, Claude, and Lovable now let designers and founders ship real websites and apps (in code they own) without learning to program. Lovable raised $200M at a $1.8B valuation in 2025. Gartner says the low-code/no-code market exceeds $30B in 2026. The line between "coder" and "non-coder" is disappearing.
The New Stack
These are the AI tools people use to build websites and apps in 2026.
AI code editor (VS Code fork). Write and edit code by describing what you want in plain English.
AI assistant that writes full applications. Can generate entire websites from a description.
Text-to-UI by Vercel. Generates React and Next.js components from a prompt.
Full-stack app builder that runs entirely in the browser. Prototype to production in hours.
AI app builder with GitHub sync. Describe your app, get a deployable codebase.
What You Unlock When You Own Your Code
90% of Framer users build the same things: portfolios, landing pages, agency sites, SaaS marketing pages. They work great inside Framer. But the moment you need anything beyond what Framer offers out of the box, you hit walls -- something we explored in depth in our Framer vs Figma Sites comparison. Export to code and those walls disappear.
No more limitations
- No CMS caps (1K–10K items)
- No 3rd-party plugin dependency
- No platform-imposed page speed hits
- No forced Framer branding
- No $10–100/mo hosting tax
What you can build
- Connect Supabase for a real CMS/database
- Add auth, payments, user dashboards
- Custom forms without 3rd-party tools
- Dynamic content, APIs, webhooks
- Anything: it's your code now
The key insight
- AI quality = your requirement quality
- Better prompts → better output
- AI tools improve every week
- Design in Framer, build with AI
- The gap is closing fast
The secret most people miss: AI output is only as good as your requirements. The better you describe what you want, the better the result. And these tools are getting better every single week. What felt experimental in 2025 is production-ready in 2026.
Nocode vs AI-Assisted Code
| Criteria | Nocode (Framer, Webflow) | AI-Assisted Code |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $10–100/mo per site | $0–20/mo (tools) + free hosting |
| Lock-in | High – proprietary format, can't leave easily | None – you own every file |
| Customization | Limited to platform features & plugins | Unlimited: add Supabase, Stripe, anything |
| CMS | Built-in but capped (1K–10K items) | Supabase, Notion, Airtable: no limits |
| Learning curve | Low: visual drag-and-drop | Low: describe what you want in English |
| Forms & integrations | Need 3rd-party tools (Zapier, etc.) | Native code: build exactly what you need |
| Maintenance | Platform handles it (you keep paying) | Static files: nothing to maintain |
What People Are Saying
I built a full price comparison platform in 32 hours using Cursor and Claude. I'm a designer with zero backend experience. A year ago this would have taken me months or I'd have hired a developer.
Framer doubled the price and now caps CMS items. I have 3 client sites and I'm paying $90/month to host what are static pages. There has to be a better way.
The Bridge: Framer + AI
You do not have to choose. The smartest approach is to combine both:
- Design in Framer. Still the best visual website builder. Nothing matches its design tools.
- Export to code. FramerExport gives you clean HTML, CSS & JS you fully own. $10.99 per site (first 25 only).
- Extend with AI. This is where it gets powerful. Use Cursor or Claude to add what Framer can't: Supabase for a real database, custom forms that don't need Zapier, user auth, dynamic content, API integrations: whatever your project needs.
- Host anywhere. Deploy to Vercel, Netlify, or Cloudflare Pages. $0/month. No platform dependency.
You keep Framer's design quality but remove every limitation. No CMS caps, no plugin dependency, no monthly hosting tax. And with AI tools improving every week, the things you can build on top of your exported code keep growing.
Stop being limited by your platform.
Export your Framer site to code. Add Supabase, custom forms, auth: whatever you need. No more plugin dependency. No more CMS caps. $10.99 per site (first 25 only).
Export Your Framer SiteFrequently Asked Questions
Yes, and it's getting better every week. The key is how well you define your requirements. Clear, specific prompts produce clean, production-ready code. People are shipping full SaaS apps, e-commerce stores, and complex dashboards with AI tools like Cursor and Claude. For websites (which is what 90% of Framer users build), AI-assisted code is production-ready today.
Framer is still the best visual design tool for websites. Nothing matches its interaction design, component system, and responsive layout tools. The smart move: use Framer for design, then export to code with FramerExport ($10.99 per site, first 25 only) and host for free. Use AI tools to make ongoing edits to the exported code.
Design for free in Framer (free tier), export to code with FramerExport ($10.99 per site, first 25 only), and host on Cloudflare Pages, Vercel, or Netlify (free). Total: $10.99 plus a domain (~$12/year). For ongoing edits, use Claude's free tier or Cursor's free plan. Framer-quality site for under $25/year.