I spent the last few weeks building the same website on every major AI website builder I could find. A simple business website: homepage, about page, services, contact form. The kind of thing a yoga instructor or a freelance photographer or a bakery owner actually needs.
Here's what I found. No affiliate links. No sponsorships. Just what happened when I tried each tool.
First, the Question That Matters
Before I get into individual tools, there's a distinction most review articles skip: do you need a website or a web application?
A website has pages. Text, images, maybe a contact form or a booking link. It loads fast, shows up on Google, and helps customers decide whether to call you.
A web application has user accounts, databases, authentication, and complex business logic. It's software that runs in a browser.
A restaurant needs a website. A SaaS startup needs a web application. These are different problems, and the tools built for each are different too. Several of the tools below are actually app builders being used as website builders — and that mismatch explains a lot of the frustration people report.
The Builders, Reviewed
Lovable
What it is: An AI-powered app builder with a $6.6 billion valuation and $537 million in funding. It generates full-stack applications using React, TypeScript, and Supabase.
What happened: I described a simple bakery website. Lovable generated a React application with TypeScript types, a Supabase connection, and authentication scaffolding. The result looked polished in the preview. But the contact form triggered a debugging loop — the AI spent about 15 minutes and roughly 40 credits trying to connect the form to a backend that a static website didn't need.
Best for: Building actual web applications — dashboards, SaaS tools, anything with user accounts and databases. If that's what you need, Lovable is genuinely impressive.
Not great for: Simple websites. The architecture is too heavy. Users in forums consistently report burning through credits on debugging loops caused by unnecessary complexity. A bakery homepage doesn't need TypeScript.
Pricing: Free tier (5 messages/day, 30/month). Paid plans start at $20/month. Credit costs can be unpredictable due to debugging loops.
Bolt (bolt.new)
What it is: Another AI app builder, similar approach to Lovable. Generates full-stack applications from prompts.
What happened: Similar story to Lovable. My bakery website became a React project. The initial generation was fast and looked good. But when I asked for changes, each edit triggered a rebuild of the entire component tree. Simple tweaks like changing a heading color took more credits than expected.
Best for: Prototyping web applications quickly. Good developer experience if you're comfortable with code.
Not great for: Non-technical users who just want a website. Same architectural mismatch as Lovable.
Pricing: Free tier available. Paid plans from $20/month. Similar credit unpredictability.
Wix AI
What it is: Wix's AI-powered website creation feature, bolted onto their existing drag-and-drop platform.
What happened: The AI asked me a series of form-based questions — business type, desired features, color preferences. It then generated a template-based website. The result was competent but generic. Customization still required using Wix's drag-and-drop editor, which has a learning curve.
Best for: People who want a traditional website builder with some AI assistance upfront. The Wix ecosystem is massive — plugins, app marketplace, email marketing, the works.
Not great for: Anyone who wants to own their code. Wix sites are locked into the Wix platform. You can't export your website and host it elsewhere. The AI is also form-based, not conversational — you answer questions rather than describe what you want.
Pricing: Limited free tier. Paid plans from $17/month. Adds up fast with premium features.
Squarespace
What it is: A well-established website builder with AI features added to its template system.
What happened: Beautiful templates. The AI assists with text generation and layout suggestions, but the core experience is still choose-a-template-and-customize. Design quality is consistently high. But there's no free tier — you're paying from day one — and AI is an add-on feature, not the core experience.
Best for: Design-conscious users who want beautiful templates and don't mind paying upfront. Strong for portfolios, restaurants, and creative businesses.
Not great for: Budget-conscious builders. No free tier. No code export. Limited AI — it helps with content, not full website generation.
Pricing: Starts at $16/month (annual). No free tier.
Framer AI
What it is: A design-focused website builder with AI generation capabilities. Originally a prototyping tool.
What happened: The AI-generated starting point was visually strong — Framer has great design DNA. But moving beyond the initial generation required learning Framer's interface, which isn't simple. The tool is powerful but has a real learning curve.
Best for: Designers and creatives who want pixel-perfect control. Great animations and interactions.
Not great for: Non-technical users. The learning curve is steep. AI generation gets you started, but you'll need to learn the tool to finish.
Pricing: Free tier (with Framer branding). Paid plans from $15/month.
Durable AI
What it is: An AI website builder focused on speed. Claims to generate a website in 30 seconds.
What happened: It did generate something in about 30 seconds. But it was a one-shot generation with limited ability to refine. The result felt like a template with my text swapped in. When I wanted to change the layout or add a section, the options were limited.
Best for: Getting something live immediately. If "good enough" is the goal and you need it today, Durable delivers.
Not great for: Anyone who wants to iterate. The conversational refinement experience is minimal. What you get in 30 seconds is roughly what you're stuck with.
Pricing: Paid plans from $15/month. No meaningful free tier.
Hostinger AI Website Builder
What it is: A budget-friendly hosting company with an AI website builder included.
What happened: The AI generation was basic but functional. You get hosting included, which is convenient. The results looked like standard templates. Customization options exist but aren't deep.
Best for: People who want the cheapest possible option and don't need much customization. Hosting is bundled, which simplifies things.
Not great for: Design quality or deep customization. You get what you pay for.
Pricing: From $2.99/month (with long-term commitment). Hard to beat on price.
Hocoos
What it is: An AI-first website builder that generates sites from a questionnaire.
What happened: The questionnaire approach is straightforward. Results were usable but not distinctive. The AI does the initial heavy lifting, then you customize with a standard editor. It works, but the designs don't stand out.
Best for: Getting a basic business website up with minimal effort.
Not great for: Anyone who cares about unique design or wants conversational creation.
Pricing: Free tier available. Paid plans from $15/month.
Adorie
Full disclosure: I built this one. I'll be as honest about its strengths and weaknesses as I've been about everyone else's.
What it is: A conversational AI website builder that generates clean HTML and CSS. Not an app builder.
What happened: I described the bakery website. Adorie generated a static HTML/CSS site. No React. No database. No build step. The contact form works without a backend framework. Page load time was under half a second. I refined it through conversation — "make the header larger," "add a testimonials section," "use warmer colors" — and each change applied to the existing clean markup.
Best for: People who need a website — not an application. Small business owners, freelancers, solopreneurs, anyone who wants something fast, clean, and SEO-friendly. The conversational interface means you don't need to learn a visual editor.
Not great for: Web applications. If you need user accounts, databases, or complex business logic, use Lovable or Bolt. Adorie builds websites, not software. Also not a drag-and-drop editor — you work through conversation, which some people don't prefer.
Pricing: Free tier (5 credits/day, no credit card). Pro at $25/month. Elite at $100/month for high-volume use. Credits go to creating, not debugging — no framework means no debugging loops.
The Comparison at a Glance
| Tool | Output | Free Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovable | React app | Limited | Web applications |
| Bolt | React app | Limited | App prototyping |
| Wix AI | Wix site (locked) | Yes (branded) | All-in-one ecosystem |
| Squarespace | Squarespace site | No | Design-first sites |
| Framer AI | Framer site | Yes (branded) | Designers |
| Durable AI | Hosted site | No | Speed above all |
| Hostinger | Hosted site | No | Budget hosting |
| Hocoos | Hosted site | Yes | Basic business sites |
| Adorie | Clean HTML/CSS | Yes (5/day) | Websites, not apps |
So Which One Should You Use?
If you're building a web application — something with user accounts, a database, and complex logic — use Lovable or Bolt. They're genuinely good at that.
If you want a traditional builder with a massive ecosystem — plugins, email marketing, e-commerce, the full stack — Wix is hard to beat on breadth.
If design quality matters most and you're willing to learn a tool — Squarespace or Framer.
If budget is the primary constraint — Hostinger at $2.99/month.
If you need a website — a real one, not a software project — and you want to build it through conversation with clean, fast-loading HTML that you actually own: that's what I built Adorie for.
Try the free tier. No credit card. Describe what you need and see what you get. If it doesn't work for you, I'd like to know why — the same email that sends receipts goes directly to me.
Adorie is an indie AI website builder. Websites, not software projects. Built by one person, for real people.