The short answer
The best AI for building websites in November 2026 is Lovable, the Stockholm-made builder that turns a chat into a full-stack web app with a database, sign-in and hosting, and syncs the code to GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket. Vercel's v0 is the runner-up for polished React and Next.js sites that deploy to Vercel. Bolt.new by StackBlitz is the best free option: 1 million tokens a month, hosting on a bolt.host subdomain and code you can edit.
| Our pick | Lovable: Plan mode, Lovable Cloud back end, Pro plan for code editing and custom domains |
|---|---|
| Runner-up | v0 by Vercel: Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui, one-step GitHub publishing |
| Best free option | Bolt.new: 1M tokens a month (300K a day), Standard agent, bolt.host subdomain with Bolt branding |
| For apps with a back end and schedules | Replit Agent 4, with Routines on Power or Max Mode |
| Custom domain | Paid plans on Lovable and Bolt; v0 deploys to Vercel |
| Training on your work | Lovable Free and Pro, Bolt (outside the EU, UK and Switzerland) and v0 Free and Plus can use your content unless you opt out or upgrade |
The short version: which AI website builder to pick
For most people who want a real website or small web app without hiring a developer, start with Lovable. It plans before it builds, gives you a back end for forms, logins and data, and keeps the code in your own Git repository. If you care most about a polished interface and you deploy on Vercel, pick v0. If you want to build and publish something today without paying, use Bolt.new, whose free plan lets you edit code and host the result.
A quick note on what these tools are. They are not template builders like the drag-and-drop site makers you may know. Each one writes real code from your description, shows a live preview and hosts the result. That means you can build far more than a brochure site, but it also means you should check what the AI changed, the same way you would review a contractor's work.
Our pick: Lovable
Why it wins
Lovable has three modes, and the middle one is why it is our pick. Chat discusses ideas, Plan writes a reviewable plan saved to .lovable/plan.md and never edits code, and Build (formerly Agent mode) makes the changes. Planning before building is the single best habit for non-developers, because you catch a misunderstanding before it costs credits and time.
The rest of the product supports a real site rather than a demo. Lovable Cloud runs the database, storage, authentication, realtime features and functions, so a contact form, a members area or a booking list works without setting up separate services. The preview toolbar lets you point at an element and describe the change. Every project syncs to GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, so you are not locked in. On 27 October 2026 Lovable renamed its Knowledge feature to Instructions, with the same behaviour: this is where you put your brand rules and tone.
Who it suits
Founders, marketers and small businesses who want a polished site or internal tool, and companies that need governance: the Business plan adds SSO, a security centre, a data processing agreement and workspace data excluded from training by default.
The catch
The Free plan is a trial rather than a working plan: 5 build credits a day capped at 30 a month, no code editing and no custom domain, and published apps carry the Edit with Lovable badge. You need Pro for code editing, custom domains and badge removal. On monthly billing, plan credits expire two months after they are issued. Since 9 September 2026, Free and Pro content may be used to train Lovable's models unless you turn off "Use my Lovable content for model training" in Account settings, Preferences, AI model training. Read the full Lovable guide and Bolt vs Lovable.
Runner-up: v0 by Vercel
Why it is excellent
v0 builds with Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui, and the interfaces it produces are among the most polished you will get from a prompt. It deploys straight to Vercel and syncs to GitHub. Since 1 September 2026, publishing creates or reuses a pull request, merges it and deploys to production, and each change gets its own branch and preview deployment. You can attach Excel and Word files to a chat, inspect Figma designs directly, drop numbered comments on the preview in Annotations mode, and edit visually in Design Mode.
The model picker is broad: v0 Mini, v0 Pro, v0 Max and v0 Max Fast, Claude Opus 5 since 31 July 2026, and AI Gateway models since 22 September. Since 29 September, ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers can use their ChatGPT plan to cover eligible AI responses, though a v0 credit balance is still required.
Why v0 and not Bolt as runner-up? In our v0 vs Bolt comparison, Bolt is the better all-rounder for getting a working app with a database fast, which is exactly why it is our free pick below. v0 takes second place here because it wins on interface design and on deployment through GitHub pull requests to Vercel, which matters most when the website itself is the product.
Who it suits
Designers, product teams and developers who want a beautiful front end fast, and teams already on Vercel and GitHub.
The catch
The Free plan is capped at 7 messages a day, and the stack is opinionated: excellent if you deploy on Vercel with Next.js, less natural if you do not. On training, v0's plan comparison lists a data opt-out only on Business (opted out by default) and Enterprise (never used for training), so treat Free and Plus content as possibly used for training. See the v0 guide and v0 vs Bolt.
Best free option: Bolt.new
Why it is the best free plan
Bolt's free plan gives you 1 million tokens a month with a 300,000 daily limit, public and private projects, a built-in database and hosting on a free bolt.host subdomain. Unlike Lovable's free plan, you can edit the code yourself. Bolt Database is PostgreSQL with built-in authentication and real-time updates, and since late October 2026 new tables are private by default. The Select tool lets you change text, colours and styles in the preview, spending tokens only when you save. Bolt can also turn a project into an iOS or Android app through Expo.
Who it suits
Anyone testing an idea, students, and people who want a live link to share before spending money. Bolt also suits companies on Microsoft Azure, after its May 2026 partnership with Microsoft.
The catch
Every prompt and file read spends tokens, so a long debugging session on a large project can use a month's allowance fast. Free gets only the Standard agent, keeps Bolt branding and has no custom domain, and free sites go offline if they hit the monthly bandwidth limit. Model training is on by default except for accounts in the EU, UK and Switzerland; switch it off in Settings (your avatar in the left sidebar), General, Model training. Read the Bolt guide.
If your site is really an app with logins, a database and scheduled jobs, also look at Replit. Replit Agent 4 builds web and mobile apps and hosts them, and Routines schedule repeated work. Its free Starter plan publishes one app that goes down after 30 days, so it is a tryout rather than a home. See Lovable vs Replit.
How to choose: three questions
- Do you need a back end? A landing page or portfolio needs none, so v0 or Bolt is plenty. Forms that save data, logins or member areas point to Lovable (Lovable Cloud), Bolt (Bolt Database) or Replit.
- Do you want to touch the code? If yes on a free plan, choose Bolt. On Lovable, code editing needs Pro. If you have a developer, all four sync to Git so they can take over.
- Where will it live, and who owns the data? v0 is built around Vercel. For a company site with customer data, look for a plan that excludes your content from training by default: Lovable Business or v0 Business or Enterprise. Bolt does not advertise a plan with training excluded by default, so switch Model training off yourself (it is off by default only for accounts in the EU, UK and Switzerland).
A workflow: from idea to a live website
This is the process we recommend in any of these tools. It uses Lovable's names; the same steps work in v0, Bolt or Replit.
- Write a one-page brief before you open the tool. Who the site is for, the one action you want visitors to take, the pages you need, and three sites whose look you like.
- Set your rules once. Put brand colours, fonts, tone and "never do" rules in Instructions (Lovable), so every change follows them.
- Plan first. Switch to Plan mode and paste the brief. Read the plan, cut anything you did not ask for, then approve it.
- Build the skeleton, then one section at a time. Ask for the page structure first, then improve the hero, then the pricing section, and so on. Small requests are cheaper and easier to check.
- Fix details visually. Use the preview toolbar to point at an element and say what to change, instead of describing it in words.
- Test like a visitor. Open the site on your phone, submit every form, and try a wrong email address. Ask the AI to fix what breaks.
- Connect Git and publish. Sync to GitHub, then publish. Add a custom domain on a paid plan.
Prompts to copy for building a website with AI
These seven prompts work in Lovable, v0, Bolt and Replit. Replace the [placeholders]. Run the first one in a plan or chat mode so nothing is built until you agree.
Prompts to copy
Plan the whole site before building
I want a website for [business or project], aimed at [audience]. The main goal is for visitors to [action, for example book a call]. Pages: [list pages]. Style: [three words, for example calm, premium, warm]. Do not build yet. Write a plan with the page structure, the sections on each page, the data you would store and any questions you have for me.
You get: A reviewable site plan and a short list of questions, with no credits spent on building.
Build a landing page that converts
Build a single landing page for [product]. Sections in this order: hero with a headline about [main benefit] and one button to [action], three benefits with icons, a short how-it-works in three steps, two testimonials as placeholders, pricing with [number] plans, and an FAQ. Mobile first, fast to load, accessible colour contrast.
You get: A complete, responsive landing page with a clear call to action.
Add a contact form that saves leads
Add a contact form to the [page] page with name, email, company and message. Validate the email, show a friendly thank-you message, and save each submission to a database table called leads with a timestamp. Make the table private and show me where I can see the submissions.
You get: A working form, a private leads table and instructions to view the entries.
Apply your brand everywhere
Apply this brand across the whole site: primary colour [hex], secondary colour [hex], headings in [font], body text in [font], buttons with [rounded or square] corners. Tone of voice: [describe]. Replace any placeholder copy that does not match the tone, and list every change you made.
You get: A consistent design and copy pass with a change list to review.
Find and fix mobile problems
Check every page at a phone width of 375 pixels. List anything that overflows, overlaps, is too small to tap or hard to read. Fix each issue without changing the desktop layout, and tell me what you changed.
You get: A list of mobile issues and fixes, with desktop left as it was.
Prepare the site for search engines
Add a unique page title under 60 characters and a meta description under 160 characters to every page, based on its content and the keyword [main keyword]. Add descriptive alt text to every image, one H1 per page, and a sitemap. Show me the titles and descriptions in a table before you apply them.
You get: SEO titles, descriptions and alt text to approve, then applied across the site.
Security and launch check
Before I publish, review the project for problems: database tables or storage that anyone can read, API keys in the code, forms without validation, pages that should need a login, and broken links. List each finding with how serious it is and fix the serious ones after I confirm.
You get: A pre-launch checklist of risks, ranked, with fixes on approval.