The comparison nobody publishes: what you inherit
Every AI builder markets the build. This comparison is about the leftovers: the code, the hosting, the dependencies, the maintenance posture you own the day after launch. Written by a desk that both builds with AI and rescues AI-built sites, so the view is bilingual.
The field, grouped by what they produce
| Builder | Produces | Maintains well | You inherit |
|---|---|---|---|
| v0 (Vercel) | React/Next.js code | UI generation, deploy pipeline | A real codebase: needs a developer for anything structural |
| Lovable | React app + backend services | Speed to prototype | App logic + database + auth you must operate |
| Bolt | Full-stack scaffolds | Breadth of stack choice | Same: a codebase that ages like code |
| Framer AI | Framer-hosted visual site | Design polish, hosting, updates | Platform lock-in; export means rebuilding |
| Wix ADI | Wix-hosted site | Hosting, security, uptime | Lock-in, limited SEO ceiling, app fees |
| 10Web / Durable | WordPress or hosted site | Speed to first draft | Varies: WP inheritances are maintainable, hosted ones are not |
| Cursor/Claude builds | Your actual codebase | Whatever process the developer runs | The best case: AI-assisted code inside a professional process |
The two questions that sort them
- Can you export? Hosted builders (Framer, Wix, Durable) trade escape cost for convenience. Code generators (v0, Lovable, Bolt) hand you real code that any developer can take over, including this desk.
- Who runs production? If the builder runs it, maintenance is a subscription and content is your job. If you own the code, maintenance is a developer relationship: see what that relationship covers.
Where AI builders genuinely win
- Prototypes and pitch decks: a site that exists this week is worth more than a perfect one next quarter.
- Real businesses with real budgets: a senior developer driving an AI builder ships in days what used to take weeks, inside a process that maintains it. That combination is the actual product, see how this desk uses AI.
Where they strand you
- Forms that silently fail, analytics that do not exist, SEO plumbing half-built: the classic list, see the 12 failures.
- Structural changes: generated code resists modification without understanding. Someone must own it.
- Growth: the site that worked at launch becomes the constraint at scale, and no prompt fixes architecture.
The honest recommendation
Use the builder that matches your escape tolerance. Prototype with anything. For a business asset: AI-assisted professional build, or builder-hosted with eyes open about lock-in. Then whichever route: put maintenance in a contract, see the AI-site maintenance guide and the care plans.