Testing the latest AI tools for prototyping and building simple websites

Summary

As we work on a new landing page for CodeYam, we saw this as a perfect opportunity to test out some of the most talked-about AI tools for prototyping software projects. These tools promise to simplify website creation, but how well do they actually perform on a real task?As a product and web designer with over ten years of industry experience, the idea of AI simplifying this job is both exciting and a little daunting. My typical (pre-AI) process involves prototyping in Figma, reviewing designs with the team, and then handing them off to developers who bring them to life through code. This often leads to multiple feedback loops and revisions, which can be time-consuming. I am particularly curious to see how AI handles this process and whether it can streamline the transition from design to development, reducing the back-and-forth and making collaboration and implementation smoother.To keep the comparison fair, I used the same basic prompt across all the platforms, and kept it super simple to test how each tool performed with very little information:"I need a landing page for a product we are building. It's a software simulator called 'CodeYam'. This is the website we currently have. Can you create something similar but more professional looking?"I also included a screenshot of our existing website to see how each tool would interpret and enhance our design with minimal additional input.The screenshot of our current CodeYam website that was included with the prompt.💡 Best for technical users who want a deeper GitHub integration.Requires downloading the Cursor app and connecting it to GitHub.The most technical of the bunch – requires running commands and managing GitHub interactions.Provides a preview via an external link.Output was very basic – it mostly rearranged our existing components instead of proposing new content.The hardest to use for a simple website due to the setup process.💡 Best user experience and feature-rich interface.My favorite in terms of UI – aesth...