AI website builders compared: what's actually different in 2026
"AI website builder" covers half a dozen genuinely different products. Picking the wrong one is about ownership, not price.
"AI website builder" is a label that covers half a dozen genuinely different products. Picking the wrong one isn't just about price — it's about who owns what gets built. Here's how to actually compare them.
Three categories, not one
Most reviews lump every AI builder into one list. They shouldn't. There are three meaningfully different categories.
1. Closed builders (Wix ADI, Squarespace AI)
You describe a site, the AI generates a draft inside that platform. You edit it visually. The site lives on their domain (or yours, but their infrastructure). You can't take the code with you.
Good for: someone who wants a one-page site and never wants to touch hosting or DNS again.
Watch out for: pricing that escalates as you add features. Vendor lock-in if you want to migrate later.
2. Chat-to-code platforms (Lovable, Emergent, Blaubok)
You describe a site, the AI writes real Next.js / React code. The output is a real codebase. Where they differ wildly is what happens with that codebase.
- Lovable: code lives on their platform. You can export, but they're the system of record.
- Emergent: similar — strong for prototypes, hosting on their infrastructure.
- Blaubok: code lives in your GitHub from day one. Hosting on your own Vercel. Database on your own Supabase.
The architectural difference matters more than the chat UX (which is broadly similar across all three).
3. Coding copilots (Cursor, GitHub Copilot)
Not website builders. They're code-editor extensions. Use them if you already write code and want AI to help. Skip them if you don't.
Questions that actually matter
If you're shopping, the right questions to ask the sales page (or your own gut) are:
- Where does the code live after I'm done? Their server or my GitHub?
- Where does my database live? Theirs or mine (Supabase, Postgres, anything I can connect to)?
- What happens if I stop paying? Site goes dark, or I keep running it?
- How are revisions priced? Free, per-message, per-credit?
- What countries' payment processors do they support? India is Razorpay; US is Stripe; both is rare.
The lock-in question
Most builders don't volunteer how easy it is to leave. The honest test: ask their support team. "If I built a site here today and decided to leave next year, what do I take with me?" The answer tells you everything.
The best AI website builder is the one you could leave tomorrow with the site still running.
Where Blaubok fits
We built Blaubok because we wanted the chat-driven experience of Lovable with the ownership profile of Next.js + Vercel + Supabase — the standard production stack. The code is in your GitHub, the database is on your Supabase project, the deployment is your Vercel project. We're a tool, not a destination.
Side-by-side breakdowns:
What to do if you're paralysed by the choice
Try the one with the cheapest first project (most have a free tier). Build the same site on two platforms in an afternoon. The right one will become obvious by 5 pm. Don't read more comparison posts — try the products.