AI Prototyping Tools Masterclass

If you’ve been bouncing between v0, Bolt, Replit, and Lovable wondering, “Which one should I actually be using?” You’re not alone. They all look impressive. But if you don’t understand what each one actually does best, you’re just spinning your wheels.

So, let’s break it all down:

The 4 Major Players (and What They’re Built For)

Let me remind you, these aren’t just “tools” anymore. They’re fast-evolving cloud development environments. And each one has a clear edge.

1. v0 by Vercel

This one’s all about beautiful front-end design — out of the box. Clean UIs, polished interactions, and a $3.25B valuation behind it. Perfect if you’re spinning up a demo for stakeholders… And want something that looks amazing fast.

Just don’t expect deep backend stuff without plugging in extras like Supabase.

2. Bolt

Built for speed. The CEO told us the whole thing runs in the browser, no VMs & no lag. That’s the reason it went from $0 to $40M ARR in just 6 months.

If you’re testing ideas fast (think 10-minute prototypes), this is your tool. It’s flexible, but you’ll need to connect things like a database yourself.

3. Replit

This one goes deep. Founded by Amjad Masad and now valued at $1.16B, Replit gives you full-stack power. Built-in auth, built-in database, built-in deployment.

If your prototype needs to function like a real product, this is the play. It’s not as slick as v0 or as lightning-fast as Bolt… But when it comes to handling real logic, Replit is in a league of its own.

4. Lovable

Lovable is becoming the most loved “vibe coding” tool. Founded by Antonin Osika, and it hit $17M ARR in just 3 months.

Honestly? It’s the easiest tool in the game, especially if you don’t code. Drag, drop, sync with Supabase. That’s it. No setup headaches. No complex environment.

Perfect for non-technical PMs or anyone who wants to go… From idea to live prototype without touching a line of code.

Adjacent Tools

But wait, there’s a twist. These tools aren’t where AI prototyping stops. There are adjacent tools you’ll want to layer in depending on your skill level:

If you’re just looking to generate quick code or play around with ideas: → ChatGPT and Claude work great.

But if you want to build something real (and you can code): → Tools like Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, and GitHub Copilot are insanely powerful.

A great flow in my experience so far? Start in Bolt or Lovable → Sync to GitHub → Then build deeper in Cursor.

I broke all this down in my latest newsletter drop: “Ultimate Guide to AI Prototyping Tools (Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0)”

If you want to understand how to actually use these tools and which one fits your workflow best, go here. It’ll save you weeks of trial and error.