Your starting point depends on whether you write code. Without it, describe the app to Lovable, Bolt or Replit, which write, run and host it from a prompt. Developers get more from Cursor or Claude Code working inside a real codebase kept on GitHub. Design tools, hosting and error tracking come once something works, so skip paying for voice agents or monitoring before a single customer has used the app.
Lovable suits founders without a developer: it adds a database and login and hosts the finished app, on a free plan. Bolt runs the full-stack code live in your browser, so a prototype can work the same day. If you want real React and Next.js code to keep, v0 turns a prompt or screenshot into one and deploys it to Vercel.
Cursor carries over your VS Code extensions and makes changes across many files from one request, with a free plan to try it. Keep the code on GitHub, where public and private repositories cost nothing and Copilot adds suggestions. Claude Desktop connects to MCP servers, which lets Claude act on your own files and tools.
Chatbase builds an agent from your website and help articles, answers around the clock and has a free plan. Intercom, from $29 a month, wraps a shared inbox around Fin and hands harder chats to a person. Crisp, a French company, charges per workspace instead of per seat, which helps a team that expects to grow.
Claude Desktop and Claude Code talk to MCP servers, so Claude can read and act on your tools, and its free plan lets you try that. Linear ships an official MCP server, which makes issue tracking a quick first connection. For apps without a server, Zapier links tools through trigger and action workflows on a free plan.
Claude Code reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands and opens pull requests, and it comes with paid Claude plans from $20 a month. GitHub Copilot suggests code as you type in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, with a free tier for individual developers. If you already pay for ChatGPT, Codex gives you a coding agent at no extra cost.
Figma keeps designers, developers and marketers in one browser file, and Dev Mode hands specs to developers. Founders without design training can test an idea in Uizard, which turns a prompt, screenshot or paper sketch into a clickable prototype. Framer suits a designer who wants to publish the marketing site, with hosting and SEO settings included.
Retell AI provides phone numbers, call transfer and batch calling, and you pay per minute with no monthly fee, which suits agencies building agents for clients. Vapi lets developers choose the speech, LLM and voice providers and control call flows, with a free plan to test. For narration or dubbing in many languages, ElevenLabs turns text into lifelike speech.
v0 takes a prompt or a screenshot and returns a React and Next.js app whose code stays yours. Figma's Dev Mode gives developers the specs from the same file the designers use. Once the code exists, Cursor's agent edits many files at once, and MCP servers feed it extra context about your project.
Vercel, run by the team behind Next.js, gives every push its own preview URL, and the free hobby plan covers personal projects. Netlify builds front-end sites from a Git repo, with forms, functions and a generous free plan for side projects. Cloudflare's free plan covers most small sites and adds DNS, caching and DDoS protection.
Sentry reports errors and slow requests with the context to fix them, and its free plan suits developers starting out. Log the fix as an issue in Linear, whose GitHub integration updates the status as the code ships. Claude can read those errors through MCP and help you work out the cause.
Yes, for many internal tools and first versions. Lovable builds the interface and code from a plain-language description and adds a database and login. Bolt runs the full-stack app in your browser and deploys it in a click, and Replit's agent plans, writes and hosts the app with a database built in. All three have free plans, so you can test an idea before paying.
An editor keeps you typing and reviewing: Cursor is built on VS Code, so your extensions carry over, and GitHub Copilot suggests code in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. A coding agent takes a whole task, and Claude Code reads your codebase, runs commands and opens pull requests. It is included in any paid Claude subscription ($20 a month and up). Many developers keep one of each, and Cursor and Copilot both have free tiers to try.
Not for a prototype, since the app builders design the screens as they go. Uizard turns a prompt, a screenshot or a paper sketch into clickable screens, which helps you test an idea with others first. Figma becomes useful once a designer and a developer share files, and its Dev Mode gives developers specs. Framer publishes a marketing site from the same canvas you design on.
For phone calls, Vapi and Retell AI give developers phone numbers, call flows and per-minute billing, and both let you start free. ElevenLabs supplies lifelike voices in many languages and powers voice agents through its API. For written support, Intercom's Fin, Zendesk's AI agents and Help Scout's AI drafts answer from your own help content without code. Take the no-code route first unless phone calls are your main channel.
Vercel deploys from each Git push and gives every change a preview URL, with a free hobby plan for personal projects. Cloudflare puts your site behind its network with DNS, caching and DDoS protection, and runs code at the edge with Workers. Sentry reports errors and slow requests with the context you need to fix them, and it has a free plan. Keep the code on GitHub, where Actions can run your deployments.
