skena vs ai builders
Skena vs Lovable, Bolt & v0
Prompt-only AI builders (Lovable, Bolt, v0) are great at the first 80%, then you hit the wall: you can't hand-fix a pixel without another prompt, and you're steered onto their hosting. Skena runs your own coding agent to generate real React, then lets you drag-fix the actual code on a live canvas and publish to a lean backend you own, because a small manual edit beats re-prompting.
side by side
Skena vs Lovable, Bolt & v0
| Skena | Lovable, Bolt & v0 | |
|---|---|---|
| How you refine it | Drag-fix the real code on a live canvas, every tweak a one-line diff | Re-prompt the model; you can't directly hand-edit the result |
| Design precision | Visual inspector editing the real Tailwind classes | Whatever the next prompt produces |
| Code ownership | Real TSX on disk, runs without Skena | Varies, Lovable GitHub export (manual), v0 Vercel-centric, Bolt deploy-out |
| Backend | Own PocketBase per app, bundled | Varies / bring-your-own; often Supabase or their cloud |
| Your AI | Bring your own agent, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode (free model to start) | Their model + a credit/token meter |
| Best for | Apps you design exactly and own as code | A fast first result you don't need to fine-tune or own |
× When a prompt-only builder is the better choice
If you never want to touch code and the app stays simple, a prompt-only builder gets you to a first result faster, generation is their whole focus. Skena wins the moment you need exact design control, real ownership, or to keep editing as the app grows, because the small manual edit (not another prompt) is the fast path once you're past the first draft.
faq
Straight answers.
01Which AI does Skena use?+
Your own. Skena runs an interactive CLI agent, Claude Code, Codex, or OpenCode, in an embedded terminal with your own login, and ships a free OpenCode model so you can start with one click. We never proxy your tokens.
02Do I own the code from an AI builder?+
It varies and is often the catch: v0 is Vercel-centric, Lovable offers a manual GitHub export, Bolt can deploy out. Skena's output is real React + Tailwind on disk from the start, no export step, runs without Skena installed.
03Why is drag-fixing better than re-prompting?+
Past the first draft, re-prompting to move a button four pixels is slow and lossy. Skena lets you click the element and adjust its real classes, the change lands as a one-line diff in your code, with no round-trip through the model.
get started
Build it as real React you own.
Generate it with your own AI agent, design every pixel on a live canvas, and publish to a lean backend in one click, code on disk the whole time, no lock-in.
free · apple silicon mac, macOS 13.5+ · nothing else to install · v0.1.27
bring your own coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode). publishing needs a Skena Cloud account.