Prototype
Visual preview first, then the repo
Last reviewed:
Get started
How to get started
Baseline
Time: A few hours from preview to a repo you deploy yourself
Accounts before step 1: A hosted builder (v0, Lovable, Bolt, or Base44), GitHub, One of Cursor, Antigravity, or Claude Cowork, Vercel or Cloudflare Pages
Sync or export to GitHub
Move the project to a GitHub repository — sync or export varies by product and plan. Check current docs for your chosen tool before you commit.
Continue in Cursor, Antigravity, or Claude Cowork
Clone the repo locally and keep editing files in Cursor, Antigravity, or Claude Cowork. The preview was rented; the repo is what you keep.
Deploy from GitHub
Connect the repo to Vercel or Cloudflare Pages. Future deploys come from your branch, not the builder's tenant.
Ownership
What you keep
You keep: Git repository after you move off the hosted builder
Cost shape: Free tiers on hosted builders; agent and host tiers apply once you own the repo.
Named tools
Tools this path uses
Not this one?
When to switch
Brochure
Brochure site you own
The easiest cheap path for a landing page or small marketing site: Bolt, v0, or Lovable, then GitHub, then a free host. Once the files are in your repo, you are not renting the site.
Dynamic
Site with login, forms, or a CMS
For auth, member areas, forms, or editorial workflows that need a real database or CMS — not a plain brochure site.
WordPress
Stay on WordPress with EtchWP
For lifetime deal holders who still need WordPress — or teams not ready to leave PHP entirely. EtchWP on your host, Cursor, Antigravity, or Claude Cowork via the Connector, data in core WordPress.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
- What am I renting until I export?
- The hosted preview and builder tenant. You can iterate visually there, but you do not own the project until the files live in a GitHub repo you control.
- Which hosted builder should I pick?
- Any that currently sync or export to GitHub on your plan — v0, Lovable, Bolt, and Base44 all target this workflow. Policies change; verify export before you invest in a design.
- Is this what Etch Studio sells?
- Studio also combines prompting with a visual layer, but it ships compiled output — not a repo. This path gives you the visual start plus an exit ramp to files you own.