{"version":"1","asOf":"2026-10-19","disclaimer":"Initial editorial estimate. Not a measured benchmark. Affiliate links may be used to monetize, but they never affect scores or rankings, and rankings are never sponsored.","categories":[{"slug":"ai-code-editors","name":"AI code editors","shortName":"Editors","job":"The editor you live in","description":"Use this when you still want a real IDE — files, diffs, and a repo — with AI in the loop. Ranked for people who drive an editor every day, not for one-shot app generation.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["cursor","github-copilot","zed","devin-desktop","continue","augment-code","jetbrains-ai"]},{"slug":"ai-app-builders","name":"AI app builders","shortName":"App builders","job":"Prompt to a running app","description":"Use this when you want a product on screen before you want a repo layout. These tools turn a prompt into UI and often a backend. Expect to outgrow them when you need control.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["lovable","bolt","replit","v0","base44","firebase-studio"]},{"slug":"coding-agents","name":"Coding and CLI agents","shortName":"CLI agents","job":"An agent that edits the repo","description":"Use this when the job is “change this codebase,” not autocomplete while you type. Terminal and desktop agents that run commands and open real diffs.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["claude-code","cline","codex","aider","opencode","gemini-cli","devin"]},{"slug":"agent-frameworks","name":"Agent frameworks","shortName":"Frameworks","job":"The harness around a model","description":"Use this when you are putting an agent inside your own product. Libraries and SDKs for tools, workflows, and multi-step runs — not a finished coding assistant.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["vercel-ai-sdk","mastra","crewai","pydantic-ai","langgraph","llamaindex","langchain"]},{"slug":"llm-apis","name":"LLM APIs and model providers","shortName":"Model APIs","job":"The model behind the feature","description":"Use this when your app calls a model directly. Ranked for indie quality of life: docs, how you get a key, and how readable the bill is. Token rates change — check the provider site.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["anthropic","openai","openrouter","groq","google-gemini","mistral"]},{"slug":"hosting","name":"Hosting and deploy","shortName":"Hosting","job":"Where the app stays up","description":"Use this when the code runs and you need a URL. Frontend hosts and app platforms a solo builder can ship on in an afternoon.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["vercel","cloudflare","railway","netlify","render"]},{"slug":"databases","name":"Databases and backend","shortName":"Backend","job":"Somewhere for the app to remember","description":"Use this when the product has to store users, rows, or files. Postgres platforms, backend-as-a-service, and serverless data stores that pair with AI-built frontends.","asOf":"2026-10-19","tools":["supabase","neon","convex","firebase","upstash","wix-headless"]},{"slug":"auth","name":"Auth","shortName":"Auth","job":"Sign-in without a week of edge cases","description":"Use this when you need accounts and sessions. Hosted auth if you want it done, a library if you want it in your repo and free.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["clerk","authjs","workos"]},{"slug":"payments","name":"Payments","shortName":"Payments","job":"Get paid","description":"Use this when a card should clear. Processors and merchants of record for indie software. Fees move — check the site before you promise a price.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["polar","stripe","lemonsqueezy"]},{"slug":"design-to-code","name":"Design to code","shortName":"Design","job":"From a picture to components","description":"Use this when the work starts in a design file or a screenshot and needs to land in a frontend. Includes the design source of truth and generators that emit code.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["google-stitch","figma","builder"]},{"slug":"testing","name":"Testing and debugging","shortName":"Testing","job":"Catch the break before your users do","description":"Use this when the app is real enough to fail in public. End-to-end tests, error monitoring, and bug reports that carry context back to the code.","asOf":"2026-10-15","tools":["sentry","playwright","jam","checkly"]}]}