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    <title>DEV Community: Zoe Rivera</title>
    <description>The latest articles on DEV Community by Zoe Rivera (@zoe_rivera).</description>
    <link>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera</link>
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      <title>DEV Community: Zoe Rivera</title>
      <link>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Top Fintech APIs for Startup</title>
      <dc:creator>Zoe Rivera</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 13:03:34 +0000</pubDate>
      <link>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/top-fintech-apis-for-startup-20</link>
      <guid>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/top-fintech-apis-for-startup-20</guid>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Building a fintech product means making critical infrastructure decisions early. The APIs you choose determine your technical debt, compliance burden, and ability to scale for years to come.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Instead of listing 20 APIs with shallow descriptions, this guide breaks down the fintech API landscape by actual business need, explains the hidden integration trade-offs, and shows you when unified API solutions prevent the maintenance nightmare that derails most startups.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  The Financial Impact of API Strategy
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The global open banking market is projected to reach $135.17 billion by 2030. McKinsey &lt;a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-open-banking-market" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;estimates&lt;/a&gt; AI could enable $1 trillion in global banking revenue shifts by the same year. These projections drive the infrastructure decisions startups make today.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;But here's what those projections don't capture: most startups fail at integrations not because they chose the wrong APIs, but because they underestimated the maintenance burden.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Every API you integrate directly means authentication logic to maintain, rate limiting to handle, breaking changes to absorb, and data normalization to manage. A simple feature like "sync transactions" becomes a switch statement with fifteen cases when you're managing Stripe, Plaid, QuickBooks, and three other providers. Each case handles auth differently, maps fields uniquely, and fails in its own way.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Your codebase fragments into provider-specific branches. API providers don't coordinate their breaking changes. Plaid updates its transaction categorization. Stripe changes their webhook format. QuickBooks modifies its OAuth flow. Your test matrix explodes, but coverage remains incomplete because you can't predict every interaction.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  The Money Movers: Payments and Transfers
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Payment Processing
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stripe&lt;/strong&gt; remains the default choice for startups. It handles card payments, ACH transfers, subscriptions, and payouts with a developer experience that sets the industry standard. The platform powers millions of businesses across 50+ countries, supporting companies from early-stage startups to enterprises like Amazon and Shopify.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Stripe's real advantage is the ecosystem. Stripe Treasury embeds banking features directly into products, including FDIC-insured deposits, cards, and interest-earning balances. Shopify, Lyft, and Deel use this infrastructure to manage financial accounts at scale. For startups building platforms, Stripe Connect handles marketplace payments and seller onboarding.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adyen&lt;/strong&gt; targets enterprise-grade needs with global payment processing across 200+ countries. For startups building for international markets from day one, Adyen's unified commerce approach handles in-person and online payments through a single integration. The tradeoff is complexity; Adyen's learning curve is steeper than Stripe's.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Square&lt;/strong&gt; works well for startups serving physical retail or SMB markets with its point-of-sale integration and straightforward pricing. The hardware ecosystem (terminals, readers) makes it attractive for omnichannel commerce.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  ACH and Bank Transfers
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dwolla&lt;/strong&gt; excels at ACH payments with instant bank-to-bank transfers, wallet-based flows, and high-volume payouts. Payroll apps, lending platforms, and B2B marketplaces rely on this infrastructure. Dwolla handles the compliance complexity of moving money between bank accounts at scale.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Modern Treasury&lt;/strong&gt; solves the reconciliation problem. When your startup handles large financial flows, matching payments to invoices across multiple sources becomes a full-time job. Modern Treasury automates payment ops, real-time reconciliation, and ledgering across ACH, RTP, and wire transfers. It's built for companies where money movement is core to the product.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  The Data Layers: Banking Connectivity and Identity
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Banking Data and Account Connectivity
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plaid&lt;/strong&gt; dominates this category, connecting applications to thousands of banks and credit unions. Its API provides normalized financial data, including balance checks, transaction histories, account authentication, and identity verification. Personal finance apps use Plaid for spending insights, lenders use it for credit risk assessments, and neobanks integrate it for instant account verification. For teams tracking open banking APIs across different regions, the Open Banking Tracker provides data on 3,200+ open banking and PSD2 APIs globally. It helps understand coverage gaps when expanding internationally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MX&lt;/strong&gt; offers a strong alternative for data enrichment and transaction categorization. Personal finance management products benefit from MX's cleansing and analytics capabilities beyond basic connectivity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TrueLayer&lt;/strong&gt; focuses on open banking and PSD2-compliant services in Europe with instant account-to-account payments and financial insights. If your primary market is the UK or EU, TrueLayer's regional expertise matters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yodlee&lt;/strong&gt; connects to over 16,000 global data sources. Wealth management apps integrate Yodlee for consolidated portfolio views, while lenders use it to assess customer liabilities before loan approval.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Identity Verification and KYC
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Onfido&lt;/strong&gt; handles government ID verification, facial recognition, liveness detection, and fraud detection. Regulatory compliance determines whether you can operate, making this category critical for any fintech handling customer funds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alloy&lt;/strong&gt; powers automated risk checks by pulling data from bureaus and identity networks. Banks and neobanks use Alloy's risk engine to approve users with less manual review while maintaining compliance. The decisioning workflow builder lets you customize approval logic without code changes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sardine&lt;/strong&gt; uses behavioral biometrics and machine learning to catch what traditional checks miss: suspicious login attempts, unusual spending patterns, device spoofing, and account takeovers. If your app handles money movement, Sardine adds a protection layer that document verification alone can't provide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  The Back Office: Accounting, ERP, and HRIS
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This is where most startups underestimate complexity.&lt;br&gt;
The challenge isn't just connecting to one accounting system. It's that your customers use different systems. QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage, FreshBooks, and dozens of regional platforms each have distinct authentication flows, data models, rate limits, and field mapping requirements.&lt;br&gt;
What looks like "add QuickBooks integration" on a roadmap becomes a three-month project. Then customers ask for Xero. Then, enterprise prospects require NetSuite. Each integration multiplies your maintenance burden. Your engineers become integration specialists rather than product developers.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Accounting and ERP Integration
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;QuickBooks&lt;/strong&gt; Online holds approximately 80% market share among US small businesses. If you're serving American SMBs, &lt;a href="https://synder.com/blog/quickbooks-integration-an-overview-of-integration-streamlining-accounting-for-smbs/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;QuickBooks integration&lt;/a&gt; is expected. But Intuit's API has authentication quirks, sandbox limitations, and data models that require dedicated engineering time to handle correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Xero&lt;/strong&gt; dominates the SME market in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand. International expansion means another separate integration with different conventions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NetSuite&lt;/strong&gt; and Sage Intacct serve mid-market and enterprise customers with multi-entity structures and complex financial requirements. These integrations are significantly more complex than SMB accounting platforms. Multi-subsidiary consolidation, custom fields, and approval workflows add implementation time. For detailed guidance on accounting API selection, see &lt;a href="https://www.apideck.com/blog/top-15-accounting-apis-to-integrate-with" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Top 15 Accounting APIs to Integrate with in 2025&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  The Unified API Alternative
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This is where unified API platforms become relevant. Instead of building and maintaining separate integrations for each accounting system, unified APIs let you connect once and access multiple platforms through a standardized interface.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The approach trades some customization depth for dramatically reduced maintenance. You lose access to provider-specific advanced features, but you gain consistent data models, centralized authentication, and a single codebase instead of 15.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.apideck.com/accounting-api" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Apideck's Accounting&lt;/a&gt; API is one solution in this space alongside Kombo, Finch, and Merge, providing access to 20+ accounting systems through a single integration. For implementation details on handling expenses and bills across platforms, see &lt;a href="https://developers.apideck.com/guides/expenses-bills" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Integrating Expenses and Bills with the Accounting API.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  HRIS and Payroll Integration
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Fintech products increasingly touch workforce data for payroll integrations, employee verification, or benefits administration. Gusto, ADP, BambooHR, Rippling, and Workday each require separate integrations with distinct APIs and authentication flows.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Unified HRIS APIs normalize employee data across these platforms. Payroll automation through standardized integrations allows companies to scale without additional engineering investment per provider.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Lending and Investment APIs
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Lending and Credit
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Experian&lt;/strong&gt; provides credit scoring and risk assessment through its credit bureau database, delivering real-time credit histories and fraud checks. BNPL providers and underwriting platforms use it for risk-based decisioning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Finicity&lt;/strong&gt; (now part of Mastercard) offers cash flow analytics and income verification, replacing paper-based income proofs for mortgage lenders and personal loan providers. The shift to real-time income verification is accelerating across lending categories.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For embedded lending use cases, see &lt;a href="https://www.apideck.com/blog/from-accounts-receivable-to-lending-automation-integration-use-cases-for-vertical-saas" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;From Accounts Receivable to Lending Automation.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Investment and Trading
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alpaca&lt;/strong&gt; offers commission-free trading APIs for developers building trading apps and algorithmic platforms. Its startup-friendly approach and documentation quality make it accessible for early-stage fintech.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Polygon.io&lt;/strong&gt; provides stock market data, news, and analysis for investment platforms and trading apps that need real-time market information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Embedded Finance Considerations
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Non-financial companies are embedding payments, lending, insurance, and banking features into their products. This isn't a future trend; it's the current expectation across industries.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Vertical SaaS platforms add financial workflows to increase stickiness and revenue per customer. Construction software embeds equipment financing tied to project milestones. Healthcare platforms offer working capital based on insurance receivables. Restaurant systems provide cash advances against future credit card sales.&lt;br&gt;
Marketplaces offer seller financing and instant payouts to attract supply-side participants. HR platforms embed earned wage access and benefits management to differentiate their offerings.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Building &lt;a href="https://www.openbankingtracker.com/embedded-finance" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;embedded finance&lt;/a&gt; requires integrations across accounting, banking, payments, and lending APIs. This is where unified APIs provide the most value by reducing the integration surface area while maintaining breadth of coverage. The technical burden extends beyond initial implementation; each category adds compliance surface area and ongoing maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  When to Use Direct vs. Unified APIs
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Every API integration increases your compliance surface area. Financial data requires SOC 2 compliance, data residency controls, and comprehensive audit trails. This context matters when evaluating the direct vs. unified decision.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Direct integrations make sense when:
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Your entire business runs on one provider, and you need every advanced feature&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You have dedicated integration engineers for long-term maintenance&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You're pre-product-market-fit and only need one or two integrations&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Your competitive advantage depends on deep optimization for a specific platform&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Unified APIs make sense when:
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Customers demand multiple integrations across a category&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Engineering time goes to integration maintenance instead of product development&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You need enterprise integrations (NetSuite, SAP, Workday) without enterprise engineering overhead&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You're scaling rapidly and can't afford three-month integration projects for each new provider&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For detailed analysis, see &lt;a href="https://www.apideck.com/blog/unified-apis-for-fintech-when-point-integrations-stop-scaling" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Unified APIs for Fintech: When Point Integrations Stop Scaling.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Recommended Stacks by Product Type
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;**Neobank: **Plaid + Unit or Stripe Treasury + Onfido + Unified Accounting API&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Lending platform:&lt;/strong&gt; Plaid + Experian/Finicity + Alloy + Dwolla + Unified Accounting API&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Expense management:&lt;/strong&gt; Stripe + Unified Accounting API + Unified HRIS API&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Vertical SaaS with financial features:&lt;/strong&gt; Stripe + Unified Accounting API + Unified HRIS API&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Next Steps
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Fintech API strategy isn't about choosing the "best" APIs. It's about building an integration architecture that scales without consuming engineering capacity.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Direct integrations make sense for core payment and banking infrastructure, where you need deep control. Unified APIs make sense for customer-facing integrations that require breadth without maintenance overhead.&lt;br&gt;
The startups that scale treat integrations as strategic infrastructure rather than feature checkboxes.&lt;/p&gt;

</description>
      <category>programming</category>
      <category>ai</category>
      <category>startup</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>How Smart Contracts Work (Without Coding Jargon)</title>
      <dc:creator>Zoe Rivera</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:23:17 +0000</pubDate>
      <link>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/how-smart-contracts-work-without-coding-jargon-1722</link>
      <guid>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/how-smart-contracts-work-without-coding-jargon-1722</guid>
      <description>&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  TL;DR:
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Smart contracts are self-executing agreements written in code that automatically execute when certain conditions are met. They function on blockchain technology, removing the need for a middleman, as the terms are directly embedded in the code. &lt;strong&gt;Understanding how smart contracts work reveals how they securely and automatically enforce agreements without human intervention.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  What is a Smart Contract?
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A smart contract is a self-executing digital agreement that lives on a blockchain. Think of it like a vending machine for transactions: once the right input is provided, such as money, data, or an action, the contract automatically delivers the agreed outcome without needing human involvement.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It replaces the need for middlemen like banks or lawyers by using transparent, tamper-proof code that runs exactly as programmed. Once deployed, it can't be changed, making it a secure and trustworthy way to handle agreements online. In smart contracts, these conditions and actions are written in code, and once the conditions are met, the contract automatically executes without anyone needing to do anything manually.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  How Does It Actually Work?
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how a smart contract works:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Agreement Made Between Two Parties
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Two parties (Party A and Party B) decide to enter into an agreement. For instance, one party may agree to send a payment once the other party provides a service. Instead of using a third party to monitor this, they write down their agreement in a smart contract.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Smart Contract Code Is Created
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The terms of the agreement (conditions and actions) are written in computer code by the parties. This code is stored on a blockchain, a digital ledger where all transactions are recorded. The smart contract is self-executing, meaning it will automatically trigger once the conditions are met.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Execution Happens Automatically
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Once the specified conditions are met, the smart contract is automatically triggered. For instance, once the service is provided, Party A's payment will be automatically sent to Party B.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Blockchain Verifies Everything
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The blockchain acts as a secure, transparent, and immutable record. It verifies the transaction, ensuring that once the conditions are met, the contract is executed, and the action cannot be undone or tampered with. This makes it highly secure.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fnid2wo067lkihmbnyumj.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fnid2wo067lkihmbnyumj.png" alt=" " width="800" height="396"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Real-World Example: Renting an Apartment with a Smart Contract
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 1: Agreement is Written
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You and the landlord agree:&lt;br&gt;
“If you pay 1 ETH (a type of cryptocurrency), you get the digital key to access the apartment.”&lt;br&gt;
This rule is written into the smart contract and uploaded to the blockchain.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 2: It’s Live on the Blockchain
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Once uploaded, the contract is stored publicly and securely. No one can change it, not even the landlord. It's like carving the rules into a digital stone.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 3: You Take Action
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You send 1 ETH to the smart contract. It sees that you followed the rule (condition is met).&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 4: Automatic Execution
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The contract instantly sends you the digital key (or unlocks the smart lock on the door).&lt;br&gt;
No landlord approval needed. It’s all automatic and trustless.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Step 5: Permanent Record
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The whole process is recorded forever on the blockchain. It’s visible to anyone and can’t be changed. This makes it secure and tamper-proof.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Why Are Smart Contracts Important?
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Smart contracts remove the need for a trusted third party, which is a major benefit across various industries. They fundamentally change the way agreements are made and enforced, offering a faster, cheaper, and more secure alternative to traditional methods.&lt;br&gt;
Here’s why smart contracts matter so much:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Efficiency
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Transactions are automated, reducing the time and administrative costs associated with traditional contracts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Because there’s no need for intermediaries like lawyers, brokers, or banks, processes that once took days or weeks can now happen in seconds or minutes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Smart contracts also reduce human error and delays that often come with manual processing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Security
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Smart contracts use blockchain technology, which makes transactions highly secure and resistant to tampering or hacking.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Every action taken by the contract is recorded immutably on the blockchain, providing a permanent and verifiable audit trail.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The decentralized nature of blockchain reduces the risk of a single point of failure.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Transparency
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Because smart contracts are stored publicly on the blockchain, anyone with permission can view the terms and the execution history.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This full visibility builds trust among parties and removes the possibility of hidden clauses, manipulation, or misinterpretation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It also makes disputes easier to resolve, since all records are publicly verifiable.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Trust
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In traditional contracts, trust relies heavily on the integrity of intermediaries or counter-parties.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;With smart contracts, trust is placed in the technology — the code executes actions only if the agreed-upon conditions are fulfilled, leaving no room for bias or deception.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Parties who have never met can do business confidently without fear of fraud.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Cost Savings
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Eliminating middlemen like banks, legal advisors, and notaries significantly lowers transaction costs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Smart contracts reduce overheads related to dispute resolution, &lt;a href="https://oneflow.com/contract-management/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;contract management&lt;/a&gt;, and enforcement.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Accuracy
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Since contracts are executed automatically based on exact inputs, there is less room for manual errors compared to paper-based or manually-enforced contracts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Every step is precisely carried out according to the coded instructions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Global Accessibility
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Smart contracts aren’t bound by national borders — anyone with internet access and a crypto wallet can participate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This opens up opportunities for businesses and individuals in underserved regions, reducing barriers to global trade and financial inclusion.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Innovation and New Business Models
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They allow startups and industries to create more dynamic, user-driven systems that were impossible under traditional centralized models..&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Smart contracts enable entirely new types of applications, like decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), NFTs, and blockchain-based supply chain tracking.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  Conclusion
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Smart contracts are more than just a buzzword. They represent a new way of handling agreements that’s faster, more secure, and more transparent than traditional methods. By eliminating the need for intermediaries and automating processes, they have the potential to transform industries such as real estate, supply chain management, and finance. As the world continues to shift toward decentralization, smart contracts will play a crucial role in shaping the future of business.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  FAQs
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Are smart contracts only used in blockchain?
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Yes, smart contracts work within the blockchain ecosystem because they rely on its decentralized and secure nature, and without blockchain, they wouldn’t function the same way.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Can smart contracts be changed once deployed?
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;No, smart contracts are immutable once deployed on the blockchain, meaning no one can change them after they are put into place.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Do smart contracts need a middleman?
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;No, one of the main benefits of smart contracts is that they eliminate the need for middlemen like banks, lawyers, or notaries, because the contract automatically enforces itself once conditions are met.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  What happens if there’s an error in the smart contract?
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If there’s a mistake in the code, it could lead to unintended actions, which is why thorough &lt;a href="https://metana.io/blog/best-practices-for-smart-contract-testing-how-to/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;testing and auditing are critical before deploying a smart contract&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Can smart contracts be used in any industry?
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Yes, smart contracts have wide applications across industries such as finance, real estate, insurance, supply chain management, and many more.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3&gt;
  
  
  Are there any risks with using smart contracts?
&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Yes, while they are secure, &lt;a href="https://metana.io/blog/are-compiler-bugs-in-smart-contracts-a-hidden-risk/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;smart contracts can still have risks like bugs&lt;/a&gt; in the code or human errors when defining terms, so auditing and testing are essential.&lt;/p&gt;

</description>
      <category>smartcontract</category>
      <category>coding</category>
      <category>jargon</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>10 Must-Use APIs for Your Next SaaS Project</title>
      <dc:creator>Zoe Rivera</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:20:49 +0000</pubDate>
      <link>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/10-must-use-apis-for-your-next-saas-project-50k1</link>
      <guid>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/10-must-use-apis-for-your-next-saas-project-50k1</guid>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Building a SaaS product requires integrating various APIs to handle critical tasks such as payments, authentication, communication, and more. Here are 10 must-use APIsfor yournext SaaS development:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  1. Stripe (Payments)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Stripe is the go-to API for processing payments in SaaS platforms. It allows you to handle one-time payments, subscriptions, invoicing, and international currencies.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find stripe &lt;a href="https://stripe.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  2. SendGrid (Email Delivery)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;sendGrid is used For transactional and marketing emails, SendGrid offers a robust email API. It ensures emails from your SaaS platform are delivered reliably to users.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://sendgrid.com/en-us" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  3. Auth0 (Authentication &amp;amp; Authorization)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Auth0 simplifies authentication, allowing SaaS platforms to implement secure login flows with ease, supporting SSO, multifactor authentication, and social logins.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://auth0.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  4. Mailtrap (Email Delivery)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Mailtrap is an email API for sending transactional and bulk emails at scale. It includes official SDKs for Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Java, .NET, and Elixir, has an automatic SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup, and real-time webhooks for delivery events.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You can find it &lt;a href="https://mailtrap.io/email-api/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  5. Twilio (Communication)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Twilio is widely used for SMS, voice, and video communication. It’s perfect for building features like two-factor authentication, customer support chat, or SMS notifications.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://www.twilio.com/en-us" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  6. AWS S3 (File Storage)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If your SaaS platform involves file uploads or media storage, AWS S3 provides scalable cloud storage at low cost.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://aws.amazon.com/s3/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  7. Firebase (Real-time Database &amp;amp; Hosting)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Firebase offers real-time databases, authentication, and serverless hosting. It’s ideal for SaaS products that need real-time data sync and cloud functions.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://firebase.google.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  8. Zapier (Automation)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Zapier allows SaaS apps to connect with over 2,000 other services for automating workflows. Users can integrate your SaaS app with other tools like Google Sheets, Slack, or CRM systems.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://zapier.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  9. Pusher (Real-time Notifications)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For real-time notifications, Pusher’s APIs allow you to implement in-app notifications, chat features, and collaboration tools easily.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://pusher.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  10.Plaid (Banking &amp;amp; Financial Data)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Plaid allows you to connect user bank accounts to your SaaS platform, enabling services like payment processing, lending, or personal finance management.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://plaid.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  11. New Relic (Monitoring &amp;amp; Analytics)
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;New Relic helps monitor your SaaS product’s performance, ensuring that you can identify issues before they impact users.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;you can find it &lt;a href="https://newrelic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

</description>
      <category>saas</category>
      <category>ai</category>
      <category>javascript</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>I Explored 30+ Free AI Website Builders — Here Are the 7 Absolute Best</title>
      <dc:creator>Zoe Rivera</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:53:52 +0000</pubDate>
      <link>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/i-explored-30-free-ai-website-builders-here-are-the-7-absolute-best-4914</link>
      <guid>https://dev.to/zoe_rivera/i-explored-30-free-ai-website-builders-here-are-the-7-absolute-best-4914</guid>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;If you &lt;a href="https://aimadesimple0.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;follow me&lt;/a&gt;, you probably know I started out as a web developer.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I've written tons of code to build websites from scratch — and let me tell you, it was not at all easy. The debate between using a  &lt;a href="https://thimpress.com/website-builder-vs-coding/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;website builder vs coding&lt;/a&gt; has always been a hot topic. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;But things have changed.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Thanks to AI website builders, generating websites is now ridiculously easy - even if you have zero coding experience. And in the past 2 years, I've tried over 30 free AI website builders myself.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I used them to make websites for me and my clients, saved a lot of time, and yes, made some good money too.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The best part? Along the way, I've found out some of the best &amp;amp; free AI website builders, and that's what I want to share with you today.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Just so you know, most "free" AI website builders come with some limits.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You usually have to pay if you want to use your own domain name, get rid of ads, or try out extra features.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; In this post, I'm going to show how the free AI website builders generate some great website designs. I'm not going to edit them further, since I want to focus purely on the generation. Also, this post contains a few affiliate links. If you choose to become a paid member through them, I may earn a small commission - at no extra cost to you.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;With that said, let's get started.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  The problem with most "free AI website builders"
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If you Google "free AI website builder", you'll actually find tons of options.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;But after testing 30+ of them myself, I can confidently say - most of them are simply useless.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Some just provide you with generic pre-made templates and call it "AI". And others generate weird, broken designs that no one in their right mind would ever use.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;So yeah, I'm not here to waste your time talking about those.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I'm going to share some AI website builders that can make good-looking websites just from the prompt you write. They're simple to edit, and you can publish your site with a free subdomain too.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The only catch? Most of them include some branding or ads unless you pay to remove it.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And in this post, I'm focusing on the 7 best free AI website builders that:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Are genuinely easy to use&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Generate modern, responsive designs based on your prompt&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Let you customize the website further without writing code&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Allow free publishing (at least with a subdomain)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; With that said, let's dive into the recommendations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;With that said, let's dive into the recommendations.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  1. Fiverr Website Development Service
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I know this is not technically an AI website builder, but I need to include it here just to save your time and frustration.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Let me be honest - most of the free AI website builders are not actually free. You need to pay to connect to a custom domain, remove the branding, or use some features.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And also, you need to spend your time finding the best AI website builder, and then design the website for hours, and then pay to get it live.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fczkyqh5q5cuo9qfqgart.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fczkyqh5q5cuo9qfqgart.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="498"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Instead, you can simply head over to &lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fiverrmarketplace&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Fiverr&lt;/a&gt; (since it's trusted and affordable platform), search for "&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fiverrmarketplace&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.fiverr.com%252Fsearch%252Fgigs%253Fquery%253Dwebsite%252520development" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;website development&lt;/a&gt;", and then &lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fiverrmarketplace&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.fiverr.com%252Fsearch%252Fgigs%253Fquery%253Dwebsite%252520development" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;hire an expert&lt;/a&gt; at an affordable price.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sure, you can even search for "&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fiverrmarketplace&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.fiverr.com%252Fsearch%252Fgigs%253Fquery%253Dwordpress%252520website" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;wordpress website&lt;/a&gt;", "&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fiverrmarketplace&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.fiverr.com%252Fsearch%252Fgigs%253Fquery%253Dwix%252520website" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;wix website&lt;/a&gt;", "&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fiverrmarketplace&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.fiverr.com%252Fsearch%252Fgigs%253Fquery%253Dshopify%252520website" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;shopify website&lt;/a&gt;", and more.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F8axs6ennawr7ik1iugt9.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F8axs6ennawr7ik1iugt9.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="555"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And then apply the filters to find the specific freelancers based on different categories, budget, and more.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Lastly, see the ratings and reviews of the selected freelancers, and then &lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fiverrmarketplace&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.fiverr.com%252Fsearch%252Fgigs%253Fquery%253Dwebsite%252520development" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;hire the one&lt;/a&gt; that you prefer.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If you want, here are some of the best freelancers you can hire (I've been hiring web developers for more than 3 years, so I'm recommending them to you):&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fp&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.fiverr.com%252Fsuhag_alamin" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Suhag A&lt;/a&gt; (for custom web app)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fp&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fpro.fiverr.com%252Ffreelancers%252Falexjasonn" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Alex Jason&lt;/a&gt; (for custom web app)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fp&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fpro.fiverr.com%252Ffreelancers%252Fwaqarhyderr" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Waqar H&lt;/a&gt; (for WordPress website)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fp&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fpro.fiverr.com%252Ftaibacreation" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Khalid M &lt;/a&gt;(for WordPress website)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=1038095&amp;amp;brand=fp&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Dev6&amp;amp;landingPage=https%253A%252F%252Fpro.fiverr.com%252Fshabirbhat" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Shabir&lt;/a&gt; (for Shopify website)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Well, this will actually save your time, and you will get your own personalised website from an expert rather than an AI website builder that is not so smart.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  2. Butternut AI
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Now, this website builder claims that you can generate your dream website within 20 seconds, and you can get started for free.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I’m talking about &lt;a href="https://www.butternut.ai/?ref=nitinfab" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Butternut AI&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgdwtf56jbrs4vrnq53np.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgdwtf56jbrs4vrnq53np.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="586"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You just need to visit their website, and then write a specific prompt about what you want to generate, along with the name of your business.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I’ve written this prompt:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Create a clean and modern personal portfolio website for a freelance content writer named Nitin Sharma. The homepage should include an introduction, writing samples, testimonials, and a contact form. Make it SEO-optimized and mobile-responsive. Use a minimalist design style with a black and white color palette, and include links to Substack, LinkedIn, and Twitter.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And here’s what it generated:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F8lix8e66f14e4qzv7nak.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F8lix8e66f14e4qzv7nak.webp" alt=" " width="720" height="544"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And the best part?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I can regenerate the complete website, build a new section with AI, ask AI for more, and edit everything easily by the intuitive editing functionalities. The coolest thing I liked was that you can use the ‘Ask with AI’ feature, and it does everything for you.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fpdb4msco5jzz9e6vg68c.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fpdb4msco5jzz9e6vg68c.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="643"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Talking about the pricing, you can get started for free to try it out, and your free website remains live for 5 days and when you’re ready to take it live, you can upgrade to a paid plan.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fu7u2pfg3leyphdkew0vx.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fu7u2pfg3leyphdkew0vx.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="640"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As you can see, with the $20 per month plan, you can link one custom domain, create unlimited edits and customizations, generate unlimited pages, get automated SEO, and more.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;After seeing these features and the insane website it generated, I need to say it’s one of the best AI website builders for those who want to build their dream website with ease.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  3. Durable
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Most of you may have heard about this one since it is already very popular, and so far has generated over 10 million websites since launching. This website builder is known for being the fastest website builder, giving you a fully functioning site in under 30 seconds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And besides being a website builder, it also gives the ability to generate articles and content for a blog and provides products like a brand builder and even an invoice builder.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Essentially, it helps you to start and run your entire business from within the Durable dashboard.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I’m talking about the Durable &lt;a href="https://durable.co/ai-website-builder" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;AI Website Builder&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fk58bbbbedu6xmvg6s42d.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fk58bbbbedu6xmvg6s42d.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="722"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To get started, simply visit the &lt;a href="https://durableai.link/nitin-sharma" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Durable website&lt;/a&gt; and write about the website you want to generate.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I tried by writing a simple prompt, i.e.,&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I run a content writing business that helps founders, creators, and companies grow with high-value articles, newsletters, and blog posts.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I write clear, engaging, SEO-friendly content that ranks on Google, goes viral on Medium/Dev.to, and builds loyal audiences on Substack.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;My focus is on results.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Website should include:&lt;br&gt;
• A strong headline showing authority in content + growth&lt;br&gt;
• About Me: writer with proven results (viral posts, ranked articles)&lt;br&gt;
• Services: blog writing, newsletters, SEO content&lt;br&gt;
• Why Work With Me: trust, traffic, sales&lt;br&gt;
• Contact/Hire Me call-to-action&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tone:&lt;/strong&gt; Professional, direct, and impact-driven.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Design:&lt;/strong&gt; Clean, minimal, easy to read.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And based on this prompt, here’s what it generated:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Insane, right?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And the best part? I haven’t edited anything in the above outputs, it’s all generated by AI.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sure, I can further customize it the way I want.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fntpcpbv1prwd20tjhc2n.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fntpcpbv1prwd20tjhc2n.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="697"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Talking about the pricing, you can generate your websites and customize them for free, but to publish and use more advanced features, you need to upgrade to one of their paid plans.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fucpit3pmqkenqotx90k5.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fucpit3pmqkenqotx90k5.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="684"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  4. Wix AI Website Builder
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Now, let's talk about one of my favorite, and one of the best AI website builders out there.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I'm talking about &lt;a href="https://www.wix.com/ai-website-builder" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Wix AI Website Builder&lt;/a&gt;, and the company behind it started adding AI features over 5 years ago.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And to be honest, when they launched the "AI Website Builder" - maybe in the year 2024 - I was one of the first to use this feature.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;So far, I've made at least 25 to 30 websites using this AI website builder for my clients, and it made some of the best website designs.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;But how to get started?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F0y2nt9h0a6z5k3e1ds44.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F0y2nt9h0a6z5k3e1ds44.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="523"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You just need to visit their AI website builder page and click on the button "Create with AI".&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You then need to sign up, and then it will chat with you to get to know what you want to create.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It asked me about what I want to create, the name, the goal, the target audience, and then it got all the info, as you can see on the right side.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And then based on that, here's what it created:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F54kj7rkfmaws97cmctu9.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F54kj7rkfmaws97cmctu9.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="500"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I liked it, and it published the website with a free subdomain of Wix, with a bit of ad at the top, and it's completely free.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And sure, I can further customize it the way I want.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Talking about the pricing for to get custom domain and more features, the plans start from $17 per month and go up to $159 per month.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fkin7zqskzhhtl3rgdbxa.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fkin7zqskzhhtl3rgdbxa.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="498"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2&gt;
  
  
  5. Framer
&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Well, I'm actually a big fan of &lt;a href="https://www.framer.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Framer&lt;/a&gt;, and I've even advertised them in some of my previous posts for free.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And after building a ton of websites with Framer, I need to say they are one of the best in generating websites with AI.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;But how do you get started?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fcou7nv9vol12n0t8luq3.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fcou7nv9vol12n0t8luq3.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="462"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Well, you just need to visit their website, and then click on the button "Start for free".&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And then you need to create an account using Google or through email.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;After that, you will be redirected to a project, where you just need to go to "Main Menu → File → Generate Page" to generate with AI, as you can see below.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You can even search for "Generate Page" using "Ctrl/Cmd + K," and then write the prompt.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here's a simple prompt that I wrote:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I want to build a portfolio website for me as a content writer so that clients can see my blogs, the platforms where I wrote, and can contact me for some work.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And here's what it generated:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Generated by Framer&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fuv35ca6z8qortn3im5vt.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fuv35ca6z8qortn3im5vt.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="503"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Insane, right?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Talking about the pricing for to get custom domain and more features, the personal plans start from $5 per month and go up to $30 per month.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fh3h2urnmndpcjqsf3h96.webp" class="article-body-image-wrapper"&gt;&lt;img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fh3h2urnmndpcjqsf3h96.webp" alt=" " width="800" height="490"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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