draw-a-ui vs Screenshot to Code
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Draw a rough wireframe in a canvas and get HTML/Tailwind code generated from it by GPT-4 Vision.
Open source · MIT
Turns screenshots or mockups into code for HTML, React, Vue and other stacks using AI.
The short answer
Choose draw-a-ui if you need…
- Developers exploring how vision models can turn sketches into HTML
- Designers who want a quick rough draft of a page layout as code
- People learning how to connect a canvas drawing tool to an AI API
- Anyone who wants a starting point for a Tailwind-based page
Choose Screenshot to Code if you need…
- Developers who want a first draft of a page from a design image
- Designers who want to see a rough coded version of their mockup
- Prototyping a website from a screen recording
- People who want to self-host and customize the code
Side-by-side
| draw-a-ui | Screenshot to Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 13.6k | 81k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | TypeScript | Python |
| Last code update | 16 months ago | 10 days ago |
What each one is
draw-a-ui
draw-a-ui is a Next.js web app built on the tldraw drawing canvas. You sketch a wireframe, the app exports the canvas as an image, and sends it to OpenAI's gpt-4-vision API with instructions to return a single HTML file styled with Tailwind. It is a demo that shows how an image of a layout can be turned into working front-end code.
Screenshot to Code
You give it a screenshot, a design mockup, a Figma design, or a screen recording, and it uses AI models to write front-end code that tries to match the look of the original. It supports several stacks, including HTML with Tailwind or CSS, React with Tailwind, Vue with Tailwind, Bootstrap, and Ionic with Tailwind. People use it to speed up turning visual designs into working starting points.
Best for
draw-a-ui
- Developers exploring how vision models can turn sketches into HTML
- Designers who want a quick rough draft of a page layout as code
- People learning how to connect a canvas drawing tool to an AI API
- Anyone who wants a starting point for a Tailwind-based page
Screenshot to Code
- Developers who want a first draft of a page from a design image
- Designers who want to see a rough coded version of their mockup
- Prototyping a website from a screen recording
- People who want to self-host and customize the code
Strengths
draw-a-ui
- Simple idea that is easy to follow from the README
- Built on established tools: Next.js, tldraw and the OpenAI API
- Open source under the MIT license
Screenshot to Code
- Supports multiple common front-end stacks
- Offers a hosted version for trying it without local setup
- Licensed under MIT, so it can be freely used and modified
Not ideal for
draw-a-ui
- Production deployment: the README says it is a demo with no auth, so it could run up API costs for anyone who finds it
- Users without an OpenAI API key with GPT-4 Vision access, since the app cannot work without one
- People needing pixel-accurate or production-ready code, since the output is generated and not reviewed
Screenshot to Code
- Anyone who needs pixel-perfect or production-ready output without review, since the README presents results as a starting point and makes no such guarantee
- People without API keys or budget for paid model providers, because running it locally requires at least one key
- Users who want to run fully offline or with local open-source models, since the README says Ollama models are not recommended due to poor-quality results
Trade-offs
draw-a-ui
- Depends on a paid OpenAI API key with GPT-4 Vision access
- README explicitly says it is a demo, not for production, and has no authentication
- Output quality depends on the model and the sketch; the README does not describe accuracy
Screenshot to Code
- Requires API keys from model providers, which can cost money to use
- Local setup involves a backend and frontend, plus Playwright/Chromium and Poetry, so it takes some technical effort
- The README lists some features as optional or limited by which keys are configured
Getting started
draw-a-ui
Create env file with your OpenAI key
echo "OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key" > .env.localInstall dependencies
npm installScreenshot to Code
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/abi/screenshot-to-codeInstall backend dependencies
cd backend && poetry installFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between draw-a-ui and Screenshot to Code?
draw-a-ui: Draw a rough wireframe in a canvas and get HTML/Tailwind code generated from it by GPT-4 Vision. Screenshot to Code: Turns screenshots or mockups into code for HTML, React, Vue and other stacks using AI. draw-a-ui suits developers exploring how vision models can turn sketches into html, while Screenshot to Code suits developers who want a first draft of a page from a design image.
Are draw-a-ui and Screenshot to Code free?
draw-a-ui: Free and open source. Screenshot to Code: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, draw-a-ui or Screenshot to Code?
draw-a-ui is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Screenshot to Code is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is draw-a-ui or Screenshot to Code more popular?
Screenshot to Code has more GitHub stars (81k) than draw-a-ui (13.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to draw-a-ui and Screenshot to Code?
Other options people compare them with include OpenHands, One API, LlamaGPT, CowAgent, LibreChat.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.