Vibe Code or Hire a Developer?
You need a website. AI tools say you can build it yourself in an afternoon. Developers say you will regret it. Both are right, for different projects. Answer 8 questions and get a scored recommendation for yours: vibe code it, use a site builder, hire a developer, or split the work.
What are you building?
Answer for the end state you are committing to, not just version one.
The four paths at a glance
| Path | Best for | Logins and databases | Cost shape | Biggest risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe code | Static sites, prototypes, validating ideas | Avoid; this is where the risk lives | Nearly free to start | Confidently shipping something insecure |
| Site builder | Marketing sites, blogs, standard stores | Limited to platform features | Monthly subscription | Hitting the platform's ceiling |
| Developer | Products with accounts, data, payments | Handled professionally | Largest upfront investment | Paying to build the wrong thing |
| Split the work | A site now, a product behind it | In the developer's half | Small now, bigger when validated | Two builds to coordinate |
The assessment weighs your answers against exactly these trade-offs.
Frequently asked questions
What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding means describing what you want in plain English and letting an AI tool write the actual code, iterating by prompting rather than programming. AI researcher Andrej Karpathy coined the term in early 2025, and tools like Lovable, Bolt, and Replit have turned it into a mainstream way for non-programmers to ship software.
Can I really vibe code my own website?
For a static site, yes: pages, copy, images, and a contact form are exactly what AI builders do well, and there is no backend to get wrong. The line is the database. The moment visitors log in, pay, or store data on your site, you own security, backups, and breach response, and that is where DIY stops being cheap.
When should I hire a developer instead?
When the site is really a product: user accounts, payments, sensitive data, integrations, or logic that must be right. Also when the site is your main revenue channel and downtime costs real money. You are not paying a developer for pages; you are paying for someone to own the failure modes.
How much does a website cost to build?
The honest range runs from under a hundred dollars a year for a DIY site on a builder to six figures for an agency-built product. That spread is exactly why this assessment asks about budget: the right path at $500 and the right path at $50,000 are different paths.
What is wrong with vibe coding an app with logins and payments?
Nothing, until it works. AI builders generate authentication and payment code that runs, and running is not the same as safe. Misconfigured access rules, leaked keys, and missing validation are common failure modes, and a founder without engineering experience will not spot them before customers, or attackers, do.
How does this assessment decide?
Your answers are scored against the constraints that decide real projects: whether the content is static or needs a database, how technical you are, budget, timeline, who maintains the site, and how central it is to the business. The static-versus-database question carries the most weight because it decides who owns security and maintenance.
Go deeper: the Founders series
Plain-English guides for founders and non-coders working with developers and agencies. The assessment's advice comes from the same playbook.