We Fed Six Website Builders an Apple Pie Recipe. Here's What Actually Happened.
The Apple Pie Test: Simple Enough to Reveal the Truth
When every website builder under the sun claims to be "AI-powered," how do you separate genuine innovation from marketing fluff? We decided to find out by doing something unexpected: feeding six popular website builders a straightforward apple pie recipe and watching what happened.
The logic is simple. A baking recipe has clear structure—ingredients, measurements, steps, timing. It's unambiguous. If an AI builder can't handle something this straightforward, what happens when you give it your actual business requirements?
What we learned surprised us.
The Contenders
We tested six platforms that all market themselves as AI-enhanced website builders:
- Wix ADI
- Bookmark's AIDA
- The Grid
- Durable
- Framer AI
- Code-driven custom solutions
Each one was given the same input: "Build me a recipe website for apple pie."
The Results: Not All AI Is Created Equal
The Genuinely Smart Ones
Platforms that delivered: The best performers actually parsed the concept and generated contextually relevant layouts. They understood that a recipe page needs ingredient lists, clear typography, step-by-step formatting, and mobile-friendly design. One platform even suggested adding a "Print Recipe" button and nutritional information sections—without being asked.
These tools felt like they were collaborating with the user rather than just filling templates.
The Template Dressers
Platforms that disappointed: Several builders clearly just pulled from existing template libraries. They'd generate something technically functional but utterly generic. The apple pie context disappeared entirely—pages looked like every other business homepage with "Apple Pie" substituted into the headings like a word processor find-and-replace.
No understanding of the recipe domain. No contextual adaptation. Just the illusion of intelligence.
The Surprising Standout
Here's what caught us off guard: pure code generators often outperformed the "AI-powered" drag-and-drop builders. When we used AI coding assistants to generate recipe website code, the results understood semantic HTML, proper accessibility, and recipe schema markup. The machine actually comprehended what a recipe website should be.
What This Means for Your Business
If you're evaluating website builders based on AI capabilities, here's what to look for:
Red Flags
- "AI-powered" used without specific explanations of what the AI does
- Feature lists that sound identical to non-AI competitors
- Demo content that always looks the same regardless of input
- No ability to iterate or refine based on your feedback
Green Flags
- Clear documentation of how AI assists the building process
- Genuine iteration and refinement capabilities
- Contextual understanding of your specific industry or content type
- Human oversight still possible (AI assists, doesn't replace)
The Vibe Coding Angle
At NameOcean, we talk a lot about vibe coding—the philosophy that development tools should feel intuitive and empower creativity rather than requiring you to become a full-stack engineer. But there's a crucial distinction between vibe coding and vibe marketing.
Real AI assistance should:
- Understand what you're trying to achieve, not just what you're typing
- Save you meaningful time on repetitive decisions
- Produce results that reflect genuine understanding
- Let you override and customize when AI gets it wrong
If a tool can't pass the apple pie test, it's probably not ready to handle your actual vision.
The Takeaway
The website builder market will continue to flood with "AI-powered" claims. Some will be legitimate game-changers. Others will be sophisticated templating with a buzzword attached.
Our advice: Before committing to any platform, give it a test that's specific to your actual needs. Ask it something quirky, something that reveals whether it understands context or just processes keywords.
The difference between real AI and AI theater might just determine whether your website feels alive or feels like a glorified Word document.
What's your experience with AI website builders? Have you encountered genuine intelligence or just clever marketing? Drop your thoughts below—we'd love to hear what the community has discovered.