Dyad has carved out a niche as a privacy-focused AI app builder that runs locally on your machine. While the local-first approach appeals to developers concerned about data privacy, it comes with trade-offs in deployment, collaboration, and infrastructure. Here are the top alternatives to consider.
Running entirely locally means no cloud-based collaboration, no instant sharing of previews, and no deployment pipeline. You handle all infrastructure yourself.
Local AI model execution requires significant computing resources. Users without powerful GPUs or modern hardware may experience slow generation or be unable to use the tool effectively.
Dyad generates code locally but does not deploy it. You need to set up your own hosting, configure domains, and manage the deployment pipeline independently.
Local execution constrains which AI models are available. Cloud-based platforms can leverage the latest and most capable models without hardware limitations.
While Dyad generates code, it does not provision databases, authentication services, or payment integrations. These must be configured and managed separately.
Dyad has positioned itself as the privacy-conscious alternative in the AI app builder space, running entirely on your local machine with local AI models. This approach resonates with developers who are cautious about sending code and prompts to external servers. However, the practical implications of local-only development extend far beyond privacy considerations, creating significant trade-offs that impact every stage of the development lifecycle.
The most immediate limitation of local AI execution is model quality. Cloud-based platforms access frontier models like Claude, GPT, and Gemini that have been trained on massive datasets and refined through extensive human feedback. Local models, constrained by available hardware, are necessarily smaller and less capable. This gap manifests in code generation quality, understanding of complex requirements, and the ability to produce sophisticated full-stack applications with proper architecture patterns.
Hardware requirements create an accessibility barrier that contradicts the democratization promise of AI app builders. Running capable local models requires a modern GPU with substantial VRAM, significant system RAM, and fast storage. Developers on laptops, budget machines, or older hardware find themselves unable to use Dyad effectively. Cloud-based platforms eliminate this barrier entirely -- a Chromebook with a browser has the same generation capabilities as a high-end workstation.
The deployment gap is perhaps the most critical practical difference. Dyad generates code locally but provides no deployment pipeline. Developers must independently set up hosting, configure domains, manage SSL certificates, establish CI/CD workflows, and handle scaling. This operational overhead transforms what should be a streamlined experience into a traditional DevOps challenge. Fabricate deploys to Cloudflare's global edge network with a single click, handling all infrastructure automatically.
Collaboration represents another dimension where local-first tools fall short. Modern development is rarely a solo activity. Sharing previews with stakeholders, collaborating with team members, and demonstrating progress all require the application to be accessible beyond a single machine. Fabricate generates shareable preview URLs instantly, enabling real-time feedback loops that are impossible with locally-running code that only exists on one developer's machine.
See how Fabricate compares to Dyad on key features.
| Feature | Fabricate | Dyad |
|---|---|---|
| No Hardware Requirements | Requires local GPU | |
| Latest AI Models | Claude, GPT, Gemini | Local models only |
| Built-in Database | ||
| User Authentication | ||
| One-Click Deploy | ||
| Payment Integration | ||
| Live Preview | Local only | |
| Data Privacy | Cloud-hosted | Fully local |
| Collaboration | Shareable URLs | Local only |
| Code Export |
A closer look at how each platform approaches key capabilities.
Fabricate
Fabricate connects to frontier AI models including Claude, GPT, and Gemini through cloud APIs, delivering the highest quality code generation without any hardware requirements on the user's end.
Dyad
Dyad uses locally-executed AI models that are constrained by the user's hardware. Smaller local models produce lower quality output compared to frontier cloud models, particularly for complex full-stack applications.
Verdict: Fabricate provides access to significantly more capable AI models without hardware investment.
Fabricate
Fabricate provides a complete development-to-deployment pipeline: D1 database with SQL editor, Clerk authentication, Stripe payments, live preview URLs, and one-click Cloudflare deployment -- all integrated and managed automatically.
Dyad
Dyad generates frontend code locally but provides no database, authentication, payment integration, or deployment infrastructure. Users must source, configure, and manage each of these services independently.
Verdict: Fabricate eliminates infrastructure management while Dyad requires assembling and maintaining your own stack.
Fabricate
Fabricate uses enterprise-grade Cloudflare infrastructure with encryption, account isolation, and SOC 2-compliant security. Code is private to your account while remaining accessible from any device with a browser.
Dyad
Dyad keeps all code and prompts on your local machine, providing maximum data locality. However, this limits accessibility to a single device and requires that device to have sufficient computing resources.
Verdict: Both approaches have merit, but Fabricate's cloud security matches enterprise standards while remaining universally accessible.
Follow these steps to make the switch seamlessly.
Locate your Dyad project directory on your machine. Identify all source files, components, and any configuration you have created. Copy these to a temporary directory for reference during migration.
Create a new project in Fabricate by describing your application. Fabricate will generate a full-stack foundation with database schema, authentication configuration, and deployment setup included automatically.
Use Fabricate's AI chat to describe each major feature from your Dyad project. Fabricate will generate production-quality TypeScript components with proper error handling, type safety, and integration with backend services.
Configure the full-stack services that Dyad could not provide: create D1 database tables for persistent data, set up Clerk authentication for user management, and integrate Stripe for any payment workflows.
Click the deploy button to publish your application to Cloudflare's global edge network. Share the generated URL with your team for feedback -- no infrastructure setup, domain configuration, or DevOps work required.
We tested these alternatives to help you find the best fit for your project.
Cloud-based full-stack AI builder with latest AI models, built-in database, auth, payments, and instant global deployment on Cloudflare.
Best for: Complete cloud-deployed applications
Browser-based AI code generator that requires no local setup and provides instant preview.
Best for: Quick web prototypes
AI-enhanced IDE that runs locally but connects to cloud AI models for the best of both worlds.
Best for: Developers who prefer local IDE with cloud AI
Cloud-based AI builder with strong design focus and responsive UI generation.
Best for: Design-focused web applications
AI code editor with local installation but cloud model access for high-quality generation.
Best for: AI-enhanced local development
Fully browser-based development and deployment platform with AI assistance.
Best for: Cloud-native development
Cloud-based React component generation backed by Vercel infrastructure.
Best for: React component development
This prompt generates a full-stack document editor with persistent storage, user authentication, shareable links, and search functionality -- demonstrating the cloud-native capabilities that local-only tools cannot provide.
Build a collaborative document editor where users can create, edit, and share documents. Include real-time status indicators and a document library with search.
“I tried Dyad because I liked the privacy angle, but I spent more time setting up infrastructure than building my actual product. Switching to Fabricate let me focus entirely on features while the platform handled databases, auth, and deployment automatically.”
Elena K.
Solo Founder
Common questions about Dyad alternatives.
Dyad is a privacy-focused AI app builder that runs locally on your machine. It generates code using local AI models without sending data to external servers.
Dyad runs locally, so your code and prompts stay on your machine. However, this comes at the cost of using smaller, less capable local models compared to cloud-based options.
Yes. Local AI model execution requires significant RAM and ideally a modern GPU. Fabricate runs entirely in the cloud, so any device with a browser works.
Yes. Fabricate uses enterprise-grade Cloudflare infrastructure with encryption. Your generated code is private to your account. Most professional development teams use cloud-based tools.
No. Dyad generates code locally but does not deploy it. You must set up hosting yourself. Fabricate deploys to Cloudflare's global network with one click.
Build full-stack applications with AI. Database, authentication, and deployment included. Start free today.