OpenBuilder: Open source alternative to Lovable

Hey YC, we are Paul and James, cofounders at OpenBuilder. 👋

TL;DR

OpenBuilder is the open source alternative to Lovable — where non-technical builders actually finish their projects.

https://youtu.be/yVgGsf3nN44

🔴 The Problem: vibe coding is a slot machine

Pay for credits, pull the lever, pray things work.

Vibe coding has brought millions of non-technical users into building. But over 80% can't finish what they start. The magic fades as projects grow — bugs multiply, progress stalls, and builders get stuck

Three core problems block non-technical builders:

1. too expensive — costs spiral out of control
2. too many bugs — issues pile up faster than they can fix
3. getting help is nearly impossible — especially on closed platforms where backend/integration code is hidden

🟢 The Solution:

At OpenBuilder, users build for free on a truly open platform, and pay to get unstuck from a real dev.

Vibe code without limits.

OpenBuilder uses optimized open-source models to match Claude Sonnet 4's performance—making building completely free.

Pay to get unstuck.

Our interactive debugger helps you first. If that doesn't solve it, you can escalate to a real developer who already has your project context.

Truly open platform, no lock-in.

OpenBuilder is truly open. It's built on VS Code, so you can swap in your own AI model, try different agents, or export your entire codebase anytime.

Team

Paul & James have known each other for over 10 years. They met while studying CS at the University of Waterloo.

Before OpenBuilder, they built EasyCode — a popular context-aware coding assistant installed by over 1.5M developers between VS Code and JetBrains. Now they are applying similar technologies to help non-technical builders turn their ideas into reality.

Ask

We're making building accessible to everyone. Non-technical founders shouldn't just start projects—they should finish and ship them.

Here is how you can help. 🙂

• Follow us on X and LinkedIn and share the launch!
• We're open sourcing our codebase soon. Want to contribute early? Email paul@theopenbuilder.com