ChaiBuilder is a low-code, self-hosted visual website builder for React and Next.js, where you own all of your data and infrastructure. Its open-source core (chaicore) is a basic Next.js website builder; chaipro adds a set of Pro extensions for the full product. It ships as an npm package that drops into a Next.js application, together with a publicly available starter (Next.js + Payload CMS) so you can deploy and start building in minutes.

Unlike hosted builders such as Webflow, Wix, or Squarespace - which run on the vendor's infrastructure and own everything you create - ChaiBuilder is delivered as code, not a hosted service. You bring your own database and hosting, so 100% of your content, your registered users, and your infrastructure stay under your control.

What "low-code" means here

ChaiBuilder is low-code, not no-code. It serves two audiences at once:

• Editors - non-technical team members build and publish pages visually through role-based access, with no code required.
• Developers - extend the builder with custom blocks and panels, override pages and routing, and plug in custom CMS collections and logic.

Structured content (blogs and similar) lives in Payload CMS, visual pages live in the builder, and the two are wired together so they understand each other's structure.

How it's delivered

• chaicore (open-source core) - a basic Next.js website builder: the visual builder, SQLite page storage, and page rendering. Open source and self-contained.
• chaipro npm package - the Pro product: the chaicore core plus a set of Pro extensions. This is the paid product.
• Public starter template - a Next.js + Payload CMS starter with the builder pre-installed. Anyone can one-click deploy it (a built-in /setup wizard finishes the configuration in the browser) or download it and start building.

What you can build

ChaiBuilder is optimized for content-heavy, public-facing sites. Pages render with an SSG + ISR model - built on a visitor's first request, then cached, and automatically revalidated when you publish. Out of the box you get visual page building, custom blocks, design tokens and theming, data binding, multilingual content, a media manager and image editor, multi-user editing with page locking, revisions and restore, one-click publish with preview, role-based access control, and an in-builder AI assistant.

Who it's for

• Agencies and teams who want to hand editors a visual builder while keeping full developer control over the code and stack.
• Developers who want a builder they can extend and self-host rather than rent.
• Organizations with data-ownership, compliance, or infrastructure requirements that rule out hosted, vendor-owned builders.

Pricing at a glance

Every license includes the full feature set - no tiers, no feature flags. Start with a 30-day free trial (no credit card, no email): one-click deploy the starter and finish setup in the browser, or scaffold locally with npx chaibuilder-app create - then build. After the trial, buy a per-year license, add the key to your environment, and unlock the product end to end. See Trial & Licensing for details.

Where to go next

• How It Works - the builder, the CMS, and your infrastructure at a glance.
• Quickstart - one-click deploy in the browser, or scaffold locally with the CLI, then build your first page.
• Architecture Overview - the client/server split and deployment shape.