Payload out of the box. Swap in whatever you want.

ChaiBuilder ships with Payload CMS wired in, runs on your own database, and stays a plain Next.js + Payload app you can extend.

Start free - no credit card Read the docs

Build your first branded website in the trial.

Extension Points

Custom BlocksHooksPluginsFieldsEndpoints

CMS

Payload

Builder

ChaiBuilder

Data

Your DB

02 - Payload CMS, out of the box

A real CMS, already wired in

Builder

Payload

First-party integration

Payload CMS is provided out of the box for structured content such as blogs.

Wired to the builder

The visual builder and Payload understand each other's structure - you don't assemble the integration yourself.

03 - The CMS is swappable

Default, not required

Use any CMS

Payload is the default, but the builder doesn't require it.

No table coupling

ChaiBuilder maintains its own tables for pages, entirely separate from Payload's - swapping the CMS unwinds nothing.

Default

Payload CMS

swappable

Alternative

Any CMS

Separate table spaces

ChaiBuilderpages, blocks

Payloadcontent, media

04 - Your database

Runs on storage you own

Bring your own database - SQLite or Postgres - chosen and owned by you. All content, users, and actions live there; ChaiBuilder has no access.

Extend every layer

01

Custom blocks

Add functionality the builder doesn't cover; blocks surface natively inside the builder for editors.

02

Custom panels

Add configuration and customization surfaces to the builder UI itself.

03

Custom Payload collections

Plug your own collections and logic into Payload - it's purely Payload CMS.

04

Next.js overrides

Custom pages, custom routing, and your own solutions on top of the app.

For developers

06 - Licensing & AI, wired in

Also built in

01

Licensing

ChaiBuilder's payment solution issues your license; the key goes in your ENV and unlocks the product end to end.

02

AI assistant

Part of chaipro, with Bring your own AI - Vercel AI Gateway and OpenRouter out of the box, or a custom provider via config.

Learn more

The core difference

Low-code, not no-code

Developers build it. Editors run it.

For developers

A plugin in your Next.js app

Override pages and routing. Plug in your own Payload collections. Extend the builder with custom blocks and panels. Anything the visual builder can't do, you build — by design, not as a workaround.

Override pages & routing — the builder lives inside your app
Plug in your own Payload collections — your schema, your types
Extend with custom blocks — register your own React components
Escape hatches everywhere — if the visual tool can't do it, code it

For editors

RBAC-based visual editing

Build and publish pages with no code. Role-based access control keeps the right people editing the right things — no developer bottleneck, no risky changes.

Drag, drop, and publish — the full page-building workflow
Role-based access control — granular permissions per user
Live preview — see exactly what your audience sees
No developer bottleneck — editors ship independently

One tool. Two audiences. Zero compromise.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How does the free trial work?

It's a 30-day trial with no credit card and no email required. Create your project with

npx chaibuilder-app create

, deploy to your server, and the trial starts on deploy. There are no refunds, so use the trial to validate fit before buying.

What does the license actually cover?

Licenses are perpetual within a version window: valid through the end of your year and eligible for any

chaipro

version released in that window. When it expires, renew to stay current or keep running the last eligible version.

What's open source and what's paid?

The open-source core (

chaicore

) is a basic Next.js website builder: visual builder, SQLite page storage, and rendering. The paid

chaipro

package adds a set of Pro extensions on top: roles, revisions, multilingual, redirects, media management, advanced AI, multi-tenancy, and more.

Can I use a different CMS?

Yes. Payload CMS ships wired in out of the box, but there is no coupling between Payload's tables and ChaiBuilder's. Swap in any CMS you prefer.

How does Bring-Your-Own-AI work?

The AI assistant runs on Vercel AI Gateway or OpenRouter out of the box, and you can configure any custom provider via ChaiBuilder config. Usage stays under your own provider account.

Start building today.

Deploy the starter in minutes. No credit card, no email. When you're ready, pick a plan that fits.