The screenshot maker has a free trial; generating screens needs Lite ($60 a year) or Pro ($140 a year), or the $79 lifetime deal with your own API key.

What does bring-your-own-key mean?

You pay the model provider directly for every generation on top of the lifetime fee, and you set up the key yourself.

How is DraftScreens different from Appthetics?

Deeper editing (select any element), design-system ingestion, consistent multi-screen flows, a tap-through prototype, and failed generations never count.

DraftScreens vs Appthetics: which AI app designer fits you?

AI mobile UI designer positioned as the design layer before vibe coding. DraftScreens is an AI designer that only does mobile screens, in one design language per project, with a visual editor, a clickable prototype and exports to Figma and code. Here is how they compare, including when Appthetics wins.

Facts checked August 2026. www.appthetics.com

The short version

Appthetics proved the idea and shipped it thin. DraftScreens takes the same wedge further: a real visual editor, design systems, connected flows that stay consistent, a clickable prototype, Figma layers, and no failed generation ever charged.

Side by side

Feature	DraftScreens	Appthetics
Pricing	Free: 1 design a day, up to 5 a month. Pro $15/mo or $144/yr (200 designs a month, all exports). Studio $49/mo (1,000 designs, design systems, 3 seats).	Lite $60/yr (240 credits), Pro $140/yr (600 credits), Lifetime $79 bring-your-own-key.
Free tier	1 design a day, up to 5 a month, with PNG export, the editor and a prototype	Screenshot maker trial; generation needs a plan
Mobile-native screens	Yes: every screen is a 390x844 phone screen in a real design language	Yes
Your design system	Yes, on Studio: palette, fonts, voice, rules and logo drive every generation	Limited
Figma	Yes, on Pro and Studio: editable named layers, paste onto any canvas	Yes
Code and hand-off	On Pro and Studio: HTML per screen and a prompt pack for Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable and v0; Expo and SwiftUI hand-offs in progress	Code export and prompts for coding tools
Clickable prototype	Yes: tap-through links on every screen, QR to your phone, public share page	Share links
Visual editor	Yes: select any element, edit text, colour, spacing, layout, links, or ask the AI about it	AI visual editor with limited control
Failed generations	Never charged, refunded automatically	Credits consumed

Which one to choose

Choose Appthetics if

Pick Appthetics if a $79 lifetime deal with your own API key matters more than editing depth and support.

Best for: Indie makers who want a cheap lifetime deal and bring their own model key.

Choose DraftScreens if

The product is a mobile app, the screens have to look designed rather than generated, you want to tap through it on a phone before writing code, and you want Figma layers and a hand-off that a coding tool can build from.

Appthetics: strengths and gaps

What Appthetics does well

The same wedge as DraftScreens: mobile design before code
Figma export, prompt hand-offs, screenshot and icon tools
Cheap annual plans and a lifetime deal

Where it falls short

Limited fine-grained control, by its own admission
Limited design-system support, no team features
Bring-your-own-key pushes model costs and setup onto you
Three active subscriptions and site reliability issues at last check

What DraftScreens does differently

Mobile only, on purpose

Every screen is a 390x844 phone screen. The generator is prompted like a senior mobile designer, never like a web page builder.

One design language per project

A flow is planned first: palette, type, radius, spacing. Every screen and every edit is held to it, so screens do not drift.

Edit anything, or ask

Select any element and change text, colour, spacing, layout or its tap link; or select it and tell the AI what to change.

Your brand, every screen

Studio plans ingest a design system: palette roles, fonts, voice, rules and logo drive the planner and every screen.

A prototype, not a picture

Buttons, tabs and rows carry links. Preview in the studio or scan a QR and tap through on your phone.

Exports that survive the move

Editable Figma layers, HTML per screen, a prompt pack for Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable and v0. Failed generations are never charged.

Questions people ask

Is Appthetics free?: The screenshot maker has a free trial; generating screens needs Lite ($60 a year) or Pro ($140 a year), or the $79 lifetime deal with your own API key.
What does bring-your-own-key mean?: You pay the model provider directly for every generation on top of the lifetime fee, and you set up the key yourself.
How is DraftScreens different from Appthetics?: Deeper editing (select any element), design-system ingestion, consistent multi-screen flows, a tap-through prototype, and failed generations never count.