# What is Playcode

> Playcode is an AI platform for building and running websites and apps - what it builds, where it runs, what it costs and what stays yours.
> Source: https://playcode.io/docs/start/what-is-playcode - last reviewed 2026-10-10.

Playcode is an AI platform for building and running websites and apps. You describe what you need in a chat, Playcode's agent builds it, you check the result in a live preview, and you publish it when it is ready. You keep changing the same project afterward.

## How building works

1. **Describe the task.** Say who the product is for, what they need to do and what success looks like.
2. **Build and inspect.** The agent plans, writes the code and uses tests and browser tools to check its work. You try the preview and ask for changes.
3. **Publish and continue.** You publish when it is ready, then keep improving the same project.

See [How building with the agent works](/docs/start/how-building-works).

## Two kinds of project

| | Static site | Cloud app |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Pages and code that run in the visitor's browser | A full app: a backend, a database, stored files and background work |
| Where it runs while you build | In the preview in your browser | On a development computer that Playcode operates |
| Where it goes live | An address on `playcode.site` | An address on `playcode.run` |
| Plan | Every plan, Free included | Pro or Max |

The agent calls a Cloud app a "full-stack app". On Pro or Max, the agent turns a new project into a Cloud app at the start of its first build, unless you ask for something static or the workspace has reached its Cloud app limit. See [Browser and Cloud projects](/docs/build/browser-and-cloud-projects) and [Run a Cloud app](/docs/publish/cloud-apps).

## The products

| Product | What it does | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Playcode AI | The agent that builds and changes your software | [How building with the agent works](/docs/start/how-building-works) |
| Playcode Cloud | Runs your app's backend, database, files and background work | [Run a Cloud app](/docs/publish/cloud-apps) |
| Playcode Domains | Buy a domain, or connect one you already own | [Buy a domain](/docs/publish/buy-a-domain), [Connect a domain you own](/docs/publish/connect-a-domain) |
| Playcode DNS | Manage a domain's records, also for a domain registered somewhere else | [DNS records](/docs/publish/dns-records) |
| Playcode Email | Sends your app's email, like password resets and receipts. It is not a mailbox | [Send email from your app](/docs/add-to-your-app/send-email) |
| Playcode AI Gateway | Gives the features of your own app access to AI models. It is separate from the agent that builds the app | [Add AI to your app](/docs/add-to-your-app/ai-in-your-app) |

The products share one account and one workspace. The agent's work, Cloud apps and your app's use of AI and email draw on the workspace's credits. Domains are charged to the workspace's card, not to credits.

## What stays in your hands

- You own your code, and paid plans include code export. Moving a running app somewhere else also means moving its data, settings and connected services.
- A checkpoint takes a project back to a saved point. For a Cloud app, it restores the code, files and database together and discards what changed after that point. See [Snapshots and rollback](/docs/publish/snapshots-and-rollback).
- Tests and browser checks help find problems, but they do not prove that everything works. You decide when the result is ready.
- A person can look into a technical problem with you. See [Get help from a person](/docs/help/get-help-from-a-person).

## What it costs

You can create an account without a credit card. The Free plan publishes static sites on a Playcode address with a "Built with Playcode" banner, and trial AI credits depend on eligibility. Pro costs $25 a month with 100 credits a month. Max starts at $100 a month. Paid plans add Cloud apps and custom domains. On every plan, Free included, a new project starts private, and you turn its link on to share it. See [Plans and credits on one page](/docs/start/plans-and-credits).

## Build with your own tools

The app, the agent, the API, the SDK, the CLI and MCP all call the same operations. Connect Claude Code, Cursor or another MCP client, or script Playcode from your terminal. See [Developers](/docs/developers).

## Playcode Classic

Playcode began in 2016 as a browser coding environment. Its free code playgrounds and compilers still work: you write and run code in the browser yourself. They are kept apart from AI projects. See [Playcode Classic](/docs/classic).