Open-Source Lovable Alternative

Open-Lovable lets you recreate any website as a modern React app by simply pasting a URL. The open-source tool uses AI agents to analyze and rebuild websites from scratch in seconds.

Who is this useful for:

• Developers learning from existing website designs and implementations

• Startup founders who need quick prototypes based on competitor sites

• Freelancers wanting to offer rapid website recreation services

• Students studying web development through real-world examples

STEP 1: Clone and Install the Repository

Head over to your terminal and clone the Open-Lovable repository from GitHub. Run these commands to get started:

git clone https://github.com/mendableai/open-lovable.git
cd open-lovable
npm install

This will download the entire codebase and install all the necessary dependencies to run the website cloning tool locally on your machine.

STEP 2: Set Up Your API Keys

Create a .env.local file in your project root directory. You'll need to configure several API keys for the tool to function properly:

Required:

• E2B_API_KEY: Get from https://e2b.dev (for running sandboxes)

• FIRECRAWL_API_KEY: Get from https://firecrawl.dev (for web scraping)

Optional (need at least one AI provider):

• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: Get from https://console.anthropic.com

• OPENAI_API_KEY: Get from https://platform.openai.com

• GROQ_API_KEY: Get from https://console.groq.com

Add these keys to your .env.local file with your actual API credentials.

STEP 3: Launch the Application

Once your environment is configured, start the development server by running:

npm run dev

This will launch the application on a localhost URL (typically http://localhost:3000). Open this link in your browser to access the website cloning interface.

STEP 4: Clone Your First Website

In the application interface, you'll see a prompt area where you can paste any website URL. Simply paste the URL of the website you want to clone and describe what you want to recreate.

For example: "Clone the homepage design of https://example.com and make it responsive"

The AI agents will analyze the website structure, design elements, and functionality, then generate a complete React application that recreates the site. You can then download the code or continue building on top of it.

Pro Tip: Start with simpler websites for your first attempts. Landing pages and portfolio sites work particularly well, while complex e-commerce or dashboard interfaces may require additional refinement after the initial clone.