Polymet vs Subframe (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Polymet grades higher than Subframe: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Polymet grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Polymet
AI product designer that builds screens as editable React code
Subframe
Design canvas, coding agent and browser in one desktop app
Which one is for you
Pick Polymet if
- Fits if you want working React screens from a prompt, to hand to developers
- Works for teams that already keep a design system or Figma files
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a finished app with logins and payments built for you, as it is aimed at design and front end
- Tight if you stay free: 500 credits a month, 250 a day, and a Polymet badge on anything you publish
- Pricey if you need code download, GitHub export or a custom domain, all Pro at $25 a month for 1,000 credits
- Watch out: Team is $50 for the same 1,000 credits, and there is no phone or desktop app
Pick Subframe if
- Fits if you already pay for Claude Code or Codex and work in React
- Works for designers and developers sharing one canvas
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: one project only
- Watch out: more than one project needs Pro at $20 per editor
- Watch out: AI credits apply only in the web version or in place of your own Claude or Codex plan
- Not for you if you want a tier above Pro: none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPolymetFair | 2.2GPASubframeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$25 a month for 1,000 credits sits at the top of the $15 to $25 range this category charges, and Team costs $50 for the same credits. The paid plan is what unlocks code download and custom domains. | C$20 per editor a month, the category's middle price. The page doesn't say if that is monthly or yearly. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree gives 500 credits every 30 days, capped at 250 a day, with unlimited projects. Published apps carry a Built with Polymet badge, and unused free credits do not carry over. | CFree: one project, unlimited viewers and editors, limited AI credits, or your own Claude or Codex plan. One project is a firm cap. |
| Features | BCanvas, visual and code editors, Figma and GitHub in and out, a design system, a backend and publishing. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job of building front-end screens, though credits run out faster on big builds. | CCanvas with components and tokens, a built-in browser, an agent and comments. The vendor says it is aimed at React. |
| Ease of use | CA browser app where the work is describing and shaping the thing you are building. No store rating is on record, so there is nothing to lift it higher. | CNo store rating on record. It is a desktop app that needs a running dev server and a Claude or Codex subscription. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it links to Figma, GitHub, Storybook, npm and Claude Code through its MCP server. | BMac, Windows and web, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, GitHub and Mobbin connections. |
| Best for | turning a prompt into front-end screens and prototypes | a design canvas wired to your coding agent |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Polymet and Subframe. How we grade
Price against what you get
Polymet starts at $20.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Subframe starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Polymet scores higher, and starts $0.83 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 7 score higher than Polymet for less, and 14 score higher than Subframe for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| Polymet | Subframe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per month for 1,000 credits (Pro), or $250 billed yearly | $20 per editor / month |
| Free plan | 500 credits every 30 days, up to 250 a day, with unlimited projects and collaborators. Published apps carry a "Built with Polymet" badge. | One project, unlimited viewers and editors, limited AI credits, and use of your own Claude or Codex subscription. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Polymet | Subframe |
| Price read from | docs.polymet.ai | subframe.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Polymet
- Credits are spent by AI model usage per message, so large builds use more than short edits; nothing is billed past zero and generations stop when credits run out.
- Custom domains, code download, GitHub export, removal of the Polymet badge and premium models are Pro-plan features.
- A Keep Alive option at $8 a month keeps a finished project online after a paid plan is cancelled, with 300 credits a month on top of the free 500.
- Unused free credits do not carry over; paid plan credits roll over for 30 days after each renewal. The product is a browser app only.
Subframe
- The Free plan allows one project; unlimited projects need Pro at $20 per editor / month.
- The vendor says it works best with React, though the browser and canvas work with anything that renders on the web.
- AI credits are used only in the web version or when you use them instead of your own Claude or Codex subscription.
- The pricing section does not say whether $20 is billed monthly or annually, and lists no plan above Pro.
Key features
Polymet
- Prompt-built canvas
- The Polymet agent turns a prompt into pages and components on a canvas, as a React and Tailwind app you can click through.
- Visual and code editors
- Tweak layout, spacing and colors visually, select an element and edit it with AI, or open the code editor for direct control.
- Design systems and Figma
- Bring your own design system, import Figma files into a project and export designs back to Figma.
- GitHub and coding agents
- Import from GitHub or a ZIP with two-way sync, export code to a repository, and build in Polymet from Claude Code and other coding agents through its MCP server.
- Backend and publishing
- Projects can add a backend with managed data and secrets, publish to a polymet.app link, and use custom domains on paid plans.
- Team collaboration
- Invite members with Admin and Member roles, work live in the same project, and keep versions and branches.
Subframe
- Design canvas
- Components with props, slots and variants, plus themes and design tokens across light and dark modes, synced with the design system in your codebase.
- Built-in browser
- Preview and edit your running app inside Subframe, with detected local dev servers listed in the browser panel.
- Coding agent
- Uses an existing Claude Code or Codex subscription as the internal agent. Other agents such as Cursor or Gemini connect through MCP.
- Prompting on the canvas
- Ask for designs or repetitive changes without leaving the canvas, then hand the result to the agent to implement in code.
- Multiplayer and comments
- Share a canvas link and comment in threads with teammates or the agent, then turn feedback into changes.
Plans
Polymet
Free$0
500 credits every 30 days (up to 250 a day), unlimited projects and collaborators, canvas, visual and code editors, Figma and GitHub import. Published apps show a Polymet badge.
Pro$25
per month for 1,000 credits ($250 billed yearly)
Adds credit rollover, custom domains, code download, GitHub export, no badge and premium models. Sizes run from 1,000 to 50,000 credits a month ($1,000).
Team$50
per month for 1,000 credits ($500 billed yearly)
Everything in Pro at twice the price for the same credits, in the same 12 sizes up to $2,000 a month.
EnterpriseCustom
For teams over 10 people: volume pricing, SSO and SAML, audit logs, SOC 2 and dedicated support. Arranged by contract.
Subframe
Free$0
One project, unlimited viewers and editors, limited AI credits, and use of your own Claude or Codex subscription.
Pro$20
per editor / month
Unlimited projects, 6x the AI credits of Free, and multiple themes per project. Billing basis (monthly or annual) is not stated.
Ways to pay less
Polymet
- Annual discount
2 months free on yearly billing
A yearly Pro or Team plan costs 10 times the monthly price, paid at once, with credits arriving in 12 monthly batches.
Subframe
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Polymet or Subframe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Polymet starts at $25 per month for 1,000 credits (Pro), or $250 billed yearly, and Subframe starts at $20 per editor / month. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Polymet or Subframe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Polymet and Subframe have a free plan.
Which platforms do Polymet and Subframe run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Subframe lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.