Lovable is my favorite no-code tool for PMs.

But there’s always been one blocker: You need a $50–$200/month to build something useful.

So I kept searching for something I could confidently recommend to my readers.

I finally found it.

Dyad — a free, local, open-source app builder.

I was surprised. It lets you prototype, learn, and ship locally for $0.00.

For many cases, that’s all you need to start developing AI intuition and confidence.

I genuinely loved using it.

In one evening it built a Trello Clone PoC:

• Boards, lists, and cards with drag & drop

• AI generating lists and cards

• AI suggesting background images

• Using labels and marking cards as complete

• Authentication and permissions

All with a free stack ($0.00) and free Gemini API keys ($0.00).

The free Dyad tier has everything you need to start. It syncs with GitHub, connects to Supabase, lets you publish your apps on Vercel/Netlify and switch LLMs anytime.

No vendor lock-in.

Dyad is a great alternative for anyone who wants to prototype, learn, or build simple products.

From my free post you will learn:

1. Example: What Apps You Can Build With Dyad

2. How to Prototype and Build Apps for Free

3. Example: Adding a “Mark Boards as Favorite” Feature to My Trello Clone in Dyad

4. Dyad vs. Lovable: When to Use Which

5. Best Practices When Working With Dyad

6. Bonus: Dyad vs. Lovable vs. Base44 vs. Bubble vs. Bolt vs. Google Firebase Studio vs. Replit vs. Google Jules vs. OpenAI Codex vs. Visual Studio Code vs. Cursor 😀

🎁 No email, no paywall, no stupid comments: productcompass.pm/p/dya…

Hope that helps!

(This post isn’t sponsored.)