Google Stitch (DESIGN.md): pricing, features, alternatives

Google Stitch is a free AI design tool from Google Labs that turns a plain language prompt or a rough sketch into working mobile and web UI screens. Rather than only returning an image, Stitch builds a real, multi-screen design and, crucially, generates a DESIGN.md file: a plain-text design system document that the Gemini model produces and that any coding agent can read. That file is the part the community has latched onto. Drop it into a project root and Claude Code, Cursor, or Gemini CLI can keep producing UI that matches your palette, type scale, spacing, and component patterns instead of drifting on every new prompt.

Key Features

Text and image to UI: describe a dashboard or upload a wireframe and Stitch generates screens, components, and supporting states in minutes.
DESIGN.md export: a Markdown design-spec file (colors, typography, spacing, component rules) that both humans and agents can read and edit.
Visual design system: extract a design system from any URL or import design tokens so every generated screen stays on brand.
Multi-screen canvas: track component states, see how screens connect, and reshape a whole flow from one view.
Interactive prototyping: transform static screens into clickable prototypes so the user journey can be felt immediately.
MCP and Agent Skills: expose the tool to agent workflows, making it a composable step in a larger build pipeline.

Use Cases

Who Should Use This Tool?

Founders and indie builders who need a credible UI in an afternoon before hiring a designer.
Frontend developers who want a starting point for screens that is consistent, rather than a random-looking AI mock.
Teams already using coding agents who are tired of re-describing colors and spacing in every Claude Code or Cursor prompt.
Designers who want to prototype options quickly and hand a spec to an agent to implement.

Problems It Solves

AI UI drift: without a shared spec, an agent forgets the design between prompts. DESIGN.md gives it a persistent reference.
High-fidelity mockup cost: creating polished mockups by hand takes days; Stitch compresses that to a single session.
Idea to flow: a single prompt rarely conveys a whole journey; the canvas keeps screen states and navigation understandable.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Features
Free	$0	Full Stitch UI generation with Gemini, DESIGN.md export, screen canvas
Experimental Mode	Free	Higher generation limits using the most advanced Gemini model (limite changed with Google Labs availability)
Google Workspace	Included	Same tooling as part of the Google account, no separate license

Advantages & Unique Selling Points

Agent-native design spec: DESIGN.md is portable, plain Markdown, so it works across Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and Gemini CLI without a plugin.
Free and first-party: built and run by Google Labs on Gemini; no separate credit purchase for basic use.
Not a prototype dead end: the output includes code and a spec you can hand to an agent to implement.

What Makes It Stand Out: the DESIGN.md format sets a de facto standard for "how should this look" the way AGENTS.md does for "how should this be built."

Getting Started

Quick Start Guide

Open Stitch at stitch.withgoogle.com with a Google account.
Describe or upload: type a prompt like "analytics dashboard" or upload a sketch or reference image.
Iterate on the canvas: refine screens, states, and flow.
Export DESIGN.md: download the design spec file and place it at the root of your project.
Point your agent at it: add a line in AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md telling the coding agent to read DESIGN.md first for UI tasks.

Integration

Integrates naturally with:

Claude Code and Cursor via the DESIGN.md file
Gemini CLI and GitHub Copilot Workspace
Any agent that accepts Markdown instruction files into its context

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Stitch free?

Yes. Stitch is offered through Google Labs with a Google account. Experimental mode has its own limits, and Google can change availability over time.

Can I use DESIGN.md with tools other than Claude Code?

Yes. Because it is plain Markdown, any coding agent that loads file context can use it, including Cursor, Aider, Copilot Workspace, and custom agents.

Does it replace Figma?

Not for complex, deeply researched flows. It removes the need to build high-fidelity mockups by hand, but senior designers who own behavioral psychology and edge cases still matter.

Alternatives

If Google Stitch is not the right fit, consider these alternatives:

Galileo AI (now part of Google): the earlier text-to-UI generator this line of tools grew from.
v0 by Vercel: good if you are already deep in the React and Next.js ecosystem.
Lovable / Bolt: stronger when you want the design and the app generated together rather than a spec.

Tips & Best Practices

Name the file in prompts: "Using DESIGN.md, build a secondary button variant" beats a generic UI request.
Keep the spec distilled: do not stuff irrelevant detail into DESIGN.md; give the agent key tokens and rules.
Audit output: run a post-build check for palette and spacing drift so the spec stays the source of truth.

Conclusion

Google Stitch turns prompt-based UI generation into a repeatable, brand-consistent workflow by shipping the DESIGN.md spec alongside the screens. For solo builders and agent-heavy teams, it is a fast way to reach a polished interface that stays consistent as the code grows.