Automattic launches Spacefast to host vibe-coded apps
Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com, has launched a service called Spacefast that lets users deploy vibe-coded websites and apps, TechCrunch reported. The product provides infrastructure for those apps, including databases, authentication, file uploads, emails and analytics, so they can work as functional websites, apps or services.
Spacefast competes with Lovable and Emergent, which offer both an interface and rails for vibe-coded apps, but Automattic describes its approach as more open. Users can connect Spacefast to agents and chatbots including ChatGPT, Claude, Hermes, OpenClaw, Grokbot, Muse, Pi, Cursor, Opencode and Amp, or connect a Git repository to get started.
The product is headed by Batuhan İçöz, who worked on it during one of the company’s hackathon sprints earlier in the year. At the time he was working on Beeper, Automattic’s cross-platform messaging app, and said he often received Vercel links from non-technical friends exploring vibe coding.
“I thought there had to be a better way for everyone to set up and deploy their projects. Automattic already has good infrastructure, but we have been traditionally associated with just WordPress. I thought, why do I have to use Cloudflare when we have a CDN (Content Delivery Network) just as good? So I started working on what was called Stattic and now Spacefast,”
İçöz told TechCrunch over a call. He eventually shared the solution with friends and added features to make the product more dynamic. Automattic soft-launched Spacefast in September to gather feedback before today’s launch. The company said it has seen varied uses, with people and organizations using it for internal mockups, slideshows and offer-related websites.
Spacefast faces other competition too. Productivity and design software including Figma, Canva and Notion have launched products at the intersection of vibe coding, mockups and presentations. İçöz argues that compared with something like Lovable, Spacefast gives users a choice of agent and lets them use the solution their own way. The counter-argument, TechCrunch noted, is that some users would rather not choose and want everything figured out for them. Spacefast said it also benefits from sitting inside Automattic, which lets it launch web analytics, WordPress integration and e-commerce features through WooCommerce easily.
“For enterprises, the problem right now is IT sprawl, as their marketing teams are churning out landing pages on services like Lovable, and they want to consolidate and work with a company that understands the enterprise needs. With our existing products, we have experience serving enterprise customers,”
İçöz said. A challenge for new AI products is retaining users after launch, as people may try a product and move on within days or weeks. İçöz said he expects churn, since some people may not be interested in making apps at all.
“I think what we need to do as a product is make sure that when you build something with SpaceFast, it is so easy, and the results are so much better than without Spacefast,”
İçöz said. Many websites and publishers are struggling with dwindling traffic due to AI chatbots and summaries, and Google itself saw its ad revenue growth drop. İçöz acknowledged that people now make websites with ChatGPT or Claude rather than deploying on WordPress, and said some sites won’t need a content management system at all as the web expands.
Spacefast arrives during turbulent months at Automattic. The company’s board forced CEO Matt Mullenweg out, but he was back in control within days, and the rebel board was eventually replaced. The interim CFO left within weeks of appointment. In October, TechCrunch reported that the company had begun layoffs across several properties, with more cuts expected.
