Brilliant vs v0
Choose v0 if you want a prompt to become a running Next.js app, deployed on Vercel, with a pull request at the end. Choose Brilliant if you want the design to exist first, as its own file: real vectors, components and tokens that you and your coding agent both edit, and that the agent then builds from. They are different tools, and plenty of teams will use both.
Should I choose Brilliant or v0?
It comes down to what you want at the end of the session: a design you can direct, or an app that is already live.
| Choose Brilliant if | Choose v0 if |
|---|---|
| You want to explore and settle the design before code exists | You want working code and a deployed URL from the first prompt |
| You want to move, draw and restyle anything by hand on a canvas | You are happy to steer by prompt, with style tweaks in a panel |
| Your own agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) should design with you, free | You want the agent, the sandbox and the hosting from one vendor |
| You make more than web apps: logos, illustration, video | You are building a web app on Next. |
How do Brilliant and v0 compare?
v0 builds software. Brilliant builds the design the software is made from. Each row on the v0 side links to the v0 page it was read from.
| What | Brilliant | v0 |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A professional vector design tool that agents work in, on the same canvas as you | "An AI agent that helps anyone create real code and full-stack apps and agents" (v0 docs) |
| What you get | A design file: vectors, frames, components and tokens | A running app in Next. |
| Runs on | macOS, Windows and the web | The web and an iOS app (v0 FAQ) |
| Editing by hand | Everything, directly: pen paths, booleans, auto layout, text, effects | Design Mode: select an element in the preview and change type, color, spacing, border, radius, shadow and text. Structural changes go through an instruction, and v0 writes a new version (Design Mode). Code is editable in the Code tab (Code editing) |
| Design systems | Tokens, modes and brands in one system that every bound layer follows | Design Systems 2.0: teach v0 your components and tokens from a repo, Figma frames, links or attachments (Design Systems 2.0) |
| Your own agent | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and more connect over MCP and design on the canvas. Unlimited canvas work on Free | A v0 MCP server lets another agent create chats, edit files and deploy (v0 MCP server) |
| From Figma | The Brilliant plugin imports a file as editable layers, and sends designs back | Paste a Figma link and v0 builds it as an app, on paid plans (v0 and Figma) |
| Getting it out | PNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG, PDF, HTML and React, plus MP4, MOV and Replay video on desktop (MOV on macOS only) | Deploy to Vercel, sync to GitHub with a branch per chat and pull requests (Deployments, GitHub) |
| Files | Blueprint: plain text you can read, diff and keep in git, on your disk | Code in your v0 project and your GitHub repository. "Vercel doesn’t own the code generated" (v0 FAQ) |
When is Brilliant the better pick?
Three situations, each one something you can check in the docs.
You want to design it before you build it
v0 starts writing an app from the first prompt. In Brilliant you try three directions side by side, draw the logo with the pen tool, pull a card into a component with variants, and bind it all to tokens, with nothing to deploy yet. See Vectors, Components and Design systems.
Your coding agent should design with you
Connect Claude Code, Cursor or Codex with one toggle and it creates and edits real layers on the canvas you have open. You move things by hand, it carries on from where you left them, and everything it makes lands with full undo. Canvas work for your own agents is unlimited on the Free plan. See Connect your agent.
The design should outlive one codebase
A Brilliant canvas is a plain text file on your disk. It diffs in a pull request, and your agent reads the same file when it builds the feature. The same design exports as React or HTML for the web, and as PDF, SVG or video for everything that is not a web app. See Blueprint files and Ship to code.
What does v0 do better today?
v0 ships software, and Brilliant does not try to.
A running app, backend included. v0 says it builds "both UI and backend logic, not just mockups" (v0 docs). Brilliant exports markup for your agent or your team to build on.
Deploy from the chat. Publish puts the app on Vercel, with preview deployments for working branches and custom domains (Deployments, Custom domains).
A real Git workflow. A branch per chat, automatic commits and pull requests, and v0 "never pushes directly to main" (v0 FAQ).
Previews that behave like production. The preview runs your full application in a sandbox (v0 FAQ).
A phone app. v0 has a dedicated iOS app (v0 FAQ). Brilliant runs on macOS, Windows and the web.
What do they cost?
Both start free. Brilliant’s Free plan includes every design feature and unlimited canvas work for your own agents. v0 meters by credits that models draw down (v0 pricing).
| What | Brilliant | v0 |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Brilliant AI every month, every design feature, public projects and drops, 2 GB | $0, a limit of 7 messages a day, and $5 in one-time credits for new users (v0 pricing) |
| One person | Personal $20 a month, Pro $50, Max $100, Max 20x $200 | Plus $30 per user a month, with $30 of monthly credits and $2 of daily credits on login (v0 pricing) |
| Teams | Seats from $25 a month, 2 seats minimum, 1 TB pooled | Business $100 per user a month, Enterprise custom (v0 pricing). If you already have a Vercel Hobby team, a new team also needs Vercel Pro at $20 a month (v0 teams) |
For every Brilliant plan, see the pricing page.
Can I use Brilliant and v0 together?
Yes. Design the screens in Brilliant, then hand them to whatever builds the app. Export the selection as React or HTML, or let a coding agent read the canvas over MCP. See Ship to code. If your team already works from Figma, Send to Figma turns a Brilliant design into native Figma layers, and v0 reads a pasted Figma link on its paid plans (v0 and Figma).
Common questions
Is v0 free?
There is a free plan: $0, with a limit of 7 messages a day and $5 in one-time credits for new users, according to v0's pricing page. Brilliant’s Free plan includes every design feature, and canvas work for your own agents is unlimited.
Can I get my code out of v0?
Yes. v0 syncs a project to GitHub and says you "can still export code and deploy elsewhere" (v0 FAQ). The Code tab can download the open file (Code editing).
Does v0 import from Figma?
Yes, on paid plans: paste a Figma link and v0 reads the file’s tokens, layout, text and assets (v0 and Figma). Brilliant imports Figma files too, as editable layers with their components and variables. See Import from Figma.
Is v0 a design tool?
v0 describes itself as an agent that creates "real code and full-stack apps" (v0 docs). Its Design Mode restyles elements of the running app (Design Mode). If you want a vector canvas with a pen tool, components and tokens, that is a design tool’s job, and it is what Brilliant is.
Which models does v0 use?
v0 has four tiers of its own, Mini, Pro, Max and Max Fast, and a model picker in the chat, where the models on offer depend on your plan (v0 changelog, Model picker). In Brilliant you use Brilliant AI or connect your own provider. See Providers and models.
Where next?
Try Brilliant in your browser, no account needed: open the playground.
Take a design to production: Ship to code.
Connect a coding agent: Connect your agent.
Compare another app builder: Brilliant vs Lovable.
Compare Figma’s builder: Brilliant vs Figma Make.
See every plan on the pricing page.
v0 facts come from v0.app, its docs, pricing page and changelog, each linked where it is used, and were read on November 11, 2026. Tell us if something has moved.