Automattic launches Spacefast platform for deploying vibe-coded apps as web shifts

WordPress has been a crucial technology and content management system for websites like TechCrunch. Now, WordPress.com owner Automattic is responding to the changing state of the web by debuting a new service called Spacefast, which will allow users to deploy vibe-coded websites and apps.

Spacefast is designed to provide infrastructure for vibe-coded apps, including databases, authentication, file uploads, emails and analytics, to make them functional websites, apps or services. The product competes with the likes of Lovable and Emergent, which offer both an interface and rails for vibe-coded apps, but in a more open way.

Users can connect Spacefast with other agents and chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Hermes, OpenClaw, Grokbot, Muse, Pi, Cursor, Opencode and Amp. Alternatively, they can connect a Git repository to Spacefast 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 that time, he worked on the company's cross-platform messaging app Beeper and said he often got Vercel links from his non-technical friends while 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,” he told TechCrunch over a call.

İçöz eventually shared the solution with his friends and added more features to make the product more dynamic. Automattic soft-launched the product in September to gather feedback before today's launch. The company has seen varied use cases for the product, with people and organizations using it for internal mockups, slideshows and offer-related websites. But that isn't the only competition Spacefast faces. Productivity and design software like Figma, Canva and Notion have launched products that sit at the intersection of vibe coding, mockups and presentations.

İçöz thinks that, compared with something like Lovable, Spacefast has the advantage of giving users a choice of agent and letting them use the solution their own way. The counter-argument might be that a certain kind of user wouldn't want to choose and would rather have everything figured out for them.

Spacefast said it also has the advantage of being within Automattic to launch solutions like web analytics, WordPress integration and e-commerce features (through WooCommerce) easily to compete better with the whole lot.

“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 enterprise needs. With our existing products, we have experience serving enterprise customers,” İçöz noted.

A challenge for newly minted products in the AI world is retaining people after launch. Users might get excited to try a new product and then move on to the new shiny thing within days or weeks. İçöz is cognizant of the fact and said he expects people to churn, as they might 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 emphasized.

Many websites and publishers are struggling with dwindling traffic due to AI chatbots and summaries to the point that Google itself saw its ad revenue growth drop. İçöz acknowledged that people are now making websites with ChatGPT or Claude rather than deploying something on WordPress, and he said some sites won't need a content management system at all as the web expands.

Spacefast arrives during turbulent months at Automattic. In a saga reminiscent of OpenAI and Sam Altman, the company's board forced CEO Matt Mullenweg out, but he was back in control within days. The rebel board was eventually replaced, and the interim CFO left within weeks of being appointed. In October, TechCrunch reported that the company had begun layoffs across several properties, with more cuts expected.