Automattic Launches Spacefast to Deploy Vibe-Coded Apps

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, launched Spacefast on Tuesday — a platform that lets users deploy websites and apps built through vibe coding, with databases, authentication, file uploads, emails and analytics baked in.

The product competes with Lovable and Emergent, which offer both interfaces and infrastructure for vibe-coded apps. Spacefast bets on openness instead: it works with agents and chatbots including ChatGPT, Claude, Hermes, OpenClaw, Grokbot, Muse, Pi, Cursor, Opencode and Amp. Users can also connect a Git repository to get started.

Who built it, and why?

Spacefast is headed by Batuhan Icoz, who started the project during one of Automattic's hackathon sprints earlier this year. At the time, he worked on the company's cross-platform messaging app Beeper and noticed a pattern among 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.

Icoz shared the solution with friends and added features to make it more dynamic. Automattic soft-launched Spacefast in September to gather feedback ahead of today's launch.

What are people using it for?

The company has seen varied use cases, with people and organizations using Spacefast for internal mockups, slideshows and offer-related websites.

The competition doesn't stop at Lovable and Emergent. Productivity and design software makers — Figma, Canva and Notion — have launched products that sit at the intersection of vibe coding, mockups and presentations.

Icoz argues Spacefast beats closed rivals on choice. Compared with something like Lovable, it gives users the freedom to pick their own agent and use the solution their way. He concedes the counter-argument: some users would rather not choose at all and want everything figured out for them.

How does Automattic's footprint help?

Sitting inside Automattic gives Spacefast an edge in shipping adjacent products, the company said — web analytics, WordPress integration and e-commerce features through WooCommerce can launch easily to compete with the whole field.

"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," Icoz said.

Can Spacefast keep its users?

Retention is the known killer for new AI-world products. Users try something new, then move on to the next shiny thing within days or weeks. Icoz is blunt about it — 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," Icoz said.

The launch lands amid a broader squeeze on the web. Many websites and publishers are struggling with dwindling traffic from AI chatbots and summaries, to the point that Google itself saw its ad revenue growth drop. Icoz acknowledged that people now build sites with ChatGPT or Claude instead of deploying something on WordPress, and he said some sites won't need a content management system at all as the web expands.

What's the backdrop at Automattic?

The launch comes during turbulent months for the company. In an OpenAI-Sam Altman-style saga, Automattic'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 appointment. In October, TechCrunch reported that Automattic had begun layoffs across several properties, with more cuts expected.

Spacefast is the company's answer to a web where the next wave of sites may never touch a CMS — and its first big test of whether hosting AI-built apps can replace traffic it's losing to them.