How Makers Build

How Makers Build is a research site for people who want to know what AI-native makers actually use. Instead of opinion-led roundups, it works from a dataset of 7,302 real SaaS and AI products, each tied to a source, and maps the tools behind them across 593 options and 54 decision points.

The core features are comparison and tracking. Public counts such as GitHub pull requests, package downloads, stars and vendor prices are shown next to the products using each tool, and prices are re-checked weekly. A ‘what changed’ feed highlights the fastest risers in categories like AI coding agents and editors, while guides and reports add context.

It is aimed at indie makers, developers and small product teams weighing stack choices, plus anyone curious about which coding agents and AI tools are gaining traction. Readers who need formal benchmarks or enterprise procurement detail will find it too lightweight.

Practical use: start with the rising list to see momentum, then compare two tools directly, or run the guided ‘plan my stack’ questions and the package.json check to see how your current setup lines up. Treat the counts as directional signals and confirm specifics on vendor pages before committing.