How to Use Google Stitch to Design an App UI (Free, One Prompt, Three Screens)

Are you spending hours in Figma just to create a UI design? Not anymore!

Now, you can simply describe your idea in a paragraph and have a complete prototype ready before your coffee gets cold.

Google Stitch, from Google Labs, is a free AI UI design tool that can turn text, images, sketches, or even a URL into complete app and website designs. You can even get the front-end code for your designs.

Today, I’ll explain what Google Stitch is, how to use Google Stitch to design an app UI, its limitations, and who can genuinely benefit from it.

So, let’s begin!

What is Google Stitch?

Google Stitch is a free AI design and prototyping tool from Google Labs. You give written descriptions, sketches, or URLs, and it generates high-fidelity user interfaces and website screens. The export also comes with front-end code. The model runs in the browser at stitch.withgoogle.com and needs nothing but a Google account.

Google calls the approach “vibe design”; that means you start from what you want a user to feel or do rather than from a wireframe. In practice, that means you write a paragraph instead of drawing rectangles.

Google Stitch runs on Gemini. When I tested it in August 2026, the model picker offered exactly three options: Gemini 3 Flash, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Nano Banana Pro for redesigning from a screenshot. Google stopped naming Stitch’s models after December 2025, so treat that as a snapshot rather than a fixed list.

What Do You Need to Use Google Stitch to Design an App UI? 

1) Google Account

To use Google Stitch or any other Google product, you’ll first need an active Google account. If you don’t have one, simply visit the official Google Stitch website and click “Try Now” to sign in or create a new account.

2) Modern Browser

Google Stitch runs directly in your browser, so there’s nothing to install. I’d recommend using Google Chrome for the smoothest experience. 

How to Use Google Stitch for Free to Design an App UI? 

Google Stitch is very easy to use. I’ll guide you step-by-step today. We’re going to build an exam preparation app for students preparing for competitive exams.

Since the app will need a few different types of screens, it’s a good way to see how well Google Stitch handles the entire app design. So, let’s get started!

Step 1: Sign in to Google Stitch

Go to stitch.withgoogle.com and sign in with a Google account. You land straight on the canvas.

Step 2: Write the Prompt 

You have to be a little careful while writing the prompt because this step decides how well the output will be. One sentence gets you one generic screen. If you name each screen and its components, the UI output will be excellent.

Here’s the prompt I used:

[A 3-screen mobile app flow for competitive exam preparation targeting Indian students.

Screen 1 (Home): Today’s study goal card, subject progress bars (Physics, Chemistry, Math), a daily streak tracker, and a prominent ‘Start Pomodoro Session’ button.

Screen 2 (Timer): Minimalist Pomodoro timer screen with ambient dark background, play/pause controls, and background lo-fi music options.

Screen 3 (Analytics): Weekly study hours bar chart and weekly topic breakdown.

Visual style: Focused, energetic, deep navy background with vibrant saffron and electric yellow accents.].

Step 3: Select the Model 

Select the model from the right side below the prompt box. Next, choose App or Web. As you can see above, I chose App and the Gemini 3 Flash model.

Step 4: Generate the Output

Once everything is ready, press Enter. In my testing, Google Stitch took 2 minutes and 40 seconds and used 14 credits to generate three screens.

All three screens came back usable on the first attempt. The progress bars carried sensible subject names, the streak tracker looked like a streak tracker, and the navy-and-saffron palette held across every screen without being repeated.

Step 5: Edit Elements with Direct Edits

Click on any element on the canvas, and a tab will open with three options: Edit Text, Edit with AI, and Delete. For example, I changed the text on Screen 2 from “Focus Session” to “Timer” in just a few seconds.

Step 6: Add a Screen with a Prompt

Now, suppose you want to add another screen to your existing project. You can simply describe what you want using a prompt.

Here’s the prompt I used:

Add a mock test screen.

Google Stitch generated a new screen with live and upcoming tests, with practice sections for different subjects. It also matched the visual style of the existing screens without me having to mention it in the prompt.

Step 7: Preview the Prototype 

Click the Play or Preview button at the top of the Google Stitch dashboard.

Google Stitch turns your static screens into a clickable prototype and automatically figures out which screen each button should lead to. You can click through the screens, test the buttons, and see how the app flows.

Once you’re happy with it, you can also share the prototype using a link.

Step 8: Export the Project 

Once you’re satisfied with the design, click Export and select the screens you want to export. You can then export the assets or generate production-ready code.

I chose Project Brief to export the design system details and .ZIP to download the entire project.

What does Google Stitch actually export?

Google Stitch exports to seven destinations: AI Studio, Figma, MCP, Netlify, Lovable, Bolt, and .ZIP. For most people, the ZIP is the one that matters, because it opens in any IDE. Three things about the export did not match what I had read.

The design file is not called DESIGN.md

Google’s announcement describes the Stitch import or export design rule as DESIGN.md, an agent-friendly markdown file so other tools can read it. When I exported the file as Project Brief, I got a lowercase file named after my project: exam_ace_design.md. The contents are right, and any coding agent will read them. But if you’re looking for a file named DESIGN.md, you will not find one.

Figma only works in one direction

Google Stitch can export your design to Figma, but it cannot import existing Figma files. If you want to use a Figma design as a reference, you can export it as a PNG, JPG, or PDF and upload that as an image. Stitch can use it as a reference, but it won’t import your existing components, colours, or typography directly.

Antigravity is not a button

Google positions Antigravity as where your Stitch screens go to get backend logic attached. There was no Antigravity option in my export menu. You need to download your Stitch project as a ZIP file and open that in Antigravity yourself. It works, but it’s an extra step that the announcement doesn’t make particularly clear.

No Jules Export Option Is Available

Many reviews mention exporting UI designs from Google Stitch to Jules. But I didn’t find Jules in the list of available export options during my testing.

What do You Get on the Google Stitch Free Plan?

Google Stitch is completely free and has no paid tier. You get 400 credits per day, as mentioned in Stitch Settings.

My three-screen generation cost 14 credits. During testing, I made seven or eight apps in one sitting without denting the balance.

Limitations of Google Stitch

1) Edits Can Take Several Attempts

I asked Google Stitch to add the new Mock Test screen to the navigation bar so that each item would open its own screen. It took four or five attempts to get it right. Even after four or five separate prompts, each one generated a navigation bar that looked correct but didn’t actually work as expected.

So, generating screens can feel almost like a one-shot process. But getting the connections between screens to work properly can take several attempts. Remember, each attempt costs credits and a couple of minutes.

2) Outputs Can Be Slow

I also had to re-prompt several times for smaller fixes. None of the changes were particularly complicated, but the process was slower than the demo videos might make you expect. So, if you think edits will take 15 minutes, I’d recommend setting aside closer to an hour.

Who Should Use Google Stitch?

1. Non-designers with an Idea to Prototype: Founders or non-technical builders who have an idea but don’t know how to use Figma.
2. Developers Who Want a Quick Starting Point: If you’re comfortable writing code but don’t want to start from a blank screen, Google Stitch can help you get started faster. You can export your project as a ZIP file or use options like MCP or AI Studio to continue building from there.
3. Product Managers: They can create clickable prototypes to share with stakeholders before committing to a sprint.
4. Marketing and Growth Teams: Teams can quickly create different landing page ideas in one session and copy concepts. 
5. Teams Already Using Claude Code, Cursor, or Gemini CLI: The MCP integration in Google Stitch can help pass your design information directly to your coding tool instead of treating the design as a separate handoff.

Who should skip Google Stitch?

1) If you have an established design system in Figma

Google Stitch will not save you time in that case. The import does not run that direction, so you would be rebuilding your library through prompts. Use it for exploration and keep production in Figma.

2) If you need backend logic

Stitch is front-end only. You will be pairing it with something else before you have a working product, and it is better to know that now than after an afternoon.

3) If you need pixel-perfect output

Google Stitch is an exploration tool. The screens are good enough to test an idea and to show someone, and they will need a designer’s pass before they ship.

Final Takeaways

In this article, I’ve explained what Google Stitch is, what you need to use it, how to design a full app UI for free, where its exports actually land, and its limitations. But before you start using the model, there are a few things worth keeping in mind.

Read the export menu yourself: what’s documented and what you actually get don’t fully match. The design file isn’t called DESIGN.md; it downloads as a lowercase, project-named file, and there’s no Antigravity button. You export the ZIP and open it in Antigravity yourself.

Google Stitch is not a front-end exploration tool, not a design system, not a backend, and not a replacement for a designer’s final pass. The system is useful for non-technical designers, developers, founders, and people with no knowledge of Figma. If you already have a mature Figma library, Stitch won’t save you time. And if you want another free Google AI tool to try next, here’s how to use Google Omni Flash for free.

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