# Else > Else is an AI prototyping platform that lets product managers and designers build working prototypes directly on their real product codebase, test with real users, and hand engineers a production-ready pull request. Full-text version: https://www.somethingelse.ai/llms-full.txt ## Field notes - [What AI coding agents didn't build for product teams](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/what-ai-coding-agents-didnt-build): AI coding-agent funding moved the field in three months and skipped one thing: testing the bet behind a prototype. A co-write from inside one team. - [The chasm between the prototype and the product](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/the-prototype-to-production-gap): PMs prototype on the real codebase, then hand engineering a PR they merge. The gap between validation and shipping is where the cost lives. - [AI coding tools versus AI prototyping tools: where each one fits](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/ai-coding-tools-vs-ai-prototyping-tools): AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf) refactor existing codebases for engineers. AI prototyping tools split into greenfield (Lovable, v0, Bolt) and brownfield (Else, Alloy, Builder.io). The PM is in the third bucket – the one that ships a PR. - [Why Lovable rebuilds your design system every time](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/design-system-recreation-tax): Every time a PM opens Lovable against an existing product, they rebuild the design system inside the tool. Kyle Grant at HP calls it the recreation tax. - [The setup is the gate](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/setup-is-the-gate): The setup is the gate between PMs who can build and PMs who cannot. It is npm, environment variables, the dev server. Tools that run in the browser solve it. - [Tools that can't imitate your actual product](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/tools-that-cant-imitate-your-actual-product): Lovable, v0, and Bolt look nothing like your actual product. The structural reason — and what it means for a PM working on an existing codebase. - [Cursor for product managers](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/cursor-for-product-managers): Cursor is built for someone who already lives in a terminal. Most PMs do not. What an executive ask for Cursor access actually buys a product team. - [The existing codebase advantage](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/existing-codebase-advantage): Every AI prototyping tool assumes you're starting from zero. Else is built for the opposite — the product that already ships, the codebase that already runs. - [The prototype is the product. Until engineering rebuilds it.](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/prototype-is-the-product): PMs argue whether the prototype replaces the PRD. Wrong fight. The real gap: between the prototype that got validated and the product engineering ships. - [AI prototyping for product managers](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/ai-prototyping-for-product-managers): AI prototyping for product managers: pick the hypothesis, match the product, protect the polish. The three-move playbook PMs use to ship prototypes that merge. - [When design says start over](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/pattern-design-said-start-over): When vibe-coded prototypes fail design review: why lookalike components trigger rebuilds, and how to choose tools that avoid the cycle. - [Super competent. Super skilled. But I didn't see anything.](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/pattern-vibe-coded-work-disappears): Your PMs are shipping fast. Engineering is shipping nothing. The vibe-coding paradox and why tool architecture matters. - [Vibe coding for product managers](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/field-notes/vibe-coding-for-product-managers): Why PM-built prototypes disappear in the engineering handoff: the structural reasons, what the handoff actually breaks, and how to fix it with the right tool. ## Use cases - [Prototype on your existing product, not a greenfield demo](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/use-cases/prototype-on-existing-product): Most AI prototyping tools assume a blank slate. Else builds on your existing product, reusing the components and design system you already ship. - [Ship copy and color changes without the queue](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/use-cases/ship-copy-and-color-changes): Ship copy updates and color changes without an engineering ticket. The fix lands as a PR on the real codebase, reviewed and merged like any other. - [Prototype with real data](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/use-cases/prototype-with-real-data): Prototypes built on mocked data fail the moment a real customer hits the page. Else runs against your actual backend so the prototype is the product. - [Ship the feature without putting it in engineering's queue](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/use-cases/pm-ship-feature-without-engineering): PMs can ship features without waiting for engineering. See how the PM-as-builder model changes engineering handoffs and delivery speed. - [Prototype on your real codebase](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/use-cases/prototype-on-real-codebase): Build prototypes on your actual product code. Not a sandbox. Not throwaway. Real components, real data, real PR. What Else makes possible. - [The PM prototype engineers will actually merge](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/use-cases/ship-production-pr-without-coding): The PM prototype that engineers will actually merge — runs on your real codebase, calls the real backend, ships as a PR with your team's components. ## Comparisons - [Else vs Figma Make 2026: Prototype on Your Real Codebase](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/comparisons/else-vs-figma-make): Figma Make prototypes inside the Figma ecosystem. Else prototypes directly on your real product codebase — any SPA framework, for PMs and designers. - [Else vs Lovable 2026: AI Prototyping on Your Real Codebase](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/comparisons/else-vs-lovable): Lovable builds new apps from scratch. Else prototypes on your existing product codebase — real components, real design system, production-ready PR. - [Else vs v0 2026: AI Prototyping on Your Real Product](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/comparisons/else-vs-v0): v0 generates React components. Else prototypes on any SPA framework inside your actual product — for PMs and designers who need a real PR, not a sandbox. ## Customers - [Ferry International: PMs shipping production PRs](https://www.somethingelse.ai/resources/customers/ferry-international): Ferry International's PM team ships production PRs through Else without engineering rebuilds. Drew Muller on cutting time-to-prod by ~90%.