Vibe Annotations vs. Onlook
Onlook and Vibe Annotations both connect visual work to real code, but they sit at opposite ends of the workflow. Onlook is a design surface; Vibe Annotations is a feedback layer.
Last reviewed July 2026. Onlook is actively developed, so check onlook.com for current details.
What Onlook is
"The Cursor for designers" is an open source (Apache 2.0), AI first visual editor for React and Tailwind. It gives you an infinite canvas, much like Figma, over a real codebase: drag, drop, and directly manipulate styling while it writes the code. AI is built into the tool. It is a standalone app that you can self host, it is backed by Y Combinator, and it is the most starred project in this comparison. It is a place you go to design and build React apps, not an overlay on an arbitrary running app.
Side by side
| Vibe Annotations | Onlook | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Overlay on your running app | Standalone visual editor and canvas |
| Primary user | Developers giving feedback | Designers building UI |
| Framework | Any (for annotation) | React and Next.js with Tailwind |
| Where you work | Your normal browser and editor | Onlook's canvas |
| Agent model | Your existing agent via MCP | Built in AI |
| Pin and comment on a live element | Yes | Not applicable (direct manipulation instead) |
| Component variants | Yes | Via its AI |
| License | Source available | Apache 2.0 |
| Price | Free | Self host free; hosted pricing changing |
The real difference
Onlook replaces your design and edit surface. You compose UI on its canvas and it emits React. Vibe Annotations augments your existing workflow. You stay in your own browser and editor, point at what is wrong on a page you already have, and your agent fixes it. Onlook is specific to React and Tailwind; Vibe Annotations annotates anything and leans on your agent for the framework specific work.
When Onlook is the better pick
- You are a designer who wants a canvas to build and restyle React visually.
- Your project is React with Tailwind and you want direct manipulation over that codebase.
When Vibe Annotations is the better pick
- You are a developer who wants to keep your browser, editor, and agent and add a feedback layer.
- You want one install that works across every project you have running, rather than opening each project on its own canvas, so you can multitask across many apps at once.
- Your stack is not React (or not only React) and you want a way to annotate that works with any framework.
- You want design edits, screenshots, and component variants on your live app without switching tools.
See the full benchmark for the wider field.