Silex is a free, open-source visual website builder that lets designers, agencies, and no-code developers build static sites by drag and drop and export clean HTML and CSS they can host anywhere.

What it is

Silex is a visual website builder written in TypeScript and released under the AGPL-3.0 licence. It runs as an online tool, as a self-hosted server, and as a desktop application in alpha, and it is maintained by Silex Labs, a non-profit recognised as being of general interest with no investors and transparent finances published on Open Collective. The editor is built on GrapesJS and pairs drag-and-drop page building with direct HTML, CSS, and JavaScript editors, an 11ty-compatible template pipeline, and a plugin system for extending both server and client behaviour in JavaScript or TypeScript. It sits in the JAMstack and no-code ecosystems, with a public repository at roughly 2,973 stars, 678 forks, and 70 open issues.

The concrete problem it solves is vendor lock-in in the no-code and visual builder market. Most competing tools store pages in proprietary formats, force hosting onto their own platform, and charge a subscription, so leaving means rebuilding. Silex produces standard static HTML and CSS as its output, which means every page it generates can be exported in full, hosted on any static host, and abandoned at any time without losing the work. The knowledge it teaches, HTML, CSS, and JAMstack practice, transfers directly to hand-written web development rather than to one vendor's interface.

Key capabilities

• GrapesJS-based visual editor with drag-and-drop page building alongside HTML, CSS, and JavaScript editors.
• Static HTML output, so generated sites are fast and can be hosted anywhere.
• CMS integration that binds components to WordPress, Strapi, Squidex, or any GraphQL API.
• 11ty compatibility, generating static sites from Silex templates for deployment through CI/CD.
• Desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux, built with Tauri, working offline with no account and including a built-in MCP server for AI and vibe-coding workflows.
• Plugin system that extends the application with server and client plugins written in JavaScript or TypeScript.
• SEO tooling covering meta tags, Open Graph, and per-page settings.
• Self-hosting through Docker, Node.js, or one-click deployment on CapRover.

Who uses it and how

• Web agencies use the visual workflow and static output to take on more client work without scaling the team.
• WordPress developers keep WordPress for content and replace the theme layer by pulling content through GraphQL into Silex-built frontends.
• Freelance webdesigners build client sites without writing code, then export standard HTML and host it on any provider the client prefers.
• No-code developers move past Wix and Squarespace limits by getting full CSS control with no vendor lock-in.
• Designers who want to work offline, or who want AI-assisted page generation through the bundled MCP server, use the alpha desktop app instead of the hosted editor.

Getting started

The hosted editor is available at v3.silex.me and is free, though it requires a GitLab account for storage. The desktop app can be downloaded for Windows, macOS, or Linux, and self-hosting is done with Docker, Node.js, or one-click CapRover deployment, with local development running pnpm install && pnpm build && pnpm start and opening http://localhost:6805.

How it compares

Against Webflow, Wix, and Squarespace, Silex differs on licence, hosting, data ownership, and cost model. Those products are proprietary and include subscriptions with premium tiers, while Silex is AGPL-licensed, includes all features with no premium tier, and is described by its project as the only open source alternative to Webflow. Silex also allows self-hosting and full export of a site in standard HTML and CSS, so the user keeps the data and can leave at any time.

When to use it — and when not to

A self-hoster must run and maintain a Node.js or Docker deployment themselves, and anyone using the hosted editor must hold a GitLab account for storage because storage is tied to GitLab rather than handled internally. Teams that want a fully managed service with no server operations, or that depend on a mature desktop client, should not pick it yet, since the desktop app is explicitly labelled alpha. The README also defers production and Docker setup to the external self-hosting guide rather than documenting them inline, so expect to leave the repository for deployment detail.

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/silexlabs/Silex.git
cd Silex
pnpm install && pnpm build && pnpm start

http://localhost:6807/mcp