Automattic Launches Spacefast to Deploy Vibe-Coded Apps

Automattic has launched Spacefast, a platform for deploying so-called vibe-coded websites and apps, as traffic declines push the WordPress.com owner beyond its core content management business. The product soft-launched in September and reached general availability today.

Spacefast supplies the infrastructure that AI-generated front ends lack: databases, authentication, file uploads, email and analytics. Users connect it to agents and chatbots including ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Grok, Muse, Pi, Amp, Opencode, OpenClaw and Hermes, or link a Git repository to start. The pitch is simple. Anyone can prompt an app into existence; few can make it run.

Who built it, and why?

Batuhan Icoz heads the product. He built the first version during an Automattic hackathon sprint earlier this year, while working on Beeber, the company's cross-platform messaging app. He said his non-technical friends kept sending him Vercel links from their own vibe-coding experiments.

"I thought there had to be a better way for everyone to set up and deploy their projects," Icoz told TechCrunch. "Automattic already has good infrastructure, but we have been traditionally associated with just WordPress. I thought, why do I have to use Cloudflare when we have a CDN just as good?"

The project started under the name Stattic. Icoz shared it with friends, added features, and Automattic soft-launched it in September to gather feedback before today's full debut. One company hackathon, one engineer, one soft launch. That is the entire confirmed origin story, and no revenue or user figures accompany it.

What does Spacefast compete with?

The direct rivals are Lovable and Emergent, which bundle interface and backend rails for vibe-coded apps. Spacefast positions itself as the more open option: users pick their own agent rather than accepting a locked stack. Icoz argued this choice is the advantage over Lovable. He conceded the counter-argument himself — some users prefer everything figured out for them.

A second competitive front exists. Figma, Canva and Notion have all launched products at the intersection of vibe coding, mockups and presentations. Early Spacefast use cases look modest by comparison: internal mockups, slideshows and offer-related websites.

Being inside Automattic brings bundled capabilities the rivals must build or buy: web analytics, WordPress integration and e-commerce through WooCommerce. That is the claimed edge. None of it is shipping as a differentiated feature today beyond what Automattic already owns.

Can it hold enterprise customers?

Icoz pointed to IT sprawl as the enterprise wedge. Marketing teams churn out landing pages on services like Lovable, he said, and enterprises want to consolidate with a vendor that understands their needs.

"For enterprises, the problem right now is IT sprawl, as their marketing teams are churning out landing pages on services like Lovable, and they want to consolidate and work with a company that understands the enterprise needs," Icoz said. "With our existing products, we have experience serving enterprise customers."

That claim rests on Automattic's record, not on named Spacefast contracts. No customer names, deal values or deployment counts appear in the announcement.

Will users stay?

Retention is the known failure mode for new AI products. Users try a tool, then drift to the next shiny thing within days or weeks. Icoz accepted this openly. He expects churn, he said, because some users may not be interested in making apps at all.

"I think what we need to do as a product is make sure that when you build something with Spacefast, it is so easy, and the results are so much better than without SpaceFast," Icoz said.

A promise of superior ease, with no metric attached yet.

Why Automattic needs this now

The launch arrives amid pressure on both the web and the company. Publishers face dwindling traffic from AI chatbots and summaries; Icoz acknowledged that people now build sites with ChatGPT or Claude instead of deploying on WordPress, and said some sites will not need a content management system at all as the web expands.

Automattic itself has had turbulent months. The board forced CEO Matt Mullenweg out in an OpenAI-Sam Altman-style saga; he regained control within days, the rebel board was replaced, and the interim CFO left within weeks of appointment. In October, TechCrunch reported layoffs across several Automattic properties, with more cuts expected.

Spacefast bets that AI-built apps still need hosting, auth and payments whoever makes them. Whether open infrastructure beats Lovable's integrated stack, and whether Automattic can sell it during internal turmoil, will decide if this pivot earns a number the company is willing to publish.