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Kite vs SubframeA Subframe alternative your agents design in.

Kite is a design tool for people and the agents they already use, with vector editing, variables with modes and no AI credits. Subframe is built around React components, with no pen tool and credits that run out.

Start designingPricing

  • Kite is best for

    Teams designing brand, marketing and product work with their own agents.

  • Kite costs

    Free to start. Pro $20 per editor a month, $16 billed yearly. No AI credits.

Key differences.

6 things Kite does that Subframe doesn't, or does less.

FeatureKiteSubframe
Vector editingPen tool, point editing and boolean operationsNo
VariablesVariables with modes, like light and dark, set per frameTheme
Agent limitsUp to 1,500 agent actions an hourAI credits
AI creditsNone: your agent runs on the plan you already pay forYes, no top-ups
FigmaPaste to and from Figma, or import a whole file by its linkImport with AI
Free plan1 editor, unlimited viewers and 3 files, freeYes, 1 project

A real design tool. Not a prompt box.

Flex and grid, components, variables, a pen and real type: what you reach for in Figma is all here. And a design is real HTML and CSS, so what your agent writes and what you draw are the same thing.

The editor

  • Around

    LayersAssets

    Pages

    App

    Website

    Layers

    Covers

    Speakeasy bars

    Best rooftop bars

    Tasting menus

    Profile

    Guide

    Covers

    308 × 144

    Profile

    Loukman Nacik@loukman · 3 guidesFollow
    100%Share
    CoversStack

    Frame

    W308H144

    Flex

    →↓▦LoukmanGap12Loukman↔16↕16

    Fill

    colour/page

    Radius

    ◜18

    Effects

    Drop shadow

    Every value, to the pixelDrag a gap, a padding or a size and the frame moves to make room as you go. Your agents set the same fields, so their work is as exact as yours.

  • Flex, grid and constraintsRows, columns and grids with even gaps and padding. Change one thing and the rest moves to make room.
  • Pen, pencil and shapesDraw paths point by point or freehand, then combine, flatten and outline them.
  • Type, fills and effectsFonts and weights, styled word by word. Gradients, picture fills, shadows and blurs.
  • Preview and historySee a frame as the screen it will be. Save versions, and go back to any of them.

Your design system. Read before every draw.

Colours, type and spacing as variables, your parts as components, the rules in plain words as skills. Agents read all of it before they draw, so their work looks like yours, not like everyone's.

Design systems
  • Around· 2 modesAround
    NameLightDark
    colour
    page#F4EFE6#F4EFE6
    ink#0A0A0A#0A0A0A
    accent#12683E#12683E
    radius
    card1818
    type
    nameINTER 600INTER 600
    Around

    Design system

    Colours
    TypeInter 600
    Corners18

    In it

    Variables24
    Styles6
    Skills4
    Loukman

    Around — Profile

    Loukman Nacik

    @loukman · 3 guides

    Chasing the perfect negroni and a quiet corner table. Bangkok → everywhere.

    Follow

    GuidesPlacesCities

    Speakeasy bars in BangkokBest rooftop bars in BangkokTasting menus worth the wait

    One design, any systemYour agent draws with the system's variables, not fixed values. Switch the system, or change one value, and every frame drawn with it follows.

  • Components, placed, not redrawnMake a part once, with its variants. Agents place copies that follow it, instead of drawing a new card.
  • Light and dark, one setA variable holds a value for each mode. Switch a frame to Dark and every colour drawn with it follows.
  • Skills, in plain wordsThe brand's look, a guardrail, how posts are made. Agents follow the skills that fit the job.
  • One library for every filePublish a file's components to the workspace. Their copies, in every file, follow when you update.

Works with what you have. Figma, and your Mac.

Bring your Figma files in and send frames back the other way. Keep Kite in its own app, where a request in a comment runs on your Mac.

Figma

  • Import from Figma

    figma.com/design/Around-AppImport

    • Create component
    • Copy
    • Copy/Paste as
    • Copy as PNG
    • Copy for agent
    • Copy to Figma
    • Copy as Tailwind

    Figma, both waysPaste frames from Figma, or import a whole file by its link. Right-click any frame for Copy to Figma, and it pastes in Figma as layers.

  • Claude finished your Kite requestnowIt answered on the comment.

    Kite for MacA tab per file, a mark on the tab an agent is working in, and requests that run with Claude Code or Codex on your Mac. It tells you when they're done.

Why teams switch from Subframe.

What changes the day your agents design in Kite.

  • Vector editing with a pen tool. Subframe has none.
  • Variables with modes.
  • No AI credits. Subframe's run out with no top-ups.
  • Figma both ways.

Questions.

About Kite and Subframe.

Is Kite a good Subframe alternative?

Yes. Kite is a design tool for people and the agents they already use, with vector editing, variables with modes and no AI credits.

How much does Kite cost?

Kite is free to start, with 1 editor and 3 files. Pro is $20 per editor a month, or $16 billed yearly. There are no AI credits: your agent runs on the plan you already pay for, so you never pay twice for the AI.

Which AI agents work with Kite?

Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex and any other MCP client that signs in with OAuth. They connect to Kite's hosted server, or to the local one in Kite for Mac.

More comparisons

Checked against each tool's own docs and pricing in October 2026. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@kite.new.

You and your agents,on one board.

In your browser, or in Kite for Mac. Bring the agent you already use.

Start designingDownload for Mac