As a product designer I often need to capture websites for research, benchmarking or inspiration. Sitesaver is the small tool I built to do that: enter a URL, hit download, and get a .zip with the full site. I designed it, built it with AI, and use it myself.
Status: beta, running fully serverless.
Tech: Lovable Cloud. The first prototype used Supabase and Firecrawl.
The challenge
Most browser “Save Page” options only download a single page, not a full experience. Paid offline tools exist, but they are cluttered, unreliable or visually outdated. I wanted something simple, fast and free for complete websites, without unnecessary complexity.
My approach
One job, done well
Sitesaver (working title) is a clean, single-purpose tool. You get a .zip with the full site structure, including pages, styles and images. Once unzipped, you open index.html locally and browse the site like online. The interface is intentionally minimal: a search bar and progress feedback.
From many parts to one
The first prototype used Supabase as a lightweight backend and Firecrawl as the crawler. It worked well, but needed several external connections and periodic maintenance. When Lovable launched its native Cloud runtime, I rebuilt the app using only that environment. It became faster and more stable, with crawling and file bundling in one place.
Key challenges
Removing friction from a utility
Utilities often feel heavy or dated. Keeping the interface to a search bar and progress feedback was the main design decision.
Fewer moving parts
Cutting the architecture from several services to one removed server round-trips and most of the maintenance.
Outcomes
Verified
- The beta runs entirely serverless and handles small to medium-sized websites in seconds.
- It is part of my daily design process: reviewing interface patterns offline, preparing workshop material and comparing competitor layouts.
Sitesaver started as a side tool and became a practical example of how I work: spot an inefficiency in my own workflow, validate the need, and design a small, focused solution that just works.
