As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, businesses are finding innovative ways to enhance their marketing efforts. One of the most impactful advancements is the rise of AI landing page builders, which promise to revolutionize the way businesses create and optimize landing pages.
These tools allow marketers and business owners to streamline their processes, making it easier to create high-converting pages without needing extensive design or coding expertise. But how do AI-built pages compare to those crafted by agencies with teams of UX designers, copywriters, and CRO experts? This comparison is crucial for marketers looking to optimize their resources and make the right choice for their business goals.
The advent of AI-powered landing page builders has simplified the page creation process significantly. These tools use machine learning algorithms to automate design, content placement, and A/B testing, offering businesses an efficient way to produce high-quality landing pages without the need for specialized knowledge. As businesses shift to digital-first strategies, the demand for quick, effective, and scalable landing page solutions has led to the widespread adoption of AI tools.
For marketers and business owners, understanding the difference between AI-generated and agency-built landing pages can significantly influence decision-making. Whether optimizing for budget, time, or control, the choice can impact everything from user experience to conversion rates. It’s essential to evaluate how each option aligns with business objectives, especially in industries where customer acquisition and retention are paramount.
AI landing pages are created using automated tools powered by machine learning. These platforms leverage AI algorithms to design, write, and optimize landing pages based on input data. AI tools like Framer AI, Durable, and Unbounce Smart Builder can generate layouts, recommend copy, and adjust designs for optimal performance without requiring manual intervention from human designers or developers.
If you want to see how AI can design pages in minutes, check out our detailed guide on how to generate AI landing page designs like a pro.
AI landing page builders work by taking input from users, such as business goals, target audience, and branding guidelines, and then generating a customized landing page.
The AI uses this information to select design elements, suggest content, and implement best practices in user experience and conversion rate optimization (CRO). These tools often come with built-in A/B testing capabilities, allowing for continuous optimization to improve page performance.
Known for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, Framer AI uses AI to suggest design elements and layouts tailored to the user’s needs. It streamlines the process of creating landing pages that are responsive, visually appealing, and high-converting.
This AI tool focuses on simplifying the entire landing page creation process, offering users AI-generated content, design layouts, and performance tracking. It’s ideal for small businesses and startups looking to get online quickly without complex development or design.
As part of the Unbounce suite, the Smart Builder is designed to automatically suggest optimized landing page templates based on the user’s campaign goals. The tool offers AI-driven content creation and layout suggestions, along with integration to track and improve conversion rates.
AI landing page builders are popular with small business owners, startups, and marketers who need fast, cost-effective solutions. These tools are ideal for those with limited technical expertise but who still want to create high-quality, high-converting landing pages. Additionally, larger businesses may use AI tools for specific campaigns or test variations quickly without needing to involve large teams.
Agency-built landing pages are custom-designed pages created by specialized professionals, including UX designers, copywriters, and conversion rate optimization (CRO) experts. These pages are meticulously crafted to meet the specific needs of the business, with the goal of maximizing user engagement and conversions. The process behind building these pages often involves research, strategy, and ongoing optimization to ensure the final product is as effective as possible.
When agencies build landing pages, they typically start with a deep understanding of the business’s goals, target audience, and brand voice. The process involves:
Agencies gather data about the target audience and competitors to inform design and copy decisions.
UX designers create wireframes and prototypes that are optimized for user engagement and conversion.
Professional copywriters craft persuasive, clear, and compelling messages tailored to the business’s audience.
CRO experts analyze metrics and conduct A/B testing to ensure the page is optimized for the highest possible conversion rates.
In an agency setting, the expertise of UX designers, copywriters, and CRO experts is invaluable. UX designers ensure the page is user-friendly and aligned with best practices in web design, while copywriters craft messaging that resonates with the audience. CRO experts analyze performance data and continuously optimize the page to drive conversions.
While AI landing page builders are efficient, agencies still play a crucial role in delivering a personalized, high-touch service that considers the nuances of a brand’s messaging, industry, and target audience. Agencies can provide a level of customization, strategy, and ongoing optimization that AI tools currently cannot replicate. For complex or large-scale campaigns, the involvement of experts ensures the landing page not only looks good but also performs exceptionally well in terms of conversion.
See examples of high-converting designs in our landing page design inspiration guide.
Typically, these pages are more template-based with automated content and design suggestions. They are quicker to set up, cost-effective, and ideal for businesses that need a basic landing page for a specific campaign.
These pages are tailored to a business’s exact needs, offering highly personalized design, messaging, and functionality. They are ideal for businesses that need sophisticated solutions or want to invest in a long-term, high-converting strategy.
Built in 5 minutes using UX Pilot AI
The AI-generated landing page, built using UX Pilot AI, showcases the potential for rapid creation with minimal input. It generates a clean design, typically featuring a hero section, key features, testimonials, and a call to action. UX Pilot uses algorithms to generate pages quickly by pulling from pre-built templates and layouts.
Designed by Apexure with custom UX and copy
In contrast, the custom-built Rocket Money landing page designed by Apexure represents the outcome of a strategy-driven approach. Apexure focuses on optimizing user experience (UX) with attention to detail, brand consistency, and conversion rate optimization (CRO). The design incorporates unique elements that reflect Rocket Money’s brand identity, such as color palette, typography, and tailored messaging that speaks directly to users’ pain points.
Basic structure with predefined layouts, minimal customization options, and predictable patterns. The design might look clean but feels generic and static.
Fully tailored to Rocket Money’s audience and goals, with a strategic layout that leads users through a natural flow from discovering the app’s value to signing up for the service. It’s not just a design; it’s a conversation with the user.
Relies on templated copy, typically short, straightforward, and functional. However, it may lack the personalized, emotional resonance that captures users’ attention.
Messaging is crafted with a focus on Rocket Money’s unique value proposition: empowering users to take control of their finances. It’s more persuasive, aiming to build trust through targeted benefits and clear CTAs.
While functional, the AI-generated landing page may not have optimized conversion pathways. For example, it might place the CTA too early or too late, or fail to include trust signals like testimonials and reviews.
Every part of the landing page is crafted with a user’s journey in mind, focusing on making the conversion process seamless. From clear calls to action to trust-building elements like social proof, everything is designed to increase conversions.
Beyfilmz Media is a premier event production company based in Washington D.C., offering comprehensive services including event videography, photography, livestreaming, and AV support. With over 10 years of experience, they specialize in capturing every aspect of events, from conferences and corporate gatherings to keynotes and trade shows.
To compare the impact of AI-built versus agency-built landing pages, we analyzed Beyfilmz Media’s online presence.
Quickly generated using a template-based AI tool, the page presented their core services but lacked emotional storytelling and visual hierarchy.
The agency-built landing page featured high-quality visuals, a structured flow highlighting expertise and trust, and persuasive copy emphasizing their 10+ years of experience. The result was a more engaging and conversion-focused experience that reflected the brand’s authority.
This comparison clearly shows how strategic human design and CRO-led copywriting can elevate a brand’s credibility and conversion potential.
AI landing pages, like those generated by UX Pilot AI, can be built in minutes, but human designers bring a strategic, tailored approach that focuses on the finer details. While AI for landing pages excels at speed, custom-built solutions from agencies like Apexure prioritize precision and conversion optimization, which ultimately leads to better results over time.
AI tools can build a landing page in minutes, drastically reducing design time.
AI-generated pages typically cost far less than custom-built ones, making them ideal for smaller businesses or startups with limited budgets.
With intuitive tools like UX Pilot AI, even individuals without design experience can create a functional landing page.
Since these pages are created from templates, they may look similar to many other websites and lack distinctive features that set the brand apart.
AI tools provide fewer options for tweaking design elements specifically for conversion optimization (CRO). Custom testing and data-driven adjustments are often required for improvements.
AI-generated designs may not easily adapt to various user preferences or respond dynamically to user behavior.
Strategy-Driven: Agency-built landing pages are tailored to the specific needs of the brand and its audience. The design decisions are based on comprehensive research, user persona analysis, and customer journey mapping.
Conversion-Optimized: Agencies, such as Apexure, bring CRO best practices to the table, ensuring that every part of the page is crafted to improve conversion rates.
Brand-Consistent: Custom designs maintain brand integrity, using personalized fonts, colors, and tone to create a cohesive experience across all touchpoints.
Higher Cost: Custom-built landing pages are more expensive due to the time and expertise required from professional designers and developers.
Longer Timelines: The process of designing and testing a custom landing page takes longer than AI-driven solutions.
Requires Collaboration: For optimal results, the process requires close collaboration between the business and the agency, which can be time-consuming and sometimes difficult for busy teams.
When it comes to comparing the performance of AI landing page generators and custom-built landing pages, the results can vary depending on multiple factors. Here, we’ll look at key metrics to determine which performs better.
Metrics to Measure:
A high bounce rate suggests that users are leaving the page quickly, often due to poor design or irrelevant messaging. Custom-built landing pages, with their personalized design and persuasive messaging, are more likely to keep users engaged.
The longer a user stays on the page, the more likely they are to convert. AI for landing pages may struggle to keep users engaged compared to a custom-built landing page, which is strategically designed to encourage further exploration.
Ultimately, the goal of any landing page is to get users to take action — usually in the form of a form submission or signup. Custom-built landing pages generally outperform AI pages in this regard, thanks to their tailored CTAs, trust signals, and user-focused design.
To go deeper into conversion optimisation principles, explore our landing page CRO tips.
AI landing page builders are an excellent choice for businesses looking for quick, cost-effective solutions. Here are some scenarios where AI builders shine:
For businesses just starting out or testing a new product, AI tools allow rapid deployment of landing pages without needing specialized design or technical knowledge. These tools are perfect for creating initial pages for a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or testing a marketing campaign without the overhead of custom development.
Small businesses or startups with limited budgets and timelines can benefit from AI landing pages. These tools enable businesses to get online quickly without waiting for long design and approval processes. While they may lack the depth of custom-built pages, they allow marketers to launch campaigns and iterate based on initial results.
If speed is your top priority, you can also explore our guide on how to build landing pages fast.
For more complex or established businesses, custom-built landing pages offer significant advantages. Here’s when they are the best option:
As businesses scale, it becomes essential to optimize landing pages for higher conversion rates (CRO). Custom agency-built landing pages offer the flexibility and strategic focus required to align with the brand’s unique voice, customer needs, and specific marketing goals. These pages are designed to ensure maximum impact, especially for paid campaigns targeting specific demographics.
Custom-built pages can integrate advanced personalization, segmentation, and analytics that help businesses optimize for ROI. If data tracking, detailed analytics, and user behavior optimization are key to your strategy, a custom agency build will provide the insights and control needed to continually refine your pages for maximum effectiveness.
The future of landing page creation isn’t about choosing between AI and agencies — it’s about combining the strengths of both. Here’s how they can work together:
How Agencies Are Adopting AI Tools for Faster Workflows: Many agencies are now incorporating AI tools into their workflows to speed up the design and optimization process. These tools help automate repetitive tasks like layout suggestions and content generation, allowing designers and copywriters to focus on more complex creative and strategic work. AI can handle the groundwork, while agencies bring expertise to fine-tune the page and ensure it aligns with the business’s specific needs.
Why the Future Isn’t AI vs. Agency, But AI with Agency: The integration of AI with human expertise is the future. AI can assist in automating tasks, enhancing data-driven decisions, and offering quick suggestions, while agencies provide the customization, creativity, and strategic thinking that AI cannot replicate. Together, they can create high-performing landing pages that balance speed, cost, and long-term optimization.
If your goal is speed and budget-friendly testing, AI landing page builders are the way to go. You can quickly launch a functional landing page and iterate as needed.
If you’re looking to scale, optimize conversions, and have a long-term vision for your landing pages, a custom agency build will give you the control and sophistication needed to maximize ROI.
If you’re looking for a hybrid approach, consider using AI tools to speed up the creation process and integrate them with your agency’s expertise for ongoing refinement and customizations.
Do you know Apexure has 100+ blog posts on landing pages? We have shared everything, from creation to testing, analysis to optimization. Check it out before you build your landing page.
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Check out our landing page portfolio to discover conversion-friendly landing page elements that might. Filter your industry and check which landing page design is trending.
AI landing page builders are great for quick, budget-friendly launches, but they lack the strategy and CRO depth agencies provide.
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As CEO and Founder of Apexure, Waseem Bashir's decade-old experience in building high-converting landing pages extends to collaborations with Fortune 500 leaders. From free to paid he has tried his hands on all landing page builder tools and knows just the right fit for every business. Read more
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