A shop owner once asked me for help. They wanted to make checking reservations easier, but they had three Google AI tabs open and no idea where to start: Antigravity, AI Studio, and Stitch. All three say "build," and all three say "AI." I understood the confusion completely.
What I'd say first is this: choose by the shape of what you want to make, not by the name of the tool. Comparing feature lists rarely clears things up for someone who doesn't write code.
Below, I split the shapes into three and name one tool to open first for each. Product screens and feature names change quickly, so please check the official pages for details. What I can offer is a way to draw the line.
Start with one sentence
Before opening anything, write one sentence on paper:
- "I want to decide how a screen for my customers should look."
- "I want a small app that runs in the browser, just to see it work."
- "I want files and spreadsheets on my own computer tidied up automatically, again and again."
In running my wallpaper apps, I do three different kinds of work: sketching store screens, building small checking tools, and sorting out store text every month. They are all "making," yet I reach for a different tool in each case. Early on I tried to do everything in one tool, and I kept getting stuck.
Three shapes, one first tool each
| Shape of what you want | Open first | Why | Don't ask for yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| How a screen looks and is laid out | Stitch | Suited to drafting screens from text or reference images, so you can discuss looks without thinking about how it works | Saving data or calculations |
| A small app you can try in the browser | AI Studio | Makes it easy to try models and build simple apps without leaving the browser | Touching files on your computer |
| A work tool that handles your own files | Antigravity | An agent can read, write, and run things inside your working folder | Starting with fine visual tweaks |
The right-hand column matters most. The fewer things you ask for on day one, the easier it is to find out why something went wrong.
Applying it to the shop owner's request
Read closely, "make checking reservations easier" split into two. Did they want the reservation list to look clearer, or did they want confirmation emails gathered into a tidy table?
The first is the shape of a screen, so it starts with Stitch and a conversation about how the list should look. The second is a job on files and tables, so it starts with Antigravity. One worry on the surface, two shapes underneath, and therefore two different first tools.
All I asked of them that day was to choose which of the two was hurting more this month. Once they chose, I think half the confusion was already gone.
Three questions when you're unsure
If one sentence doesn't settle it, ask yourself these, in order:
- Who will open the finished thing, and where? If only you, Antigravity; if the public, Stitch or AI Studio is closer.
- Will it read or write your own files? If yes, Antigravity. If not, the other two are enough.
- Which is already decided, looks or mechanics? If looks, Stitch. If mechanics, AI Studio or Antigravity.
Most of the time this narrows it to one. If two remain, I'd start with the one that costs nothing, or the one that can't affect your own files if it goes wrong.
How I chose badly at first
I'll admit that in the beginning I opened whichever tool looked the most capable. On days when I only wanted a screen idea, I opened the one that can operate on files and spent my time checking settings I didn't need.
It didn't go well. The screen idea became secondary, and before long I was talking only about folder permissions. These days I keep to one line: looks go to the looks tool, files go to the files tool.
After the first tool
What you make with the first tool becomes the briefing for the next. A screen image and description from Stitch can be handed to AI Studio or Antigravity with "build it to look like this." Once the order is fixed, the three tools stop competing and form one line of work.
Before handing over, check one thing: that the text you pass along contains no customer names or personal details. I keep to this even on days when I'm feeling off.
Your next step
For today, writing your one sentence and picking a single row in the table is enough. Then, for the first thirty minutes, leave that row's "don't ask for yet" column alone. I believe the feel of a small start will carry your decision about the next tool.