Key Points
* Claude 4.5 Opus can act like a senior engineer for non-technical builders when paired with a tight skill and tools setup.
* Conversion wins come more from “elevated direct response” copy and clear page architecture than from fancy visuals alone.
* Claude’s front-end design skill meaningfully reduces “AI-looking” gradients and vibe-coded layouts, producing cleaner, production-grade UIs.
* Live tests show Opus 4.5 generates more refined layouts and deeper product thinking, while Gemini often injects clever AI product features.
Section Summaries
1. Opus 4.5, Gemini 3, and the Modern Builder Stack
Greg opens by asking what listeners will learn, and James explains his current setup: Claude Code with Opus 4.5 in the terminal, Gemini 3 Pro as a cursor/agent on the side, a handful of MCPs, and one API. He stresses that, as a non-engineer, Opus 4.5 feels like having a senior software engineer sitting beside him, especially for long, complex coding tasks. The key claim: Opus stays on track better than previous models, reducing vibe-coded-headaches and endless bug hunts.
2. From Landing Pages to Clickable Prototypes and Full Apps
Next, they ask both models to build clickable prototypes of the EstateClear app. Opus 4.5 extends its design into a dashboard with progress tracking, recent activity, updates, documents, and family roles; James says it feels like a real product and notes Opus could also build the full backend with tools like Neon, Clerk, Stripe, and Vercel/Railway. Gemini’s prototype leans more into social-feeling updates and AI-assisted family messages. The consensus: both are strong MVPs, but Opus looks more thought-through as a product.
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