How to Use v0 by Vercel: AI UI Generation That Actually Looks Good (2026)

v0 by Vercel is an AI tool that generates production-ready UI components and full pages from text descriptions. What sets v0 apart is design quality — the generated components use shadcn/ui and Tailwind CSS, following modern design patterns that actually look professional out of the box.

Whether you need a landing page, dashboard layout, or complex form, v0 generates clean React code you can copy directly into your project. This guide covers how to get the best results.

TL;DR — Quick Start

1. Visit v0.dev — sign in with Vercel or GitHub
2. Describe what you want: “A pricing page with three tiers”
3. Pick from generated variations
4. Copy the code into your React/Next.js project
5. Customize with follow-up prompts or manual editing

Pricing

Plan	Price	Generations	Features
Free	$0	200 messages/mo	Basic generation
Premium	$20/mo	5,000 messages/mo	Priority, more iterations
Team	$30/user/mo	10,000 messages/mo	Shared components, collaboration

What v0 Generates

v0 produces React components using:

• React with TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS for styling
• shadcn/ui component library
• Lucide icons
• Recharts for data visualization
• Next.js compatible code

Everything is production-ready and uses widely-adopted libraries, so integration is straightforward.

Getting Started

Step 1: Open v0

Go to v0.dev and sign in. You’ll see a chat interface where you describe what you want.

Step 2: Write Your Prompt

Describe the component or page you need. v0 generates multiple variations for you to choose from.

Step 3: Iterate

Select the variation you like best, then use follow-up messages to refine:

• “Make the cards have rounded corners”
• “Add a dark mode version”
• “Include form validation”

Step 4: Export Code

Click “Code” to see the full source. Copy it into your project or use the CLI:

npx shadcn@latest add "https://v0.dev/chat/your-component-id"

Writing Effective Prompts

Basic Component Prompts

A notification bell dropdown with unread count badge, list of notifications with timestamps, and mark-all-as-read button

A user profile card with avatar, name, bio, stats (followers, following, posts), and follow button

A file upload dropzone that accepts images, shows upload progress, and displays thumbnails of uploaded files

Full Page Prompts

A SaaS landing page with:
- Hero section with headline, subheading, CTA button, and product screenshot
- Features grid with 6 features, each with an icon and description
- Pricing section with 3 tiers (Free, Pro, Enterprise)
- Testimonials carousel with 3 customer quotes
- Footer with links and newsletter signup

Dashboard Prompts

An analytics dashboard with:
- Top bar with search, notifications, and user avatar
- Sidebar with navigation (Dashboard, Analytics, Users, Settings)
- Main area with:
  - KPI cards (Revenue, Users, Orders, Conversion Rate)
  - Line chart showing revenue over 12 months
  - Recent orders table with status badges
  - Activity feed sidebar

Advanced Prompting Techniques

Reference Known Designs

• “A pricing page similar to Linear’s design”
• “A dashboard layout like Notion’s sidebar approach”
• “A login form with the clean style of Stripe’s auth pages”

Specify Interactions

• “The sidebar should collapse on mobile to a hamburger menu”
• “Cards should have a hover effect with slight shadow elevation”
• “The form should show inline validation errors below each field”

Include Data Structure

A product listing grid where each product has:
- image (placeholder)
- name (string)
- price (number with currency)
- rating (1-5 stars with count)
- category badge
- "Add to Cart" button

Include 8 sample products with realistic data.

Responsive Design

• “Mobile-first design with breakpoints at sm, md, and lg”
• “On mobile, the sidebar becomes a bottom navigation bar”
• “The grid should be 1 column on mobile, 2 on tablet, 3 on desktop”

Integrating v0 Output into Your Project

Prerequisites

Your project needs:

# Initialize shadcn/ui (if not already set up)
npx shadcn@latest init

# Install common dependencies v0 uses
npm install lucide-react recharts

Method 1: CLI Install (Recommended)

npx shadcn@latest add "https://v0.dev/chat/component-url"

This automatically:

• Installs required shadcn/ui components
• Adds the generated component to your project
• Resolves dependencies

Method 2: Manual Copy

1. Click “Code” on the v0 generation
2. Copy the full component code
3. Create a new file in your project
4. Install any missing dependencies
5. Import and use the component

Method 3: Block Integration

v0 components are designed to work as “blocks” — self-contained UI sections:

import { PricingSection } from "@/components/pricing-section"

export default function PricingPage() {
  return (
    <main>
      <PricingSection />
    </main>
  )
}

Practical Workflows

Workflow 1: Rapid Prototyping

1. Generate the main page layout in v0
2. Export to your Next.js project
3. Generate individual components (forms, modals, tables)
4. Integrate components into the layout
5. Connect to your backend/API

Workflow 2: Design System Building

1. Generate core components: buttons, cards, forms, navigation
2. Export each as a reusable component
3. Customize colors and styles to match your brand
4. Build a component library your team can use

Workflow 3: Landing Page Creation

1. Generate a complete landing page
2. Replace placeholder content with real copy
3. Add real images and logos
4. Deploy directly to Vercel
5. Iterate based on feedback

Tips for Best Results

1. Be specific about layout: “Two columns on desktop, stacked on mobile” is better than “responsive”
2. Include sample data: Real-looking data makes the generation more accurate and useful
3. Mention the component library: “Using shadcn/ui components” helps v0 stay consistent
4. One component per prompt: Generate complex pages piece by piece for better results
5. Iterate incrementally: Make one change at a time rather than rewriting the whole prompt
6. Save good generations: Star generations you like for future reference
7. Check accessibility: v0 generally produces accessible code, but verify ARIA labels and keyboard navigation

v0 vs Alternatives

Feature	v0	Bolt.new	GPT-4 + Code	Figma AI
Focus	UI components	Full-stack apps	Any code	Design files
Code quality	Excellent	Good	Variable	N/A
Design quality	Excellent	Good	Variable	Excellent
Runs in browser	Preview only	Full runtime	N/A	Preview
Database support	No	Yes	N/A	No
Export format	React/TSX	Full project	Text	Design files
Best for	UI components, pages	Complete apps	Flexible tasks	Visual design

Customizing Generated Code

Changing Colors and Theme

v0 uses CSS variables for theming. Modify globals.css:

:root {
  --primary: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
  --primary-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
  /* ... */
}

Adding Animations

Add Framer Motion for smooth transitions:

import { motion } from "framer-motion"

<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
>
  {/* v0 generated content */}
</motion.div>

Connecting to Real Data

Replace static data with API calls:

// Replace: const products = [{ name: "Product 1", ... }]
// With:
const products = await fetch('/api/products').then(r => r.json())

FAQ

Is v0 free?

Yes, the free tier provides 200 messages per month, enough to generate dozens of components. The Premium plan at $20/month gives 5,000 messages and faster generation for power users.

Can I use v0-generated code commercially?

Yes. v0-generated code uses open-source libraries (shadcn/ui, Tailwind, Lucide) and you own the output. There are no licensing restrictions on the generated code itself.

Does v0 work with frameworks other than Next.js?

v0 generates React components that work with any React-based framework. While optimized for Next.js, the components are compatible with Vite, Remix, Gatsby, and any project using React with Tailwind CSS.

How do I get consistent styling across components?

Use shadcn/ui’s theming system. All v0 components share the same design tokens through CSS variables. Generate all your components in one conversation thread so v0 maintains visual consistency.

Can v0 generate backend code?

v0 focuses on frontend UI generation. For full-stack including API routes and database logic, use Bolt.new or Cursor. v0 is best used alongside these tools — generate beautiful UI with v0, then connect it to your backend. For more insights, check out our guide on How to Use GitHub Copilot. For more insights, check out our guide on How to Use ChatGPT Effectively.

Conclusion

v0 excels at one thing: generating beautiful, production-ready UI components and pages. The combination of shadcn/ui, Tailwind CSS, and Vercel’s AI produces consistently high-quality React code that looks professional without additional styling work.

Use v0 for generating UI components and pages, then integrate them into your full-stack project. The CLI installation method makes this seamless. For complete applications with backend logic, pair v0’s frontend generation with tools like Bolt.new or manual backend development.