Dev's AI template clones legacy PHP sites to Next.js using budget bots like DeepSeek—saving hosting hell, one hallucinated hamburger menu at a time

A developer has created an AI template that can clone any website to Next.js, a popular React-based framework, using various AI models, including cheaper ones. The template, called NEKO-Template, is designed to convert static websites to Next.js components with Tailwind CSS, preserving the visual appearance and layout. The developer, who works for a company that runs several PHP sites, was motivated by high hosting costs and the need for a cost-effective solution. The template uses explicit instructions and scope control to work with different AI models, including Claude Sonnet, GPT-4o, and DeepSeek. The conversion process takes around 10 minutes, and the template has been open-sourced on GitHub. The developer tested the template with various models, finding that even cheaper models like GPT-4o-mini can produce good results at a significantly lower cost, around $0.003 per page. This innovation has significant implications for companies looking to migrate legacy websites to modern frameworks without breaking the bank.