The short answer
A freelance designer can turn a Figma file or an AI prototype into native WordPress with UiChemy and hand the client a site they edit themselves. AI Express Mode converts a frame automatically into Elementor; Classic Mode gives layer-level control in Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks. The Designer plan is $8 a month billed yearly, and UiChemy Composer has a free plan for 1 live site.
What you need
- An approved Figma frame or page. Auto layout helps, but frames without it convert too.
- A WordPress site for the client with the free UiChemy plugin from the WordPress.org directory.
- A builder: Elementor for AI Express Mode today, or any of Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks for Classic Mode. Elementor is free, Gutenberg ships with WordPress, and Bricks needs its own license.
- A UiChemy account. Free includes 1,000 Credits a month and 1 Figma seat; Designer raises that to 4,000 Credits.
- Optional: Claude with the UiChemy MCP, if some of your client work starts as an AI prototype rather than a Figma file.
Step by step
Clean up the file before you convert
Name one frame per page and keep the header and footer as their own frames. Finish copy and image choices in Figma, where a change is a drag, not a rebuild. Converting never edits your Figma file; UiChemy reads a copy of the frame, so you can re-convert after the client's next round of notes.
Connect Figma to the client's site
Generate a Connection Link in your UiChemy dashboard and paste it into the Figma plugin. Do the first run on a staging or local copy. They connect the same way as a live site, and they don't count against Composer site limits.
Pick AI Express or Classic for this job
AI Express Mode is for speed: point it at a frame, skip layer tagging, and get an Elementor page back. It costs more Credits per conversion. Classic Mode is for exactness: you tag layers to widgets, push Figma colors, type and spacing into the builder's global styles, send the header and footer to theme builder templates, and use it in Elementor, Gutenberg or Bricks. Classic costs almost nothing in Credits. Many freelancers use Express for landing pages and Classic for the client's main template pages.
Convert one page and check it at three widths
Run the home page first and open it on desktop, tablet and phone. UiChemy says converted pages arrive 95% responsive, with a responsive manager for the breakpoints that need a hand. A failed conversion doesn't spend Credits, so a retry costs time, not money. Once one page looks right, convert the rest.
Started in an AI tool instead? Same destination
If you sketched the site in Lovable, Bolt or Claude rather than Figma, download the project ZIP and ask Claude to convert it with the UiChemy MCP. Our Figma Make vs Lovable comparison covers which prototyping tool suits a designer's workflow.
Convert the attached project ZIP to WordPress with the UiChemy MCP, using Elementor. One WordPress page per route. Keep my copy word for word, keep the section order, and tell me which sections you could not convert.Polish on the page, not in the code
Fix the small things directly on the page in Design Mode: text, images, links, colors and spacing. On a paid plan, AI Agent Chat takes plain instructions with the whole page in context. Developer Mode opens the HTML, CSS and JS when you want a value exact.
On the Home page, cut the hero headline to under eight words in the same tone, stack the two hero buttons on phones, and leave every other section untouched.Hand over a site the client can actually edit
Give the client a WordPress login, then use the UiChemy Composer role manager to show them Design Mode on the front end and nothing else. They change their own prices, photos and opening hours; layout and code stay safe. Role Manager comes with Designer and with Composer Solo, not with the Free plans.
What carries over and what does not
What you get
- The client's site lives on their WordPress host as native, editable content, so they're not renting a page from a platform you chose.
- You spend your hours on design, not on rebuilding an approved frame widget by widget.
- Clients fix their own copy and images, so a two-word change stops being a billable email thread.
- If your subscription lapses, the client's pages keep rendering. They're stored in the client's WordPress, not served from UiChemy.
What does not carry over
- AI Express Mode builds into Elementor only today. Gutenberg and Bricks are listed as next, so Gutenberg or Bricks clients mean Classic Mode for now.
- 95% responsive still leaves breakpoint checks to you. Budget time for the responsive manager on dense layouts.
- The Composer Free plan has no Developer Mode, no AI Agent Chat and no Role Manager. Handing a client a locked-down editor needs a paid plan.
- Credits reset each month and don't carry over. A heavy AI Express month can mean a top-up even on one person's workload.
- AI prototypes convert as pages and sections. Logins, databases, payments and server functions are not documented as converted.
Troubleshooting
The converted page doesn't match spacing in Figma
Re-run it in Classic Mode and tag the problem layers yourself, or fix the breakpoint in the responsive manager. Classic conversions cost almost nothing in Credits.
The Figma plugin can't reach the client's site
A security plugin like Wordfence or a managed host may be blocking the connection. UiChemy's docs list the one setting to allow, and support can help you connect.
Fonts or colors don't match the design system
Use Classic Mode's global styles push so Figma colors, type and spacing become the builder's globals instead of per-widget values.
The client edited something they shouldn't have
Narrow their role in the role manager to front-end Design Mode. They keep text, images and links and lose access to structure.
You ran out of Credits before the deadline
Top up, or switch the remaining pages to Classic Mode, which costs almost nothing per conversion.
Frequently asked questions
What does this cost one person?
The Designer plan is $8 a month, billed $96 a year, with 4,000 Credits a month, 2 Figma seats (4 early bird) and 5 Composer sites (10 early bird). If you only need Composer, Solo is a one-time $89 for 1 live site. Both Free plans let you test first, and paid plans have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Do I need Composer as well as Figma to WordPress?
Not as a separate purchase on the Designer plan, which covers both. Composer is what gives the client the on-page editor and you the role manager. Converted Figma pages work in the builder either way.
Do my staging sites use up my site count?
No. UiChemy says staging and local sites don't count against Composer site limits.
Can I use Gutenberg instead of Elementor?
Yes, through Classic Mode, which covers Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks. AI Express Mode is Elementor only today.
Can my client edit the site without me?
Yes. Text, images and links are native WordPress elements they edit visually, and the role manager limits them to what you choose.
What happens to client sites if I stop paying?
They keep running. The pages are real HTML, CSS and JS in the client's WordPress. Updates and support pause, and AI features drop to what the Free plan includes.
Does it work for Elementor v4?
Yes. UiChemy lists support for Elementor v3 and the v4 Atomic editor.
When does an agency plan make more sense?
When you're running many client sites or pitching every week. The agency version of this workflow is at AI to WordPress for agencies. If a client hands you a live Lovable app instead of a design, see moving a Lovable app to a client website.