NuxtLabs joins Vercel: What's next for the Nuxt framework

NuxtLabs joins Vercel: What’s next for the Nuxt framework

In a significant development for the Vue.js ecosystem, NuxtLabs has announced its acquisition by Vercel, the company behind the popular Next.js framework and deployment platform. This strategic move promises to bring new resources and opportunities to the Nuxt framework while maintaining its open-source foundation.

The announcement details

On July 8, 2025, Sébastien Chopin, founder of NuxtLabs, shared the news in a heartfelt announcement explaining the reasoning behind this decision. The primary driver was sustainability — maintaining a high-quality open-source framework while ensuring its long-term viability has proven challenging from a financial perspective.

With Vercel’s backing, the NuxtLabs team can now focus entirely on what they do best: building exceptional developer tools without the constant pressure of securing funding for the project’s future.

What stays the same

The acquisition comes with strong reassurances for the Nuxt community:

Open-source commitment: Nuxt will remain under the MIT license, ensuring it stays free and accessible to all developers
Public roadmap: Development transparency will continue with the roadmap remaining publicly available
Community focus: The community will continue to be at the center of all decisions and development
Team continuity: The existing NuxtLabs team, including Daniel Roe, Pooya Parsa, and Anthony Fu, is joining Vercel and will continue working on Nuxt and Nitro with the same dedication

Enhanced transparency and funding

As part of this transition, NuxtLabs is implementing changes to improve transparency around project funding. All sponsorship funding will be moved to Open Collective, ensuring complete transparency and guaranteeing that contributions go directly to Nuxt core and community contributors.

Exciting roadmap ahead

The announcement revealed several exciting developments planned for the coming months:

1. Nuxt UI v4 goes completely free

One of the most significant announcements is that Nuxt UI v4 will make all Nuxt UI Pro components available for free. According to the official announcement, this will launch in September. This includes:

All premium components previously behind a paywall
Complete Figma Kit for designers
Enhanced component library with better accessibility and performance
A unified library combining Nuxt UI and Nuxt UI Pro (100+ components total)

2. Open-source Nuxt Studio

NuxtLabs plans to open-source Nuxt Studio, a self-hostable version designed to integrate directly with Nuxt Content sites. This will provide:

A comprehensive admin interface for content editing
Direct integration with existing Nuxt Content websites
Self-hosting capabilities for organizations requiring full control

3. NuxtHub Admin becomes free and open source

NuxtHub Admin will become free and open source, and the integration with Vercel’s Marketplace offerings will enable seamless access to:

Postgres databases
Redis caching solutions
Other infrastructure services

This change will give developers more flexibility in choosing their preferred hosting and database solutions while making the admin interface freely available.

AI integration focus

Looking toward the future, Vercel’s expertise in AI will significantly influence Nuxt’s roadmap. The teams are exploring innovative ways to integrate AI into the developer experience, with goals including:

Faster development workflows through AI assistance
Enhanced code generation and optimization
Improved developer productivity tools

The collaboration with Vercel’s AI teams, including the v0 project, opens up exciting possibilities for AI-powered development tools within the Nuxt ecosystem.

Industry context

This acquisition aligns with a broader trend in the JavaScript ecosystem where sustainable open-source development requires corporate backing. Vercel has demonstrated its commitment to open-source projects through its support of:

Next.js development and maintenance
Turborepo optimization tools
Svelte framework support
Various community projects and developer tools

What this means for developers

For current Nuxt users and the broader Vue.js community, this acquisition represents several key benefits:

Increased stability: Vercel’s resources ensure Nuxt’s long-term viability and continued development
Enhanced features: Access to Vercel’s infrastructure expertise will accelerate feature development
Better integration: Improved compatibility with modern deployment platforms and services
AI advancement: Early access to cutting-edge AI tools for web development

Community response and gratitude

The announcement highlighted the collaborative effort that brought Nuxt to this point. Chopin expressed gratitude to numerous contributors, including:

The entire NuxtLabs team for their dedication
Evan You for creating Vue.js and ongoing support
The broader Nuxt community for their contributions and feedback
Investors and advisors who supported the journey

Looking ahead

This acquisition represents more than just a business transaction — it’s a commitment to the future of developer experience in the Vue.js ecosystem. With Vercel’s support, NuxtLabs can accelerate innovation while maintaining the open, community-driven approach that has made Nuxt successful.

The combination of Vercel’s infrastructure expertise and NuxtLabs’ developer experience focus creates exciting possibilities for the future of web development. As the teams work together to implement their ambitious roadmap, the Nuxt community can expect continued innovation and improvements in the months ahead.

For developers considering Nuxt for their next project, this acquisition provides additional confidence in the framework’s long-term stability and continued evolution. The framework remains as accessible as ever, with even more exciting features on the horizon.

NuxtLabs joins Vercel: What's next for the Nuxt framework