The problem
The user needs to type a natural-language prompt and control secondary dimensions of how the agent works: which model, which style, whether to plan first, cost/quality trade-off. Too many options overwhelm; zero options lose power users.
Observed implementations
| Dimension | Replit | Anything.com |
|---|---|---|
| Attach button | + icon (bottom-left) |
+ icon (bottom-left) |
| Image upload | Not visible as separate icon | Dedicated image icon |
| Figma import | Via sidebar Import code or design |
Figma logo on prompt toolbar |
| Mode pills (right of attach) | Plan toggle (checkbox-style) |
Auto > + Default > (two chevroned pills) |
| Cost/quality dial location | On the chat bar (Economy > after conversation starts) |
Persistent on the prompt (Auto >) |
| Style/design-system dial | Not exposed | Default > — selects design-system preset |
| Submit | Orange circle with ↑ | Dark circle with ↑ (→ square stop when generating) |
Component choice analysis
Replit: "Plan" as a toggle, Economy selector appears later
- Why toggle: Plan Mode is binary (plan or don't). Toggle is appropriate.
- Why Economy appears post-prompt: Before starting, you don't know the work complexity. Mid-conversation, you can dial up/down based on actual task.
Anything.com: two pills always visible
- Why always visible: Auto and Default are always set, even if at default values. Surfacing them teaches the user they can change.
- Why chevrons: Chevron implies dropdown / expand → reinforces "there's more to explore here."
💭
The pill pattern is the right component for "enumerated options with current value visible." Toggle is for "on/off." Both implementations are defensible for the specific choices being exposed. Neither is wrong.
Related patterns
- Cost-Quality Mode Dial — the specific sub-pattern for Economy / Auto style selectors.
- Pre-signup Prompt Box — simpler variant with no mode selectors (both competitors' landing pages).
Design trade-offs
- Visible always = discoverable but noisy.
- Hidden until relevant = clean but potentially missed.
- Chevroned pill = hints at more depth.
- Plain toggle = simpler mental model, fewer states.
Replit seems to follow "simple defaults, expose only when needed." Anything.com follows "show it and teach it."
Sources
- !raw/anythingdotcom/Project_View.png
- !raw/replit/Project_View.png
- !raw/replit/Chat_View.png