Testing an HTML prototype in Maze

Last updated: October 11, 2026

You can test an HTML prototype in Maze, but it first needs to be hosted at a public URL — Maze tests prototypes through a Website Test block and doesn't host the files for you. Some tools publish a shareable URL you can use directly; otherwise you'll host the prototype on a service you set up. Once it's live at a URL your participants can open, adding it to a test takes just a few steps. This article covers both: how to get it hosted, and how to set up the test.

Host your prototype

Your prototype needs to live at a public URL before you can test it in Maze.

  • If it's already hosted — for example, a tool that publishes a shareable link for you (Figma Sites, or a Claude Artifact / Claude Design with “Anyone with the link” sharing turned on) — you can paste that URL straight into Maze. Skip ahead to Add your hosted prototype to a Maze website test below.

  • If you only have the HTML file(s), deploy them to a hosting platform that generates a public URL. Popular options include:

    • Vercel — great for frameworks like Next.js; offers instant deployments and public URLs.

    • Netlify — ideal for static sites and serverless functions.

    • Firebase or DigitalOcean — alternatives for backend services or traditional hosting.

Once deployed, copy the live URL — you'll add it to your Maze Website Test in the steps below.

Maze tests your prototype via its public URL and doesn't host the file for you, so it needs to be reachable at a link. If your prototype can't be made fully public, use a host that supports password protection or restricted access.

Give each screen its own URL

For Maze to register each step in a path, every screen in your prototype needs its own unique URL. If your screens all share a single URL (as they do in many single-page apps), you may see a “no clicks were detected” message when setting up expected paths.

If you're generating the prototype with an AI tool, ask it to build a multi-page site rather than a single-page app, where each link loads a new page with its own URL and all pages share the same <head> section. If you're hand-coding, give each screen its own page or route.

Install the Maze tracking code (optional)

Maze works with or without its tracking snippet. Without it, you still get session recordings. With it, you also get quantitative data such as heatmaps and click paths.

To use snippet-based testing, add the Maze tracking code to your hosted prototype by pasting the snippet into the <head> of your page (or your shared layout, so it applies to every page at once). See “Installing the Maze snippet on your website” for full instructions.

Add your hosted prototype to a Maze website test

  1. Copy the live URL of your hosted prototype.

  2. Create a new study and add a Website Test block.

  3. Under Task link, click Add link, paste the URL, and click Add.

  4. Set up your expected paths and launch the test.

Built it with a specific tool?

The steps above apply to any HTML prototype. If you used one of these tools, we have a step-by-step guide for it:

Still need help?

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