diff --git a/apps/web/app/components/TierFlow.vue b/apps/web/app/components/TierFlow.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71ade1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/app/components/TierFlow.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+<script lang="ts" setup>
+const tiers = [
+  {
+    num: "01",
+    name: "Plain HTTP Fetch",
+    time: "< 100ms",
+    tag: "no browser",
+    desc: "Standard fetch with realistic browser headers — Accept, Accept-Language, Accept-Encoding, and a real Chrome UA. Handles unprotected pages instantly. Zero browser cost.",
+  },
+  {
+    num: "02",
+    name: "Cached Browser Session",
+    time: "~500ms",
+    tag: "redis hit",
+    desc: "Restores Cloudflare cookies from Redis into a warm pooled browser and navigates. No challenge re-solve. Returns the page in under a second. Stays cached for 1 hour.",
+  },
+  {
+    num: "03",
+    name: "Live Cloudflare Solve",
+    time: "4–15s",
+    tag: "fresh context",
+    desc: "A fresh browser context triggers CF managed-mode — the fastest possible challenge path. Turnstile, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and GeeTest are solved automatically. Cookies are cached on success.",
+  },
+  {
+    num: "04",
+    name: "Residential Proxy",
+    time: "8–25s",
+    tag: "optional",
+    desc: "Same as Tier 3 but routes through a residential proxy. Only triggered when the datacenter IP is reputation-flagged by Cloudflare. Bandwidth cost is incurred only when truly necessary.",
+  },
+]
+</script>
+
+<template>
+  <section id="how-it-works" class="section">
+    <div class="container">
+      <p class="eyebrow">how it works</p>
+      <h2 class="section-title">four tiers, one request.</h2>
+      <p class="section-sub">
+        TRAWL tries the cheapest path first and escalates only on failure. The majority of traffic never touches a
+        browser. When it does, the result is cached immediately.
+      </p>
+
+      <div class="tiers">
+        <div
+          v-for="(tier, i) in tiers"
+          :key="tier.num"
+          v-motion
+          :initial="{ opacity: 0, x: -20 }"
+          :visible-once="{ opacity: 1, x: 0, transition: { delay: i * 100, duration: 400 } }"
+          class="tier-item"
+        >
+          <div class="tier-num">{{ tier.num }}</div>
+          <div class="tier-body">
+            <div class="tier-header">
+              <span class="tier-name">{{ tier.name }}</span>
+              <span class="tier-time">{{ tier.time }}</span>
+              <span class="tier-tag">{{ tier.tag }}</span>
+            </div>
+            <p class="tier-desc">{{ tier.desc }}</p>
+          </div>
+          <div v-if="i < tiers.length - 1" class="tier-arrow">↓ escalates on failure</div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  </section>
+</template>
+
+<style scoped>
+.section-title {
+  font-size: clamp(22px, 3vw, 34px);
+  font-weight: 700;
+  letter-spacing: -0.02em;
+  color: var(--text);
+  margin-bottom: 12px;
+}
+
+.section-sub {
+  font-size: 13px;
+  line-height: 1.75;
+  color: var(--text-muted);
+  max-width: 580px;
+  margin-bottom: 48px;
+}
+
+.tiers {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 0;
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+}
+
+.tier-item {
+  position: relative;
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 28px;
+  padding: 28px 32px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+  transition: background 0.12s;
+}
+
+.tier-item:last-child {
+  border-bottom: none;
+}
+.tier-item:hover {
+  background: var(--bg-subtle);
+}
+
+.tier-num {
+  font-size: 28px;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  color: var(--border-strong);
+  letter-spacing: -0.03em;
+  line-height: 1;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+  min-width: 36px;
+}
+
+.tier-body {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 8px;
+  flex: 1;
+}
+
+.tier-header {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 12px;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+}
+
+.tier-name {
+  font-size: 14px;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  color: var(--text);
+}
+
+.tier-time {
+  font-size: 11px;
+  padding: 2px 8px;
+  background: var(--accent-tint);
+  color: var(--accent);
+  border: 1px solid var(--accent);
+  letter-spacing: 0.04em;
+}
+
+.tier-tag {
+  font-size: 10px;
+  letter-spacing: 0.06em;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  color: var(--text-muted);
+  padding: 2px 8px;
+  border: 1px solid var(--border-strong);
+}
+
+.tier-desc {
+  font-size: 12px;
+  line-height: 1.75;
+  color: var(--text-muted);
+  max-width: 600px;
+}
+
+.tier-arrow {
+  position: absolute;
+  bottom: -13px;
+  left: 32px;
+  font-size: 10px;
+  letter-spacing: 0.06em;
+  color: var(--text-muted);
+  background: var(--bg);
+  padding: 0 8px;
+  z-index: 1;
+}
+
+@media (max-width: 600px) {
+  .tier-item {
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 12px;
+    padding: 20px;
+  }
+}
+</style>