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Comparison

Base44 vs Lovable

Two AI app builders, compared on price, on what each free plan allows, and on when each one hands back your source code.

Base44 and Lovable both turn a prompt into a working app, and for a first prototype either will get you there. The choice starts to matter at two points: how far each free plan goes, and what it takes to get the source code out. Base44 meters work in message credits and keeps the code inside the product until its Builder plan; Lovable meters in daily credits and syncs to Git from the free plan, but puts the code download behind Pro. Every figure below was read off their own pricing pages and docs on the dates shown.

What each one costs

Base44

Free
$0 a month. 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month, across up to 5 apps. No GitHub sync, no code download, no custom domain.
Starter
From $16 a month billed annually, for 100 message credits. Adds in-app code edits, a custom domain and AI model selection.
Builder
From $40 a month billed annually, for 250 message credits. Adds two-way GitHub sync and a ZIP export of the source.
Pro
From $80 a month billed annually, for 500 message credits. Adds early access to beta features and premium support.
Elite
From $160 a month billed annually, for 1,200 message credits, plus credits to share with someone else.

Every figure here comes from Base44's own pages, read on 2026-09-21. Prices and limits move — check the sources before you decide.

Sources: base44.com/pricing, Base44 docs — GitHub integration

Lovable

Free
$0 a month. 5 build credits a day, capped at 30 a calendar month, plus 20 Cloud credits and 4 AI credits. No code download, no code editing, no custom domain.
Pro
From $25 a month for 100 credits a month. Adds code editing, code download, custom domains and badge removal.
Business
From $50 a month for the same 100 credits. Adds role-based access, SSO, a security centre, personal projects and the Lovable API.
Enterprise
Priced by Lovable's sales team. Adds SCIM, audit logs and scheduled security scans.

Every figure here comes from Lovable's own pages, read on 2026-09-20. Prices and limits move — check the sources before you decide.

Sources: lovable.dev/pricing, Lovable docs — Subscription plans, Lovable docs — Credits and limits, Lovable docs — Deploy, Lovable docs — FAQ

Feature comparison

FeatureBase44LovableBuildra
AI code generationYesYesYes
Live previewYesYesYes
One-click deployYesYesYes
GitHub syncBuilder plan and aboveYesYes
Full-stack (frontend + backend + DB)YesBuilt-in CloudYes
Custom domainsPaid plansPaid plansYes
Multi-language UINoNo4 languages
Export / download codeBuilder plan and abovePro and aboveYes
Conversation historyNoYesYes
Phone app, built and submitted to the storesNot documentedNot documentedYes

Which is better for someone who doesn't write code?

Base44 is the more contained of the two: apps, database, integrations and hosting are one product, and the free plan covers up to 5 apps on 25 message credits a month, so a non-developer can get a long way without making a decision about infrastructure. Lovable expects slightly more comfort with the idea of a repository — Git sync is on from the free plan, which is useful the moment something goes wrong and beside the point if you never intend to open the code. If nobody on the project reads code, Base44 is the smaller learning curve.

Which one lets you leave with the code?

Both do, on paid plans, and the thresholds differ. Lovable syncs to GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan including free, so the repository is visible from day one; downloading the code as an archive, and editing it inside Lovable, start at Pro ($25 a month). Base44 offers two-way GitHub sync and a ZIP export of the source, both from the Builder plan ($40 a month billed annually) upward — below that the code stays inside Base44. If seeing the source early matters, Lovable shows it sooner; if owning it outright matters, both charge for the privilege.

How far does each free plan go?

They meter differently, so this is not a single number. Base44 Free grants 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month, across up to 5 apps. Lovable Free grants 5 credits a day, capped at 30 in a calendar month, plus 20 Cloud credits and 4 AI credits. In practice Lovable's daily grant suits steady iteration and Base44's monthly pool suits a burst of work in one sitting. Neither free plan releases the source code.

When is neither the right answer?

Both tools hold the project while you build it, and both put code export on a paid tier. So if the deciding factor is keeping the source in a repository you own from the first commit, this is the wrong comparison to be having. That is the gap Buildra was built for: every commit the agent makes is mirrored to a GitHub repository you own, and the source downloads on the free tier, which grants 5 credits a day up to 25 a month across 3 projects. It is the smaller product of the three — no SSO, no audit logs, and a smaller free monthly allowance than Lovable's — so if you want one vendor owning hosting, database and domain together, Base44 or Lovable is the better buy.

Bottom line — Base44 or Lovable?

Pick Base44 if you want one product to hold the whole app and nobody on the project intends to read the code. Pick Lovable if you want the repository visible from day one and can live with the code download starting at Pro. The two are closer than their marketing suggests, and the real difference is when each one hands the source back. If your answer to that is “immediately, in my own repo”, look at a third option — and if you need SSO, audit logs, or one vendor for hosting and domains, don't.

Frequently asked questions

Is Base44 or Lovable better?+
Neither is better across the board. Base44 keeps more of the app inside one product, which suits people who don't read code; Lovable exposes the repository earlier, which suits anyone who expects to continue the code elsewhere. Monthly cost is close enough that it rarely decides the question.
Which is cheaper, Base44 or Lovable?+
Base44's paid tiers start at $16 a month billed annually, with Builder at $40. Lovable Pro is $25 a month, or $21 a month billed annually. Which is cheaper depends on what you need: code export starts at $40 on Base44 and at $25 on Lovable.
Can you move a project from Base44 to Lovable, or back?+
Only by way of the code, and only on a plan that releases it — Base44 from Builder, Lovable from Pro for a download or from any plan through its Git sync. Neither has an import that carries a project, its data and its conversation across. Whichever you pick, the migration path is the repository.
Is there an alternative to both?+
Several, and they differ mostly in where the code lives. Buildra mirrors every agent commit to a GitHub repository you own and offers the source download on its free tier, which is the specific thing both of these charge for. It is smaller in other ways: no SSO, no audit logs, and a smaller free monthly allowance than Lovable's.

Compare each one with Buildra

Buildra vs Base44Buildra vs LovableBuildra Alternatives — When Each AI App Builder Fits, and When Buildra Still Wins

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