The short answer: pick Base44 if you want an app with logins, a database and AI features working inside one platform, and you're happy for it to stay there. Pick Lovable if you want a polished web app and the code to take elsewhere. Base44 is cheaper to start ($20 a month), but its code export starts at $50. Lovable starts at $25 and syncs your code to GitHub on every plan.
Full disclosure: GenVibe, the third option at the end, is our product. Base44 and Lovable facts below come from their own pricing pages and docs, checked on October 26, 2026.
Base44 vs Lovable at a glance
| Base44 | Lovable | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned by | Wix (bought June 2025) | Independent (Stockholm) |
| What it builds | Web apps on its own backend | React web apps |
| Free plan | 5 messages a day, up to 25 a month, up to 5 apps | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month |
| Entry paid plan | Starter $20/mo ($16 yearly): 100 message credits | Pro $25/mo: 100 credits + 5 a day |
| Code export | ZIP or GitHub from Builder ($50/mo, $40 yearly) | GitHub sync on every plan; editing and ZIP on paid plans |
| Backend | Built in: database, logins, files, AI, email | Lovable Cloud or your own Supabase |
| Unused credits | Expire at each monthly reset | Monthly credits last 2 months; top-ups 12 months |
| Mobile apps | Store files on Builder+, a web view of your web app | No, web only |
| Custom domain | From Starter | Paid plans |
Where Base44 wins
- Everything is built in. Logins, a database, file storage, and AI, email and text-message features work without connecting another service. For a first app, that removes a whole setup step.
- Cheaper to start. Starter is $20 a month, or $16 billed yearly, and includes a custom domain.
- Separate credits for your app's users. Integration credits pay for what your live app does (an AI reply, an email), so building and running don't draw from one pot. Starter includes 2,000 of them.
- Wix behind it. A large, well-funded owner, which matters if you're building something you plan to keep for years.
Where it falls short: your backend stays on Base44 even after you export the code, unused credits expire every month, and when you hit the monthly limit the AI and email features inside your live app stop too. Its App Store and Google Play files wrap your web app in a web view. More in our Base44 review and Base44 pricing guide.
Where Lovable wins
- Polished design. Lovable's default look is among the best of any AI builder, so a dashboard or SaaS looks finished with little prompting.
- You own the code. Every plan can sync the code to GitHub, Pro adds editing and a ZIP download, and the backend can be your own Supabase project, so moving off Lovable later is realistic.
- Credits last longer. Monthly credits carry over for an extra month, top-ups last a year, and 5 free credits a day come on top of the plan.
- Scales in small steps. Pro goes from $25 for 100 credits up to 10,000 credits, without switching plans.
Where it falls short: no mobile apps. Lovable's own iOS and Android app lets you build from your phone, but what it builds is a web app. The free plan can't edit code inside Lovable, download a ZIP or remove the "Edit with Lovable" badge. See Lovable pricing explained.
What does a month of building cost?
The two count differently, so compare plans, not credits. Base44 says a small edit costs about half a message credit and an app-wide change 3 to 4. Lovable's own examples put a small style change at 0.5 credits and a new page at about 2. In practice both entry plans cover a small app and a few weeks of edits, and both run out quickly on a large app.
- Just building, no code needed: Base44 Starter at $20 is the cheaper start.
- You want the code in GitHub: Lovable syncs it on every plan; Base44 needs Builder at $50.
- Your live app sends lots of AI replies or emails: Base44's integration credits cover that; on Lovable it comes out of the same credit balance.
Which should you choose?
- An internal tool or simple app you'll keep on one platform: Base44.
- A web SaaS or landing page that has to look great: Lovable.
- You may hire a developer or move hosts later: Lovable, for the code and Supabase backend.
- An app for the App Store or Google Play: neither is a good fit; both give you a web app.
A third option for mobile apps: GenVibe
If you need a real mobile app, GenVibe builds React Native (Expo) apps as well as web apps, from a prompt, a Figma design or a screenshot. You test the mobile app on your own phone while it builds, and on paid plans you can build the Android app and send it to Google Play from the chat. Publishing to a live link is free on every plan, and paid plans start at $12 a month for 100 credits ($9 for the first month).
Where it loses: Lovable's default design is more polished out of the box, Base44's built-in AI and email features need no setup, and GenVibe's free plan is 20 credits once, not a daily allowance. App Store publishing from the chat is next, not live yet.
Compare more tools in Lovable vs Emergent and the best AI app builders of 2026, or try GenVibe free →
Frequently asked questions
Base44 or Lovable: which is better?
Base44 is better if you want everything in one place, with the database, logins, AI and email features built in, and you don’t plan to move your app elsewhere. Lovable is better for polished web apps and for owning your code: every plan, including free, can sync the code to GitHub, and the backend can be your own Supabase.
Is Base44 cheaper than Lovable?
At the entry level, yes: Base44 Starter is $20 a month ($16 billed yearly) for 100 message credits, and Lovable Pro is $25 a month for 100 credits plus 5 a day. But Base44’s code download and GitHub sync start on Builder at $50 a month ($40 yearly), while Lovable syncs to GitHub on every plan and adds a ZIP download on Pro. If you want the code, Lovable is cheaper.
Can Base44 or Lovable build mobile apps?
Neither builds native mobile apps. Base44 can create App Store and Google Play files on the Builder plan and above, but the app shows your Base44 web app inside a web view. Lovable builds web apps only; its iOS and Android app is a way to use Lovable from your phone, not a way to build mobile apps.
Can you export your code from Base44 and Lovable?
Lovable: yes. GitHub sync works on every plan, including free; editing code inside Lovable and downloading a ZIP need a paid plan. Base44: on Builder and above you can download a ZIP or sync with GitHub, but the database, logins and hosting stay on Base44, so the exported code still depends on its backend.
Which has the better free plan, Base44 or Lovable?
They are close. Lovable gives 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud credits for hosting. Base44 gives 5 messages a day, up to 25 a month, plus 100 integration credits for your app’s AI, email and file features, for up to 5 apps. Neither allows a custom domain on the free plan.
Is there an alternative to Base44 and Lovable that builds real mobile apps?
Yes. GenVibe builds web apps and React Native (Expo) mobile apps from a prompt, a Figma design or a screenshot, and can send Android apps to Google Play from the chat. It is free to start with 20 credits and no card, and paid plans start at $12 a month for 100 credits ($9 for the first month).
Sources: Base44 pricing, Base44 app stores, Lovable plans and Lovable credits, checked October 26, 2026. Prices change; check each site for the latest.