Comparison
Base44 vs Lovable: which AI app builder to use
Both turn a prompt into a working web app. They differ on model choice, code ownership, mobile and what happens to your data.
Base44 and Lovable both turn a description into a working web app with a database, sign-in and hosting, and both start free. Base44, owned by Wix, lets you choose the AI model on its Builder plan ($50 a month) and up, makes App Store and Google Play files that wrap your web app, and has its own payments; its exported code still runs on Base44's backend. Lovable, at $25 a month for Pro, syncs your code both ways with GitHub on every plan and can move its backend to your own Supabase, but builds no native apps and doesn't let you pick the model. Base44 can train on your data on every plan except Enterprise, with no opt-out; Lovable trains on Free and Pro data unless you opt out.
Key takeaways
- Price: Base44 Starter $20, Builder $50, Pro $100, Elite $200; Lovable Pro from $25, Business from $50. Both have free plans.
- Model choice: Base44, from Builder (Sonnet 5.5, Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol, Gemini 3.8 Flash, its own Base 1 and more). Lovable picks for you.
- Your code: Lovable syncs with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan. Base44 needs Builder for GitHub and export, and exported apps still use its backend.
- Mobile: Base44 makes app-store files for a wrapped web app (Builder and up). Lovable makes web apps only.
- Data: Base44 trains on everything below Enterprise; Lovable lets Free and Pro users opt out and excludes Business by default.
| Base44 | Lovable | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 25 message credits a month | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month |
| Entry paid plan | Starter $20 (100 credits) | Pro $25 (100 credits) |
| Choose the AI model | Yes, from Builder ($50) | No |
| GitHub sync | From Builder | Every plan |
| Exported code runs without the platform | No; it keeps Base44's backend | Yes; standard React, own Supabase possible |
| Native app-store files | Yes, a wrapped web app, from Builder | No |
| Trains on your data | Every plan but Enterprise, no opt-out | Free and Pro unless you opt out |
| Team members | Pooled credits; only the owner pays | Unlimited members; owner's credits |
| Owner | Wix | Independent |
How much do Base44 and Lovable cost?
Base44 (Base44), monthly, or 20% less billed annually:
- Free: 25 message credits a month (5 a day), 100 integration credits, up to 5 apps.
- Starter, $20: 100 message credits, 2,000 integration credits, unlimited apps, custom domains.
- Builder, $50: 250 message credits; adds backend functions, GitHub, code export, model choice, Stripe and app-store files.
- Pro, $100: 500 message credits. Elite, $200: 1,200.
Unused Base44 credits expire at each monthly reset. A Business tier adds SSO and per-member limits; its price isn't public.
Lovable (Lovable):
- Free: 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month.
- Pro, from $25 ($21 annually): 100 credits, custom domains, roles and per-member credit limits, code editing.
- Business, from $50 ($42 annually): adds SSO, role-based access, a security center and internal publishing.
Since June 18, 2026 building, Lovable Cloud and in-app AI all draw on one credit balance, and monthly credits roll over for a month. Students get 50% off Pro for 12 months.
What can each one build?
- Backend: both include a database, sign-in, file storage and server functions. Lovable Cloud can move to your own Supabase project (Lovable); Base44's functions need Builder.
- Payments: Base44 has Stripe (Builder and up) and its own Base44 Payments, powered by Wix; Lovable has Stripe or Paddle built in on Pro, and free users can connect their own Stripe.
- Mobile: Base44 creates App Store and Google Play files that wrap the published web app (Builder and up) (Base44). Lovable's answer is "Not as native apps": it builds mobile-friendly web apps (Lovable).
- Models: Base44 lets Builder users pick Auto, its own Base 1, Claude Sonnet 5.5 or Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, Gemini 3.8 Flash and others. Lovable says "you cannot pick a specific model for building."
Who owns the code?
Lovable syncs two ways with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan, Free included; editing and downloading code needs Pro (Lovable). The code is a standard React app.
Base44 offers GitHub sync and a ZIP export from Builder up. Its FAQ says nothing is locked to the platform, but its base44 eject command creates a new Base44 backend with an empty database, so an exported app still runs on Base44's backend and SDK (Base44). Moving off Base44 entirely means rewriting the backend.
Does Base44 or Lovable train on your data?
- Base44: "All other plans, including Business: your data can be used to train AI models." Only Enterprise is excluded, and "there is no opt-out setting" (Base44).
- Lovable: since September 9, 2026 it may train on Free and Pro data unless you opt out; Business and Enterprise are excluded by default (Lovable).
Both have had security findings. Wiz reported a Base44 flaw in July 2025 that let outsiders into private apps, fixed within a day (The Hacker News), and Escape.tech's October 2025 scan of 5,600 vibe-coded apps, most of them built with Lovable, found more than 2,000 serious vulnerabilities (Escape). Run the built-in security scan before you publish either way.
Which is better for a team?
- Lovable: unlimited members on every plan, spending the owner's credits. "Everyone sees changes as they happen," the project chat is shared, and since September a teammate can work in a draft that someone accepts (Lovable).
- Base44: credits are pooled per workspace and only the owner needs a plan. Roles run from Owner to Guest; Viewers can't use the AI chat. Editors see each other live, prompts go into one shared queue, and branches each get their own chat and preview.
Neither lets every member approve a change before the AI makes it. More options in Lovable alternatives for teams.
Who's behind Base44 and Lovable?
Wix bought Base44 in June 2025 for about $80 million up front plus earn-outs (SiliconANGLE); founder Maor Shlomo announced $200 million in annual recurring revenue in August 2026 (Calcalist). Lovable raised $400 million at a $13.3 billion valuation in August 2026 and reported a $500 million revenue run rate in June (Lovable).
Base44 vs Lovable vs Bolt vs Replit vs Emergent
- Bolt: free with 1 million tokens a month; Pro $25; Teams $30 a member (Bolt pricing, Lovable vs Bolt).
- Replit: Core $20 ($18 annually) with up to 5 builders; Pro $100. It builds native mobile apps (Replit vs Lovable).
- Lovable's full credit ladder: Lovable pricing.
- Emergent: free with 10 credits a month; Standard $20; Pro $200 (Emergent).
No neutral benchmark has tested Base44 and Lovable on the same prompts; the comparisons that rank one first are mostly published by competing builders.
Should you use Base44 or Lovable?
- Lovable if you want to own and move the code, work in GitHub with developers, or keep your data out of training.
- Base44 if you want to choose the model, need an app-store listing quickly, or already run on Wix.
- Either for a quick internal tool; try the same prompt on both free plans.
Building one app as a group
Both let several people work in one project, but each prompt still comes from one person. Poly (usepoly.co) is a browser room where a team builds one app with one AI: everyone sees each step live, any member can approve a change before it lands, and the group shares a live preview it can publish. It runs Claude Code and Codex. Free to start. What is Poly?
Common questions
Is Base44 better than Lovable?
It depends on what you need. Base44 lets you pick the AI model and makes app-store files; Lovable has two-way GitHub sync on every plan, code that runs without its platform, and an opt-out from data training.
Which is cheaper, Base44 or Lovable?
Base44's Starter plan is $20 a month for 100 message credits and Lovable's Pro is $25 for 100 credits. Both have free plans, and both are about 20% cheaper billed annually.
Can you export your code from Base44?
Yes, on Builder ($50) and up, through GitHub or a ZIP file. The exported app still uses Base44's backend and SDK, so leaving Base44 completely means rewriting the backend.
Who owns Base44?
Wix. It bought Base44 in June 2025 for about $80 million up front plus earn-outs. Lovable is an independent company.
Can Lovable or Base44 build mobile apps?
Base44 creates App Store and Google Play files that wrap your published web app, on Builder and up. Lovable builds mobile-friendly web apps but not native apps.