# Replit vs Lovable in 2026: which AI app builder?

Both turn a prompt into a working app. They differ on mobile, on how much code you see, and on how a team shares the work.

Published 2026-10-06 by Richard Kaminsky and Mitchell Lipyansky, the co-founders of Poly. Canonical: https://usepoly.co/replit-vs-lovable
Poly is a multiplayer AI coding workspace: a shared room where your team works with one AI agent, together. Free to start: https://usepoly.co/

**Replit and Lovable both turn a prompt into a working app, but they suit different builders. Replit is a full development environment with an agent: it builds web apps and native iOS and Android apps, hosts them, and keeps the code in reach; Core costs $20 a month and Pro $100. Lovable is built for people who don't code: it builds web apps on its own hosted backend, syncs to GitHub, and lets unlimited team members share one workspace's credits; Pro starts at $25 a month. Choose Replit for a mobile app or control over the code, and Lovable for the quickest path from an idea to a web app.**

## Key takeaways

- **Mobile:** Replit builds native iOS and Android apps and can submit them to the App Store. Lovable builds web apps.
- **Price:** Replit Core is $20 a month ($18 billed annually) and Pro $100; Lovable Pro starts at $25 ($21 annually) for 100 credits and Business at $50. Both have free plans.
- **Teams:** Lovable allows unlimited members on every plan; Replit Core allows 5 collaborators and Pro 15 plus 50 viewers.
- **Who pays:** on Lovable, the workspace that owns the project, whoever prompts; on Replit, the owner, or pooled credits on Pro.
- **Momentum:** Replit raised $400 million at a $9 billion valuation in March 2026; Lovable raised $400 million at $13.3 billion in August.

*Replit and Lovable, from each company's pricing page and docs, October 6, 2026.*

|  | Replit | Lovable |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Best for | Builders who want the code and a mobile app | Non-coders building web apps fast |
| What it builds | Web apps and native iOS and Android apps | Web apps |
| Backend | PostgreSQL, Replit Auth or Clerk, storage | Lovable Cloud: database, auth, storage, edge functions |
| The code | Full editor, Git and GitHub | Two-way sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket |
| Free plan | Daily Agent credits; one app published for 30 days | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month |
| Paid from | Core, $20 a month ($18 annually) | Pro, $25 a month ($21 annually) |
| Team size | Core 5 collaborators; Pro 15 plus 50 viewers | Unlimited members on every plan |
| Who pays when a teammate prompts | The owner, or pooled credits on Pro | The workspace that owns the project |

## How do Replit and Lovable compare on price?

**Replit** ([pricing](https://replit.com/pricing)):

- **Starter, free:** daily Agent credits up to a monthly cap, and one published app that goes down after 30 days. No collaborators.
- **Core, $20 a month ($18 annually):** $20 of credits toward the most capable models and 5 collaborators.
- **Pro, $100 a month ($90 annually):** $100 of credits that roll over for two months, 15 collaborators, 50 viewers and 10 agents in parallel.

Everyday Agent work in Free Mode costs nothing within an allowance; the more capable modes use effort-based pricing per request, and Replit asks before paid work starts ([Replit](https://docs.replit.com/billing/ai-billing)). Hosting is billed by usage, and Replit cut its cloud prices from August 1, 2026, with autoscale compute falling from $3.20 to $0.60 per million compute units ([Replit](https://docs.replit.com/billing/aug-cloud-billing-updates)).

**Lovable** ([plans](https://docs.lovable.dev/introduction/subscription-plans)):

- **Free:** 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month.
- **Pro, from $25 a month ($21 annually):** 100 credits, scaling to 10,000.
- **Business, from $50 a month:** adds single sign-on and a security center.

A message costs credits by complexity: Lovable's examples are 0.50 credits to restyle a button, 1.20 to add sign-up and login, and 1.70 for a landing page with generated images ([Lovable](https://lovable.dev/pricing)). Lovable Cloud, its backend, draws on the same credits.

## Can Replit and Lovable build mobile apps?

**Replit can.** Its Agent builds native iOS and Android apps with Expo and React Native; you test them on your phone in Expo Go and submit them to Apple's App Review from Replit ([Replit](https://docs.replit.com/build/mobile-first-app)).

**Lovable builds web apps,** which work in a phone's browser. Its own iOS and Android app is for building from your phone, not for producing native apps.

## What do they build, and where does it run?

- **Replit:** web apps (React by default), mobile apps, dashboards and slides, several of which can share one database, backend and deployment. PostgreSQL, Replit Auth or Clerk, and app storage are built in, and you publish to Replit's hosting with a custom domain.
- **Lovable:** web apps on TanStack Start, its default since May 13, 2026. Lovable Cloud, built on Supabase's open-source foundation, adds a database, auth, storage and edge functions ([Lovable](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/cloud)). Apps publish to lovable.app, or to your own domain on Pro and up. Every publish runs a quick security scan.

**The code:** Replit gives you the full editor, Git and GitHub. Lovable syncs both ways with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, on every plan including Free.

## How do teams work on Replit and Lovable?

**Replit** redesigned collaboration in 2026. Each teammate starts their own Agent tasks, which run in separate copies of the project and move across a shared board (Draft, Active, Ready, Done). When a task is ready, anyone on the team can review and apply it, and Agent resolves conflicts ([Replit](https://docs.replit.com/build/invite-teammates)). Core runs one background task at a time; Pro runs up to ten.

**Lovable** workspaces allow unlimited members on every plan, all drawing on the workspace's credits, and owners can cap each member's spend. Since September 9, 2026, anyone with edit access can build in a draft and accept it, and since September 8, messages sent while Lovable works are picked up as follow-ups ([drafts](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/drafts)). Lovable says credits belong to the workspace that owns the project "regardless of who is prompting" ([Lovable](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/people)).

More on both: [Lovable alternatives for teams](/lovable-alternatives-for-teams), [Poly vs Replit](/poly-vs-replit) and [Poly vs Lovable](/poly-vs-lovable).

## What about Base44 and Bolt?

**Base44**, bought by Wix in June 2025, is a prompt-to-app builder with a backend, auth, payments and GitHub sync that now also builds iOS apps. It has a free plan, paid plans billed in message credits, and multi-user editing on every plan. **Bolt** is compared with Lovable in [Lovable vs Bolt](/lovable-vs-bolt).

## Which should you choose?

- **You need a native mobile app:** Replit.
- **You don't code and want a web app fast:** Lovable.
- **You want to work in the code yourself:** Replit, or Lovable with GitHub sync.
- **A large team that all needs to prompt:** Lovable, for unlimited members.
- **A small group that wants to build in one conversation and approve each change:** Poly.

## Building together in one conversation

Replit's tasks and Lovable's drafts let teammates prompt the AI in parallel, each in their own copy, and merge the results afterwards. Poly (usepoly.co) works the other way round: a browser room where the group works with one AI in one live conversation. Everyone sees each step, any member can approve a change before it happens, and the app runs in a live preview the group can publish. Free to start. [What is Poly?](/what-is-poly)

## Common questions

**Is Replit or Lovable better?**

Replit is better for native mobile apps and for working in the code. Lovable is better for people who don't code and want a web app quickly, and for large teams, since it allows unlimited members.

**Which is cheaper, Replit or Lovable?**

Replit Core is $20 a month, or $18 billed annually. Lovable Pro starts at $25 a month, or $21 annually, for 100 credits. Both have free plans, and heavy use costs more on either.

**Can Lovable build mobile apps?**

Lovable builds web apps that work in a phone's browser. Replit builds native iOS and Android apps with Expo and can submit them to Apple's App Review.

**How do teams collaborate on Replit and Lovable?**

On Replit, each teammate runs their own Agent tasks in separate copies and applies finished ones from a shared board. On Lovable, unlimited members share a workspace's credits and build in drafts any editor can accept.

**What is Base44?**

A prompt-to-app builder owned by Wix since June 2025, with a backend, auth, payments, GitHub sync and iOS builds, and a free plan with paid plans billed in message credits.

More guides: https://usepoly.co/guides · Security: https://usepoly.co/security · Pricing: https://usepoly.co/pricing