v0 vs Lovable in 2026: which AI app builder?

v0 and Lovable both build working web apps from a prompt, but they suit different people. v0, from Vercel, builds Next.js apps that live in your GitHub repository and deploy to Vercel; since its February 2026 relaunch it is a full-stack builder, not just a UI generator, and it's aimed at people comfortable with code. Lovable is aimed at people who don't code: it builds web apps on its own hosted backend, Lovable Cloud, and lets unlimited team members share one workspace. Both are free to start; v0 Plus costs $30 a user a month and Lovable Pro starts at $25.

Key takeaways

• v0 relaunched on February 3, 2026 as a full-stack builder with a sandbox, GitHub import and a branch for every chat. Many comparisons still call it UI-only.
• Backends: v0 connects Neon, Supabase or Upstash through Vercel. Lovable includes its own database, auth and storage in Lovable Cloud.
• Price: v0 is free with 7 messages a day; Plus is $30 a user and Business $100. Lovable is free with 5 credits a day; Pro is from $25 and Business from $50.
• Teams: both let teammates prompt one project. v0's docs warn about "too many cooks" and suggest duplicating chats; Lovable adds drafts that any editor can accept.
• Git: v0 works with GitHub only and never pushes to main without a pull request. Lovable syncs with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket.

What do v0 and Lovable build?

v0 builds Next.js apps with React, TypeScript, Tailwind and shadcn/ui; Vercel says it defaults to Next.js and other frameworks are less reliable (Vercel). Each chat works on its own branch in a sandbox, and publishing deploys to Vercel. Its iPhone app is for building on the go; the apps it makes are responsive web apps.

Lovable builds web apps on TanStack Start, its default since May 2026, with Lovable Cloud providing a database, auth, storage and edge functions on the same credits as building (Lovable). Apps publish to lovable.app or your own domain.

How much do v0 and Lovable cost?

v0 (Vercel):

• Free: 7 messages a day, with deploys, Design Mode and GitHub sync.
• Plus: $30 a user a month, with $30 of credits per user, shared team credits and team chats. It was called Team until July 2026.
• Business: $100 a user, adding a default opt-out from model training.
• Enterprise: custom, with single sign-on and roles.

The older $20 Premium plan is being retired and is closed to new users. v0 charges credits by tokens, and each message counts the chat history and files as input, so long chats cost more per message.

Lovable (Lovable):

• Free: 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month.
• Pro: from $25 a month, or $21 billed annually, for 100 credits.
• Business: from $50, adding single sign-on and a security center.

Messages cost credits by complexity: Lovable's examples are 0.50 to restyle a button, 1.20 to add sign-up and login, and 1.70 for a landing page.

Backends, GitHub and design tools

• Database: v0 has no database of its own; it adds Neon, Supabase, Upstash or Vercel Blob through the Vercel Marketplace, creating an account with that provider (Vercel). Since June 2026, new v0 apps that need auth start with Neon and Better Auth. Lovable Cloud includes all of it.
• GitHub: v0 imports any GitHub repository, gives each chat a branch, and merges through a pull request when you publish, respecting branch protections (Vercel). Lovable syncs both ways with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, on every plan.
• Visual editing: v0's Design Mode lets you click an element in the preview and change it with a style panel or a prompt, on every plan. Lovable has visual edits too.

How do teams work in v0 and Lovable?

v0: on Plus and above, members with edit access can prompt the same chat, and since September 2026 new team chats are editable by the whole team. But v0's own docs recommend that people view and duplicate a chat rather than edit it together, to avoid "too many cooks in the kitchen" (Vercel). Review happens on GitHub, where required pull request reviews can block publishing.

Lovable: unlimited members on every plan, sharing the workspace's credits. Since September 9, 2026, anyone with edit access can build in a draft and accept it, and messages sent while Lovable works are picked up as follow-ups (Lovable).

Security

• Lovable runs a quick security scan on every publish and offers a free deep scan.
• v0 has no publish-time scan of the same kind. It runs in sandboxes, sits under Vercel's SOC 2 Type 2 report, and warns about secrets exposed in client-side variables (Vercel). Vercel disclosed a breach of its internal systems in April 2026 through a compromised third-party app; TechCrunch's reports didn't name v0.

Either way, an AI-built app needs the same review as any other code before real users and data touch it (What is vibe coding?).

Where does Bolt fit?

Bolt builds web apps and, through Expo, mobile apps for the App Store and Google Play, with Bolt Cloud for hosting and databases. It's free with daily tokens, Pro is $25 a month and Teams $30 a member. Several people can build together only in a public project, one prompt at a time, and the person who prompts pays (Bolt). More in Lovable vs Bolt.

Which should you choose?

• You know React and want the code in your own repository on Vercel: v0.
• You don't code and want a web app with a backend, fast: Lovable.
• You need a native mobile app: Bolt, or Replit (Replit vs Lovable).
• A small group that wants to build in one conversation and approve each change: Poly (usepoly.co), a browser room where everyone sees the AI work live, any member can approve a change before it's made, and the app runs in a live preview the group can publish. Free to start. What is Poly?