The one question that decides it
Base44 vs Bolt.new is mostly a question about integrations. Base44 bundles the backend, database, login and integrations with tools such as Gmail, Slack and HubSpot, and meters them with a separate pool of integration credits. Bolt bills in AI tokens, gives 1M tokens a month free, includes hosting and unlimited databases on every plan, and adds your own domain on Pro. If your app has to act on other services, Base44 is the more complete package. If it is a site or tool you want to iterate on freely, Bolt gives you more room for the money.
Checked Oct 2026 on base44.com/pricing and bolt.new/pricing. Both pages lead with yearly prices, so monthly billing costs more than the figures below.
Plans and limits side by side
- Billing unit. Base44 uses message credits for building and integration credits for actions. Bolt uses AI tokens.
- Free plan. Base44 gives 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month for up to 5 apps. Bolt gives 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily cap and Bolt branding on sites.
- Entry paid plan. Base44 Starter is $16 a month billed yearly for 100 message credits. Bolt Pro is $18 a month billed yearly, $216 a year, for 10M tokens with rollover and no daily cap.
- Teams. Bolt Teams is $27 per member a month billed yearly. Base44 prices by plan, not by seat.
- Domain. Base44 connects a domain from Starter and includes a domain for the first year. Bolt adds your own domain on Pro.
- Code. Base44 lists GitHub integration from Builder at $40 a month. Bolt's pricing page does not cover export, so check its help center.
A weekend build on each meter
Base44 charges a message credit for AI building work and an integration credit when your app does something with an outside service, such as sending an email or reading a calendar. It notes that exact use varies by the action and by the AI model. Two pools are more to keep an eye on, but they also mean heavy integration use does not eat into your building budget.
Bolt charges tokens, the units AI models read and write. Bigger projects use more tokens per request because there is more code to read. Pro has no daily limit and unused tokens roll over, which suits people who build on weekends rather than daily.
Picture one weekend spent on a booking tool. On Base44 the building eats message credits, and every reminder email the finished app sends eats integration credits from the second pool, 2,000 a month on Starter. On Bolt the weekend eats tokens, and later sessions on the same project cost more because there is more code to read each time. If you build in bursts with quiet weeks between, Bolt's rollover is the friendlier meter. If your app runs a lot of actions after it is built, Base44's split meter protects your building budget. Check the usage page after your first session on either one; that tells you more than any estimate.
Backend and integrations
Base44's FAQ says it builds the full app, including the backend, database, user login and payments, and that the apps run on production infrastructure. Its integrations with Gmail, Slack, Notion, Google Drive, HubSpot and Salesforce make it a strong pick for internal tools and simple CRMs.
Bolt lists unlimited databases from the Free plan, and on Pro adds connectors and MCPs and a choice of database provider. File uploads are capped at 10MB on Free and 100MB on Pro.
Taking payments on either one means connecting your own payment provider account and testing it yourself.
Where your app lives online
Both host what they build. Base44 lets you keep apps private, share them with a team or publish them, and includes a domain connection on every paid plan plus a domain for the first year. Bolt lists website hosting on every plan, and Pro adds your own domain, no Bolt branding, private sharing and SEO boosting for published sites.
Where v0 fits in
People comparing these two often look at v0 as well. v0, from Vercel, writes Next.js front ends, syncs with GitHub and deploys to Vercel, and leaves the backend to you. Its free plan allows 7 messages a day and Plus is $30 per user a month. Pick v0 over Base44 when the quality of the interface code and a Vercel workflow matter more than a bundled backend. There is a full v0 vs Lovable comparison too.
The freelancer CRM test
Use the same prompt on both: a simple CRM for a freelancer with login, a contacts list, a deal stage per contact, notes, and a weekly email listing deals that have gone quiet. That one prompt tests the backend and an integration together. Write down the time to a working preview, the follow-ups it took, and the credits or tokens used. Then reload, add a contact from a phone, and check the weekly email actually sends.
Leaving either one later
Plan the exit before you start. Both tools make the first version easy, and the surprises tend to show up when you move.
On Base44, the route out is GitHub sync, which the pricing page lists from Builder upward. Base44's FAQ says the sync exports the full source code. The harder part is the backend: data models, users and integrations run on Base44's infrastructure, so a new home needs its own database, auth and replacements for each integration. Export your data as you go, not on the day you decide to leave.
On Bolt, check the current export and Git options in its help center before you build anything large, since the pricing page does not cover them. If your database lives with a provider you chose on Pro, that part moves more easily, because it was never tied to Bolt in the first place.
In both cases, the more of your app that sits in plain code and a database you control, the cheaper the move.
Our pick by project
A client tracker that emails you about quiet deals goes to Base44. A portfolio, a landing page or a quick prototype you will rewrite five times goes to Bolt. A small team where everyone builds is cheaper on Base44, since Bolt Teams charges per member. Someone who only builds on weekends gets more from Bolt Pro, because unused tokens carry over.
If you also want to make games
VibeDream builds React + FastAPI web apps and Phaser games from a chat, and accepts voice notes and screenshots as prompts. A live preview appears in seconds at phone and desktop size.
Putting a project online takes one screen: press Put it online, choose a vibedreams.ai name, and it goes live with HTTPS for 5 credits per update. Your own domain needs a TXT and a CNAME record, as the deployment guide shows. Every file is in the Code tab, with ZIP download and GitHub sync on both plans.
It is the wrong pick for the CRM above: it has no built-in Gmail or HubSpot actions. Its one-tap login and database work today, and its one-tap payments are coming soon. There is no free plan; plans start at $49 a month on the pricing page.