Integrations against code you keep
Base44 vs Lovable is a close call, because both are chat-first builders with a backend included. Pick Base44 if you never want to see code and your app needs to talk to email, chat or CRM tools; it bundles the database, login and a long list of integrations into every plan. Pick Lovable if you want to own a clean React codebase you could hand to a developer later; it syncs to Git on every plan and runs the backend through Lovable Cloud.
Checked Oct 2026 on base44.com/pricing, lovable.dev/pricing and Lovable's plans and credits docs. Base44 shows prices billed yearly, so monthly billing costs more than the numbers below.
Plans, credits and code at a glance
- Entry paid plan. Base44 Starter: $16 a month billed yearly, 100 message credits and 2,000 integration credits a month. Lovable Pro: $25 a month, or $21 billed yearly, for 100 monthly credits plus a daily grant of 5.
- Free plan. Base44: 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month, up to 5 apps. Lovable: 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month.
- Backend. Base44: integrated backend and database, login and user management, cloud storage and analytics on every plan. Lovable: Lovable Cloud with database, storage, login, realtime and functions.
- Custom domain. Base44: "Connect a domain" from Starter, plus a domain included for one year. Lovable: Pro and above.
- Code. Base44: in-app code edits from Starter, two-way GitHub sync from Builder. Lovable: Git sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan, code editing from Pro.
- Bigger plans. Base44 Builder $40, Pro $80 and Elite $160 a month billed yearly. Lovable Pro scales by credits, for example 200 credits for $50 a month or 400 for $100.
What each one does best
Base44's pitch is that you describe the app and it builds "the full thing", as its FAQ puts it: front end, back end, database, user login and payments. Every plan includes the backend, so you do not hit a wall when your app needs to save data. Its integrations with tools such as Gmail, Slack, Notion and HubSpot are metered with integration credits, which is handy for internal tools that send emails or post updates.
Lovable's strength is the quality of the React app it writes and how easy it is to keep working on that code. Git sync on the Free plan means you can push a project to GitHub on day one and open it in any editor. Lovable Cloud gives you a hosted database and login without a separate account, and Lovable notes it is built on Supabase's open-source foundation.
To compare them yourself, give both the same prompt: a client portal for a small agency, with login, a project list per client, file uploads and a status for each project. Time the first working preview, count the follow-up messages and note the credits each one used.
Backend, login and payments
Both builders include a backend, so the question is how much you want to see.
On Base44 the backend is part of the product. Data models, user management and permissions are set up through the chat and the visual editor, and the data lives on Base44's infrastructure. That keeps things simple, and the trade-off is that the backend is Base44's own system rather than a codebase you run elsewhere.
On Lovable the backend runs on Lovable Cloud, which lists a database, storage, authentication, realtime and edge functions, plus secrets and logs. Cloud usage comes out of the same credit balance as building, with a grant of 20 Cloud credits a month on every plan.
For card payments, both connect to a payment provider through your own account.
Putting your app online
Base44 publishes apps to the web from the editor, with a domain connection on every paid plan and a domain included for the first year. You can also keep apps private or share them with your team.
Lovable publishes from the editor too. Lovable says that for most smaller apps the cost of hosting is covered by the grant included with a subscription, and only apps with significant traffic or size start to cost extra. Custom domains and removing the "Edit with Lovable" badge start on Pro.
What 100 credits buy on each
Lovable charges by the work a message does, and it publishes examples: 0.50 credits to make a button gray, 0.90 to remove a footer, 1.20 to add sign up and login, 1.70 for a landing page with three generated images. By those numbers, 100 Pro credits is roughly 60 to 200 messages, depending on how big each request is. Pro also adds 5 build credits every day, and unused monthly credits roll over until two months after they were issued.
Base44 Starter's 100 message credits cover AI building, and the separate 2,000 integration credits cover actions such as sending an email. Base44 notes that exact use varies by action and by AI model, and model choice is listed from Builder up. The split is useful for internal tools: a busy app that sends lots of emails does not eat your building budget.
For a small internal tool built over a month, either entry plan usually gets a first version working. Check each one's usage screen after the first few days.
Moving from one to the other
People do switch between these two, usually after the first version works and a new need shows up.
Going from Lovable to somewhere else is the easier direction. Because Git sync is on every Lovable plan, your React code is already in a repository you control. The part that does not move by itself is Lovable Cloud: tables, stored files and login settings live in Lovable's backend, so a new home needs its own database and auth, and the app's calls need pointing at them.
Going from Base44 to somewhere else starts with GitHub sync, which Base44 lists from the Builder plan up. Base44's FAQ says the sync exports the full source code. Expect to replace pieces that rely on Base44's own backend services and integrations, since those run on Base44's infrastructure.
Moving into either one is mostly a rebuild by prompt. Describe the app you already have, attach screenshots of the key screens, and rebuild it page by page. Bring your data across as a CSV import once the tables exist. Whichever way you go, write down the data model first. It is the part that takes longest to get right twice.
Four projects, four answers
- Internal tool that emails clients and updates a CRM. Base44. The integrations are already there and metered separately.
- MVP you will hand to a developer in three months. Lovable. The React code is in your Git repository from day one.
- Client portal with logins and file uploads. Either works. Lovable wins if you might move it later, Base44 if you never want to see code.
- A simple game or interactive toy. Neither is built for it; see below.
For games, or a Python backend
VibeDream is another chat-first builder that makes different choices. You can type, talk or attach a screenshot to describe what you want, and a live preview appears in seconds. Apps are React + FastAPI, so the backend is Python code you can read. Games are built with Phaser and play on phones and computers.
Going live is one screen: press Put it online, pick a vibedreams.ai name and wait a few minutes. Each update costs 5 credits. Your own domain needs a TXT and a CNAME record, and HTTPS turns on by itself. The deployment guide shows each screen.
It is the wrong pick if you need built-in real card payments today. Its built-in login and database work with one tap, but its one-tap payments are coming soon. There is no free plan; see pricing. If those limits are fine, the Blank Starter template has React and FastAPI already connected.