Base44 looks cheaper: $16 a month against Lovable's $21, billed annually, for a private app on your own domain. To get the app's code in GitHub, Base44 needs its $40 Builder plan; Lovable does it on every plan. Dyad, a free, open-source builder, puts none of that behind a plan: every app is a Git repo on your computer.
Which is cheaper, Base44 or Lovable?
Here's the cheapest plan on each for what you'll want before you share an app, as of October 2026. Prices are per month, billed annually.
| What your app needs | Base44 | Lovable | Dyad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Try it free | 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month, up to 5 apps | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud credits | The app is free; you pay your AI provider, or nothing with a local model |
| Keep the app private | Starter, $16/mo | Free | Yes: it runs on your computer until you publish it |
| Use your own domain | Starter, $16/mo | Pro, $21/mo ($25 billed monthly) | Through your host, such as Vercel |
| Get its code in GitHub | Builder, $40/mo | Free | Always: every app is a Git repo on your computer |
| Pick the AI model | Builder, $40/mo (Auto mode below that) | Not described in Lovable's docs | Your own API keys, local models or a ChatGPT subscription |
| Download the code | Builder, $40/mo (ZIP export) | Pro, $21/mo | It's already on your computer |
The plan you need, per month, billed annually
We price Dyad differently. The app itself costs nothing. You have three ways to power the AI: pay your AI provider for what you use with your own API keys, run a free local model through Ollama, or connect the ChatGPT subscription you already have. Dyad Pro adds 200 AI credits for $20 a month, and you don't need it to build.
How do Base44 and Lovable count credits?
Base44's Builder comes with 250 message credits and 10,000 integration credits a month. Lovable's $21 Pro has 100 credits. They aren't the same unit.
Both charge more for a big change than a small one. Base44's credits page says "there is no set credit amount used per message." A small visual or text change takes about 0.5 message credits and a change across the whole app about 3 or 4. Editing the page by hand in Base44's visual editor costs nothing. On Lovable, a Build mode request's cost "depends on the complexity of the request and the work completed." Lovable's own examples put making a button gray at 0.50 credits and adding authentication at 1.20.
The bigger difference shows up after you publish. Base44 bills a second allowance, integration credits, each time your live app uses its built-in services: about 1 credit per email it sends, and about 1 per AI call on its Automatic model. Lovable uses "one credit balance for building your app, chatting with Lovable, hosting your app and running its built-in backend (Cloud)". So on Lovable, a busy app eats into the same credits you build with. Lovable's plans include Cloud credits each month, which it calls "a temporary offering and subject to change."
Which one is easier to leave later?
Getting in is easy on both. Each sets up login for you: Base44 turns on email and password sign-in, and Lovable adds email, Google and Sign in with Lovable. Each also runs a backend you never have to configure. Lovable's Supabase docs say its built-in backend "is enabled by default, so most projects never need a separate Supabase account." Getting out is where they split.
Lovable's code comes out on any plan. Its Git sync to GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket carries "the source files, including the database migration files that define its structure," according to Lovable's hosting and ownership docs. The data is a separate job: you export the database and download your stored files yourself. Lovable Cloud is built on Supabase's open-source foundation, but its docs say "there is no one-click migration" from it to your own Supabase project. The destinations Lovable supports are managed or self-hosted Supabase. If you cancel, your plan switches to Free when the billing period ends.
Base44's code comes out from the Builder plan up, through GitHub sync or a ZIP. Base44's developer docs say "the exported code still relies on Base44 to run, so a ZIP is a copy of your code, not a way to move your app off Base44." Your data comes out one table at a time as CSV files. If you cancel, the workspace drops to the Free plan when the billing period ends, and with more than 5 apps you choose which 5 stay published. If you're already building on Base44, our Base44 alternatives guide shows where each part goes.
Is there a builder that doesn't put your code behind a plan?
Yes. With Dyad, the code is on your computer and the backend is in your own account from day one, so there's no plan to upgrade for your code and nothing to migrate.
Dyad is a desktop app for Mac and Windows, and every app it builds is a normal Git repo (a project folder that keeps a history of every change). For login and data, you connect your own Supabase account (the same open-source backend Lovable Cloud is built on), or Neon for Next.js and Vite apps. Dyad's AI then adds the login and creates the tables there. On Supabase, Dyad's built-in instructions require row-level security on every table it exposes, the rules that keep one user from reading another's data. When you're ready to share the app, you publish through GitHub and Vercel.
Already building on Lovable? Sync it to GitHub, and Dyad can import the repo. It's experimental and works with Node.js apps that have an npm run dev script (the command that starts the app on your computer).
Before you compare credits, decide whether you'll want this app's code someday. What's the first thing you're planning to build?
FAQ
Is there anything better than Lovable?
For an app you want to own outright, look at Dyad. It's free and open source, and every app is a Git repo on your computer, so you can switch between Dyad and an editor like Cursor whenever you like. You can also build with the ChatGPT or Claude Code subscription you already pay for (Claude Code support is experimental).
Can Base44 or Lovable build an iPhone app?
Both build web apps. Base44 can package yours for the App Store and Google Play by wrapping it in a web view (a phone app that just shows your site), and you need its Builder plan to download the store files. Lovable has no store flow; its docs point to a progressive web app (a website people add to their home screen) or a Capacitor wrapper you set up outside Lovable. Dyad builds web apps too, with experimental mobile builds through Capacitor.
Can you use your own Supabase with Base44 or Lovable?
With Lovable, yes: you can connect a Supabase project you own instead of Lovable Cloud, on any plan. Base44's docs don't describe connecting your own database, so apps use Base44's. In Dyad, the database is always yours, in Supabase or Neon.
