Lovable PromptsLovable Prompts
    Vendor pages re-read 3 measured Lovable runsBase44 priced from its own pages, not run

    Lovable vs Base44: the credits, the GitHub rules, the backend you keep

    Both turn a prompt into a hosted app with a database and logins, both bill credits by the work done, and neither charges per seat. Read on 23 October 2026, the vendor pages separate them on four things: which plan gets GitHub (every Lovable plan, Base44 from Builder at $40), whether unused credits survive the month, what the exported code still needs from the vendor, and the annual entry price, where Base44 is cheaper. Only Lovable has been run here; Base44 is priced from its own pages.

    Which one for you

    Four questions, one answer

    Is the lowest annual entry price the deciding factor?
    Do you want GitHub sync on the plan you start with?
    Should the app run without the builder's servers one day?
    Will you build a lot one month and little the next?

    Your answer

    Either, on these answers

    Nothing you answered separates them. Read the meter section: that is where the bills diverge.

    Browse the measured prompts →

    Scored from the facts in the table below, one row per question. Lovable gets no bonus points.

    What you pay for

    Which meter costs more per change?

    Both vendors bill credits by the work a request causes, so the unit looks alike. The differences are a second Base44 meter for built-in services, and what happens to the credits you did not use. In their own words, read on 23 October 2026.

    Lovable: one build meter, plus Cloud and AI grants

    • Build mode pricing is usage-based: billed on the complexity of the request and the work completed, with illustrative examples from 0.50 credits for a button colour to 2.00 for a landing page with images. Lovable credits docs
    • Plan mode is 1 credit a message plus the cost of any research it runs while planning, and never changes code.
    • Free: 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud, 4 AI and 1 connector credit a month. Monthly plan credits roll over and expire 2 months after issue.
    • Our measured runs: 1.8, 9.5 and 10.4 credits for a landing page, a states gallery and a SaaS foundation.

    Base44: message credits for building, integration credits for services

    • Credits are based on how much work the system has to do, so a small-looking change can cost more than it looks. Base44's docs put simple edits at about 0.5 credits and app-wide changes at about 3 to 4. Base44 credits docs
    • Integration credits pay for Base44's built-in services such as sending an email or generating an image, about 1 each. They are not used when the app calls an external service with your own API key.
    • Unused credits expire when they reset. The one exception: upgrading to a higher monthly plan mid-cycle carries the unused credits one more cycle. Bonus credits never carry over.
    • Out of message credits, actions that use credits pause until the next reset. Base44 prints no example cost per feature beyond the two edit sizes, and we did not run it.
    How many builds one month buys on Lovable, from the 3 measured runs

    Free plan (30 build credits a month) in rose, Pro 100 in lime. Each bar divides the plan by the credits that run cost.

    Landing page + email opt-in1.8 credits1655Empty states and skeletons9.5 credits310SaaS MVP with user auth10.4 credits29
    Builds per month on Lovable, per measured run
    RunCreditsFree plan, 30 creditsPro 100
    Landing page + email opt-in1.81655
    Empty states and skeletons9.5310
    SaaS MVP with user auth10.429

    Lovable only. Credits per run read from the workspace credits page before and after, in our own workspace (31 July and 26 September 2026); plan sizes from lovable.dev/pricing on 22 October 2026. Base44's 25 free and 100 Starter message credits have no measured build behind them here, so no bar.

    Side by side

    Lovable and Base44, row by row

    Lovable and Base44 compared on what each is, the meter, free plan, entry price, rollover, team cost, GitHub, other exits, backend, hosting, zero balance and public record, with the date each Base44 cell was read
    LovableBase44ReadSource
    What it isPrompt-to-app builder with a built-in backend (Lovable Cloud, on Supabase's foundation), or your own Supabase projectPrompt-to-app builder with an integrated backend and database on every plan. Owned by Wix since June 2025 and run as a distinct product23 October 2026Wix press release
    You pay byCredits per message, billed on the work completed. Plan mode 1 credit plus researchMessage credits by the work done (about 0.5 for a simple edit, 3 to 4 for an app-wide change) plus integration credits for built-in services23 October 2026Base44 credits docs
    Free plan5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud, 4 AI and 1 connector credit a month. No card25 message credits a month at up to 5 a day, 100 integration credits, up to 5 apps. Private apps are paid since 6 February 2026; database capped at 200 MB per app for apps created from 18 October 202623 October 2026Base44 plans docs
    Entry paid planPro €25 a month for 100 credits (€21 billed annually)Starter $16 a month billed annually for 100 message credits and 2,000 integration credits. Monthly price $20 per Base44's July 2026 cost post; the pricing page prints annual only23 October 2026Base44 pricing page
    RolloverUnused monthly plan credits roll over, expiring 2 months after issue; daily credits do notUnused credits expire at reset, except one cycle after a mid-cycle upgrade to a higher monthly plan. Bonus credits never carry over23 October 2026Base44 credits docs
    A second builder costsNothing: unlimited collaborators on every plan, including Free; per-member credit limits on ProNothing: unlimited members without separate plans or seats; credits are per workspace. Per-member credit limits on Business23 October 2026Base44 workspace docs
    GitHubTwo-way sync on every plan, one branch at a time. Always creates a new repositoryTwo-way sync from Builder ($40 billed annually). The default branch must be named main, there is no manual push, sync cannot be paused, and versions from before the connection cannot be restored. An existing repository connects only for apps created with the Base44 CLI23 October 2026Base44 GitHub docs
    Other ways outClone the synced repository. Downloading the code without GitHub needs a paid planZIP of the app's source code, in the editor or through the export API. The exported code still uses Base44 for data, logins and integrations23 October 2026Base44 mobile docs
    Database and authLovable Cloud: database, auth, storage, edge functions and realtime, on every plan; or a Supabase project you ownIntegrated backend and database on every plan, authentication listed on Free. Integration calls always run on Base44 infrastructure23 October 2026Base44 pricing page
    HostingFree: 5 lovable.app domains, invite-only publishing. Custom domains from ProHosted by Base44. Custom domains from Starter; the docs promise a free domain for a year on every yearly plan, the pricing page lists it on Pro and Elite only23 October 2026Base44 plans docs
    At zero balanceBuilding stops, AI features in deployed apps stop, apps on Cloud pause. A published static site stays upActions that use credits pause until the next reset. What a published app does meanwhile is not stated23 October 2026Base44 credits docs
    On the recordCVE-2025-48757 (row-level security in generated projects) and an April 2026 API flaw, patched for new projects, not remediated for projects created before November 2025Wiz, 29 July 2025: an attacker could have created a verified account for private applications. Reported 9 July, fix verified the next day, Wix reported no sign of compromise23 October 2026Wiz Research

    Base44 cells read on 23 October 2026 on the page in the Source column; Lovable prices from lovable.dev/pricing on 22 October 2026, Lovable docs on 23 October 2026. Lovable is shown in euros as displayed to EU visitors; Base44's pricing page prints US dollars billed annually.

    The paid ladders

    What the next tier buys on each

    Paid plan tiers on Lovable and Base44 with price, allowance and the source note
    ToolPlanPriceBuysNote
    LovablePro 100€25 a month100 creditsPricing page read 22 October 2026; €21 a month billed annually
    LovablePro 400€100 a month400 creditsSame €0.25 a credit to 800 credits
    LovableBusiness 100€50 a month100 creditsAdds SSO, team workspace and role-based access
    Base44Starter$16 a month, annual100 message, 2,000 integration credits$20 monthly per the July 2026 cost post. No GitHub
    Base44Builder$40 a month, annual250 message, 10,000 integration credits$50 monthly per the cost post. First plan with GitHub sync
    Base44Pro$80 a month, annual500 message, 20,000 integration credits$100 monthly per the cost post
    Base44Elite$160 a month, annual1,200 message, 50,000 integration credits$200 monthly per the cost post; the plans docs list 6 Elite sizes up to 8,200 message credits

    Lovable's ladder is the Pro and Business cards as printed on 22 October 2026. Base44's annual figures are its pricing page on 23 October 2026, which states that annual billing saves 20% and prints no monthly prices; the monthly figures come from Base44's own cost post of 26 July 2026. A Lovable credit and a Base44 message credit are both units of work done, priced by each vendor's own measure, so the counts do not convert.

    What you keep

    What do you keep if you leave?

    This is the row the other comparisons skip. Both give you a repository. What that repository needs from the vendor to keep running is where they part, in their own docs, read on 23 October 2026.

    Lovable: the code syncs, the backend depends on your choice

    • Two-way GitHub sync on every plan, one branch at a time; Git sync always creates a new repository and cannot connect to one that exists. Lovable GitHub docs
    • Lovable can build against a Supabase project you own. Then the database, auth and backups were always in your account, and leaving the builder leaves them where they are. Lovable Cloud docs
    • On Lovable Cloud, the migrations travel in the synced repository and the docs describe viewing, editing and restoring the data from the Cloud section; export it before you switch.

    Base44: the frontend leaves, the backend stays

    • Exported code still uses Base44 for your data, logins and integrations, in Base44's own words, and integration calls always run on Base44 infrastructure. Base44 mobile docs
    • Two-way GitHub sync needs Builder or higher, a default branch named main, and cannot be paused; versions from before the connection cannot be restored from Version History. Base44 GitHub docs
    • Bringing an existing repository in works only for apps created with the Base44 CLI, with a matching config file; the docs we read describe no export of the data rows.

    When to choose Base44 and when to choose Lovable

    Base44

    Choose Base44 if

    • The annual entry price decides it: Starter at $16 a month billed annually against Lovable Pro at €21, read on 23 October 2026
    • Your app sends email or generates images through the builder: 2,000 integration credits come with Starter, on top of the build credits
    • You are building an internal tool that will live on the builder for good, so the backend staying behind costs you nothing
    • Your building is steady month to month, so credits that expire at reset waste little

    Lovable

    Choose Lovable if

    • You want GitHub from day one: every Lovable plan syncs, Base44 starts at Builder, $40 billed annually, read on 23 October 2026
    • The app may outgrow the builder: connect a Supabase project you own and the database never belonged to Lovable
    • You build in bursts: monthly credits roll over for 2 months
    • You want a bigger free plan: 5 build credits a day up to 30 a month, against 25 Base44 message credits a month
    • You want to know what a prompt costs before you pay: we measured 1.8, 9.5 and 10.4 credits

    Both records carry an incident. Lovable carries CVE-2025-48757, insufficient row-level security in generated projects, and an April 2026 flaw in its own API that let a free account read another user's source and database credentials, patched for new projects and not remediated for projects created before November 2025. Base44's July 2025 flaw, found by Wiz, let an attacker create a verified account on private applications; Wiz reports it fixed within a day of the report, with no sign of abuse. Reporting by The Next Web, SC Media, Wiz Research. The security guide has the scans we ran on our own project.

    Lovable's chat after the SaaS MVP with user auth run on 26 September 2026: the build-complete message with the preview of the generated app beside it
    The SaaS MVP with user auth run, 26 September 2026, our own workspace: 4 questions asked first, Cloud enabled, roles checked in the database, 10.4 credits.

    That panel is the only build evidence on this page, and it is Lovable's. The cheapest of the 3 runs, landing page + email opt-in, cost 1.8 credits of the 5 a free account gets each day; the prompt page has the builder and the screenshots, and the pricing guide turns every run into builds per plan. Base44 has no equivalent row here because we did not run it.

    The right column describes you?

    Start on the Free plan: 5 build credits a day, no card. Our cheapest measured build, landing page + email opt-in, cost 1.8 credits in one round.

    Disclosure: if you create a Lovable account through links on this page, we may earn a commission. It costs you nothing and does not change what we recommend.Start free on Lovable

    How we compared, and what we did not publish

    • Prices and rules from Base44's pricing page and documentation, read on 23 October 2026; Base44's monthly prices from its own cost post of 26 July 2026, labelled as such. Lovable's docs read 23 October 2026, its prices 22 October 2026.
    • Credit figures only from runs in our own Lovable workspace, read from the credits page before and after.
    • Incidents only from named publications or the researchers who found them, with dates.
    • Lovable's own Base44 comparison guide was read for its claims; none of them is used as evidence.

    Not published

    • The same prompt run in Base44. We hold no Base44 account, and we will not estimate a credit count.
    • Base44's monthly prices from its pricing page, which prints annual billing only, and a price for its Business plan, which the docs list without one.
    • Whether Base44's ZIP contains the backend functions, and how to export the data rows: the docs we read state neither.
    • Which domain offer applies on Base44 Starter billed annually: its docs and its pricing page disagree.

    What changed since launch

    1. 23 Oct 2026First published. Base44's pricing page, plans, credits, workspace, GitHub and export docs read the same day; Lovable's credits and GitHub docs re-read.

    Frequently asked

    Is Base44 cheaper than Lovable?

    On the annual entry plan, yes: Base44 Starter is $16 a month billed annually for 100 message credits (read 23 October 2026), Lovable Pro is €21 a month billed annually for 100 credits (read 22 October 2026). Monthly, Base44's own July 2026 cost post prints Starter at $20 against Lovable's €25. The gap closes when you need GitHub: Base44 puts two-way sync on Builder at $40 a month billed annually, Lovable on every plan including Free.

    Which free plan gets further?

    Lovable's, on the credits printed: 5 build credits a day up to 30 a month, against Base44's 25 message credits a month at up to 5 a day, read 23 October 2026. Base44 Free also caps you at 5 apps and, since 6 February 2026, makes private apps a paid feature. Our cheapest measured Lovable build cost 1.8 credits; we have no Base44 run, so we cannot say what 25 Base44 credits buy.

    Can I take my Base44 app's code with me?

    The frontend, yes, as a ZIP or through two-way GitHub sync from Builder. The backend stays: Base44's own mobile docs say exported code still uses Base44 for your data, logins and integrations, and its developer docs say integration calls always run on Base44 infrastructure (read 23 October 2026). Leaving Base44 means rebuilding the data layer elsewhere.

    Can I take my Lovable app's code with me?

    Yes, through two-way GitHub sync on every plan; downloading the code without GitHub needs a paid plan. The backend depends on how you built it: Lovable can connect a Supabase project you own, in which case the database was always yours, or run on Lovable Cloud, where the migrations travel in the synced repository and the data has to be exported before you switch.

    Do unused credits carry over?

    On Lovable, monthly plan credits roll over and expire 2 months after issue; daily credits do not. On Base44, unused credits expire when they reset, with one exception for an upgrade to a higher monthly plan mid-cycle, and bonus credits never carry over (read 23 October 2026). If your building comes in bursts, Lovable keeps the slow month's credits for the busy one.

    Did you run the same prompt in both?

    No. The three measured runs on this page are Lovable, in our own workspace, with the credits panel read before and after. Base44's side is its pricing page, documentation and its own cost post, each dated. Lovable publishes its own Base44 comparison guide; it prints no measured build either, and we treat it as the vendor talking.

    Sources, with the date each was read

    The other head-to-head pages

    Base44 alternatives →Lovable vs Bolt →Lovable vs Bubble →Lovable vs v0 →Lovable alternatives →Lovable pricing →

    Written by

    Marco Kohns

    Marco Kohns

    Founder of ProtoBites - Venture Growth Studio

    Growth PM at a Silicon Valley scale-up (a16z and General Catalyst backed), ex-Techstars where he consulted 13 early-stage startups, Reforge-trained. Every prompt on this site comes out of shipping ProtoBites' own portfolio products.

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