I get it. Everyone's talking about AI tools that can build apps for you, and it's honestly kind of overwhelming. Two names keep popping up everywhere: Lovable and Base44. And here's the thing—people are constantly asking "which one's better?" But that's actually the wrong question.

Here's what I've learned after spending way too much time testing both: they're different tools for different people. And by the end of this (admittedly long) post, you'll know exactly which one makes sense for you.

Base44

Best For: Fast and fun AI-powered app builder designed to help you launch quickly with modern features and intuitive design.

Visit Base44

Lovable

Best For: Instant app prototyping and deployment with modern AI features built in for rapid development cycles.

Visit Lovable

So What Actually Are These Things?

Building with Lovable

Lovable feels like pair programming with someone who's read your entire codebase. You describe what you want, and it generates the code. It's more developer-friendly and extensible than typical no-code solutions.

The workflow is pretty smooth. You can import designs from Figma, describe changes in plain English, and simply tell it like "Set up Stripe for payments" or "Connect this with OpenAI for text generation", and it does the grunt work for you.

Want to tweak something? You can either keep chatting with the AI or just edit the code directly. It syncs with GitHub, so you're working with standard development workflows.

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Building with Base44

Base44 is more like... magic? You start by picking a design style (they've got options like Neo-Brutalism or Claymorphism), describe your app, and it builds everything

The chat tells you exactly what the AI is doing, so you know what's happening behind the scenes.

One thing I really liked: the built-in integrations. There are a ton of services that you can add to your Base44 app without needing to create a separate account, like OpenAI, Resend (for email), Hubspot, and much more.

Let's Talk Money

Lovable Pricing

Lovable uses a complexity-based credit system—simple tasks like changing a button color cost half a credit, while complex tasks like building a landing page cost 1.7 credits.

Here's the breakdown:

• Free: 5 credits daily (50/month total)—enough to test things out
• Pro ($25/month): 100 monthly credits plus 5 daily (about 150 total), private projects, code editing, custom domains
• Teams ($30/month): 20 seats, shared workspaces, collaboration features
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with all the bells and whistles

The credit system confused me at first. The 5 daily credits on the free plan disappear quickly—expect to hit the limit after 3 meaningful interactions. So the free plan is really just for kicking the tires.

Base44 Pricing

Base44 keeps it simpler—you get message credits and integration credits.

• Free:  25 messages/month, 500 integration credits
• Starter ($20/month): 100 messages, 2,000 integration credits
• Builder ($50/month): 250 messages, 10,000 integration credits
• Pro ($100/month): 500 messages, 20,000 integration credits
• Elite ($200/month): 1,200 messages, 50,000 integration credits

Pro tip: If you pay annually instead of monthly, Base44 knocks 20% off the total price. That's actually a pretty sweet deal if you know you'll be using it long-term.

The Integrations Game

Lovable's Approach

Lovable integrates with Supabase for backend, and can connect via API to many other services. You add them through the chat interface, but still need to go through the technical process of adding APIs.

And here's the thing: some of these might need separate subscriptions. Supabase isn't free beyond their starter tier, for example.

Lovable also has a feature called "Lovable Cloud" which allows for a build-in database and AI functionality, for an additional price. When you use Lovable Cloud, you don't need to set up Supabase separately.

Base44's Approach

Base44 includes built-in features like LLM-powered chat, file uploading, image generation, and email or SMS sending that work immediately without requiring any extra setup.

It's truly plug-and-play.

Who Should Pick What?

Go with Lovable If You...

• Want more control over your code
• Plan to hand this off to a dev team eventually
• Care about owning your code and hosting it anywhere
• Have some technical background

Go with Base44 If You...

• Have zero interest in learning to code
• Need to validate an idea fast (like, this week)
• Want to build internal tools or simple MVPs
• Don't want to deal with hosting, databases, or deployment
• Want integrations done for you, like Twilio or OpenAI.
• Just want to focus on the business side
• Value speed over flexibility

Users love how fast they can build and launch solutions, with many saying they created a web app in a few queries—tasks that used to take weeks.

My Take

After testing both extensively, here's what I think:

Lovable is incredible if you're more technical. The code quality is genuinely impressive, and the GitHub integration means you're building something real and maintainable.

Base44 is perfect for getting stuff done fast. I built a working CRM in literally three hours. I had a working tool that same day. This is perfect for people who are completely non technical.

Can you use both? Absolutely. I know people who prototype in Base44 to validate ideas, then rebuild with Lovable or Cursor when they need more power.

Getting Started

For Lovable:

1. Head to Lovable and sign up
2. Start with a free account to learn the ropes
3. Try importing a Figma design or describe a simple app
4. Watch how it generates code and iterates
5. Upgrade to Pro when you're ready to build for real

For Base44:

1. Go to Base44 and create an account
2. Browse their idea library for inspiration
3. Pick a design style (Neo-Brutalism looks pretty cool)
4. Describe your app and watch it build
5. Iterate through chat until it's what you want

Base44

Best For: Fast and fun AI-powered app builder designed to help you launch quickly with modern features and intuitive design.

Visit Base44

Lovable

Best For: Instant app prototyping and deployment with modern AI features built in for rapid development cycles.

Visit Lovable

The Bottom Line

If you code (or want to learn), Lovable will make you faster and more productive. If you just need to get an app built without learning to code, Base44 is the option for you.

The AI revolution isn't about replacing developers. It's about letting more people build more things, whether you're writing code or just describing what you want.

Try them both. See which one clicks. And then go build something awesome.

The free tiers exist for a reason. Take advantage of them and figure out what works for you. The best tool is the one you'll actually use.