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Our pickReviewed

Cheapest AI app builder for beginners

Lovable is our pick for most beginners: Pro is $25/month ($21/month billed yearly) for 100 credits plus 5 free daily credits, and small edits cost under 1 credit. Base44 has the lowest paid price at $16/month billed yearly, and Bolt.new's free plan is the best way to try first. The cheapest plan isn't always the cheapest way to finish an app.

Editorial picks

#1 pickVerified

Lovable

The most building per dollar you can predict. Pro is $25/month, or $250/year ($21/month), for 100 credits, you keep 5 daily build credits on top, and unused monthly credits roll over. Lovable's docs price edits by complexity: their examples run from 0.50 credits for a small style change to 2.00 for a landing page with images, and Plan mode costs 1 credit per message plus any research it runs.

Free tierfrom $25/moVisit Lovable ↗
Alternative 1Verified

Base44

The lowest paid price: Starter is $16/month billed yearly for 100 message credits and 2,000 integration credits a month, with auth and a database built in. The yearly price was the only one we could read on its pricing page, and Base44 says credit use varies by action and AI model. The better buy if you know you'll keep building for a year.

Free tierfrom $16/moVisit Base44 ↗
Alternative 2Verified

Bolt.new

The best free plan to try before you pay: 1M tokens a month, up to 300K a day. Pro is $25/month for 10M tokens with rollover and no daily limit. The catch: Bolt's FAQ says the larger the project, the more tokens each message uses, so costs climb as your app grows. The better buy for small apps and quick prototypes.

Free tierfrom $25/moVisit Bolt.new ↗
Open-source pickVerified

Dyad

Free to run locally with your own model API key, so you pay your model provider per token instead of buying platform credits. The better buy if you'd rather control costs directly and don't mind a little setup.

Free tierOpen sourcefrom $20/moVisit Dyad ↗

Editorial picks are never paid for. How we make money.

Plans compared

Free plan and cheapest paid plan for one person, from each tool's verified pricing. Prices in USD; always confirm on the vendor's site.

ToolFree planCheapest paid planPrices checked
LovableFree · Free5 daily build credits (up to 30/month), 20 Cloud credits/month, 4 AI credits/monthPro · $25/mo100 credits/month; $250/yr ($21/mo) annual; higher credit tiers up to 10,000 credits ($2,250/mo); top-ups $15 per 50 credits2026-10-15
Bolt.newFree · Free300K tokens daily limit, 1M tokens/month, Bolt brandingPro · $25/moStarts at 10M tokens/month, no daily limit, unused tokens roll over, custom domains2026-10-15
ReplitStarter · FreeDaily Agent credits up to a monthly cap, monthly cloud credits for databases, storage and publishing, 1 free published app; no Full build or Plan ModeCore · $20/mo$18/month billed annually; includes $20 towards more powerful models; up to 30 hours chat / 60 projects on Free Mode2026-10-29
v0Free · Free7 message/day limitPlus · $30/moPer user; $30 included monthly credits + $2 free daily credits on login per user. Page also renders a $90 figure (likely a selectable higher tier) - check site2026-10-15
Base44Free · Free25 message credits/month, 100 integration credits/month, up to 5 appsStarter · $16/mo, billed yearly100 message credits, 2,000 integration credits/month2026-10-15
RorkFree · FreeDesign mode only (Build mode needs a paid plan); 5 credits/day, up to 35/month in major markets (5/month elsewhere)Rork Pro · $20/mo100 credits/month2026-10-29

How we picked

  • Price of the cheapest paid plan for one person, as the official page prints it
  • What the free plan lets you build before you pay
  • How predictably credits or tokens drain as the app grows
  • Backend and hosting included, so there's no second bill

Prices are checked against each vendor's official pricing page. Our methodology.

When to switch

  • Your codebase outgrows chat-only edits and you need fine-grained control

    → Move to Cursor. Move the code into an AI editor and keep shipping with full code access.

  • You want to own the payments account yourself

    → Move to Stripe. Connect your own Stripe account instead of letting Lovable create and manage payments for you.

Compare

FAQ

Is the cheapest plan the cheapest way to finish an app?

Not always. Lovable and Base44 charge credits per message, Bolt.new and v0 bill by tokens, and Replit draws its credits from all usage, including publishing and databases. A plan whose credits go further can cost less overall than a cheaper plan you outgrow in a week. Start on the free plan, note how fast a typical change drains it, then pick a paid plan.

When is Replit the better buy?

When you want the editor, database and hosting in one place. Replit's free Starter plan includes daily Agent credits up to a monthly cap and one free published app. Core is $20/month, or $18/month billed yearly, and includes $20 towards more powerful models. Usage beyond your monthly credits is charged.

When is v0 the better buy?

When you're building a web front end and want to deploy it to Vercel. The free plan has a limit of 7 messages a day, and new users get $5 in one-time credits. Plus is $30 per user per month with $30 of included monthly credits and $2 of free daily credits on login, and usage is billed by tokens for each model.

When is Rork the better buy?

When the goal is a phone app. Rork's free plan covers design only (5 design credits a day, up to 35 a month in major markets). Rork Pro at $20/month adds Build mode for iPhone, Android and web apps, with 100 credits a month.

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