Lovable vs Bolt vs Replit vs v0 vs Base44: prices, limits, and what happens when credits run out

Pick by the job

Start from what you are building, then compare prices. The groups are our classification (editorial), built from each vendor's docs as of October 2026.

Sources^{[1], [8], [16], [25], [14], [12], [10], [22], [4], [27]}

Plans and prices, as of October 2026

Monthly prices in USD before tax, billed monthly unless marked. Credits, tokens and messages are different units; the tables after this one show what each buys and what happens when it runs out.

Prices checked on vendor pages 2026-10-13. Base44's monthly-billed prices come from its own blog post of 2026-07-26; its pricing page shows the annual prices, which match its 20% rule.^{[1], [2], [5], [6], [12], [13], [15], [16], [17], [23], [24], [25], [26]}

When your credits or tokens run out

Two different things can stop: the AI that builds your app, and the app your users already rely on. From each vendor's own docs, as of October 2026.

Checked on vendor docs 2026-10-13. Where a cell says a page "does not say", we found no statement and make no claim.^{[1], [6], [7], [13], [15], [16], [19], [20], [30], [31], [24]}

How each one meters usage

Each builder counts a different unit, and credit burn is a recurring complaint in builder subreddits, for example a r/lovable thread on six months of credit spend and a r/replit thread on effort-based pricing, both read 2026-10-10. As of October 2026:

Our rule (editorial): never convert these units into a cost per app. No vendor publishes one, the units do not match, and the same request costs a different amount as the project grows. Compare what a plan covers for the way you build.^{[1], [5], [6], [12], [13], [18], [19], [20], [30], [24], [28], [29]}

Can you take your code with you

What each vendor says about getting your code and data out, as of October 2026. "Not checked" means we did not read that vendor's terms, so we make no claim either way.

Checked on vendor docs 2026-10-13.^{[2], [3], [9], [11], [12], [14], [18], [21], [23], [25]}

Our call: which builder fits which app

Editorial, for a solo builder using AI tools with no audience yet, working evenings and weekends. Each line says when a builder fits and the one thing to watch. None of them wins for every app.

• Lovable fits if. you want a hosted web app with a database and sign-in, and you will pay for Pro to edit or download the code. Watch: at zero credits the backend pauses, so keep a credit buffer once real users depend on it. There is no store path; it publishes a web URL.^{[1], [2], [4]}
• Bolt fits if. you want to read and fix the code yourself when tokens run low, or you need an Expo app for the stores from day one. Watch: say "mobile app" in the first prompt, and remember that Free hosting limits cover every site on your account.^{[6], [7], [10]}
• v0 fits if. your app is Next.js, you plan to deploy on Vercel, and you want the code to land in GitHub or a pull request. Watch: the model you choose sets the token price, and chat history counts as input.^{[12], [13], [14]}
• Replit fits if. you want building, databases, publishing and an iOS upload route in one place, with hard budget limits. Watch: paid modes price each request by effort, so set a budget limit before long Agent runs, and the free published app goes down after 30 days.^{[16], [19], [30], [22]}
• Base44 fits if. you want no-code building with sign-in and a database on every plan, and your app runs AI or email features that you want counted apart from building. Watch: when integration credits run out, your users see a generic error, and GitHub export needs Builder.^{[23], [24], [25]}
• A coding agent fits if. you can work in a repo and pick your own host. Compare those plans on our Cursor vs Claude Code vs Codex page.

Run the same first prompt on each free plan

As of October 2026 the free daily allowances are Lovable 5 build credits, Bolt 300K tokens, v0 7 messages and Base44 5 message credits; Replit Starter gives daily Agent credits (amount not published). Our suggestion (editorial): paste the same prompt into each, fill in the brackets the same way, and compare what you get before you pay for any of them.

Build a [type of app] for [who], who today use [current fix]. The first screen does one job: [the job]. Add email sign-in and one database table for [main record]. No payments yet. Tell me which files you created and what you could not do.

Before you pay for any builder

Five checks to run on the vendor's own pages. Each maps to a table above.

• What stops at zero: only building, or your live app too? Lovable and Base44 both say the live app is affected. See when credits run out.^{[1], [24]}
• Can you edit and download the code on the plan you are buying? On Lovable that starts at Pro; on Base44, GitHub export starts at Builder.^{[2], [23]}
• How long do unused credits or tokens last? As of October 2026, Base44 credits expire at each monthly reset. Lovable plan credits on monthly billing and Bolt paid tokens last 2 months, v0 monthly credits 65 days, Replit credit packs 6 months, and Lovable top-ups and v0 bought credits 12 months. Bolt reload tokens do not expire.^{[24], [1], [6], [13], [30]}
• Can you set a hard spending limit? Replit lets you set a usage limit and a service shutdown limit for usage past your monthly credits, and Bolt Pro hosting lets you set a spending cap for pay-as-you-go traffic.^{[30], [7]}
• Where will the app run, and what does that cost once you leave the free plan? Check the hosts in our hosting free tiers table, and the stores in which tools can ship to the stores.

Common questions

Sources

Each number in brackets on this page points here. Prices and limits change; the date is when we read the page.

1. [1]Lovable docs, Plans and credits · accessed 13 October 2026
2. [2]Lovable docs, Subscription plans · accessed 13 October 2026
3. [3]Lovable docs, Deployment, hosting and ownership · accessed 13 October 2026
4. [4]Lovable docs, Publish · accessed 13 October 2026
5. [5]Bolt, Pricing · accessed 13 October 2026
6. [6]Bolt help center, Tokens · accessed 13 October 2026
7. [7]Bolt help center, Hosting plans · accessed 13 October 2026
8. [8]Bolt help center, What is Bolt Cloud · accessed 13 October 2026
9. [9]Bolt help center, Manage projects and files (export) · accessed 13 October 2026
10. [10]Bolt help center, Expo for mobile apps · accessed 13 October 2026
11. [11]Bolt help center, Supabase · accessed 13 October 2026
12. [12]v0, Pricing · accessed 13 October 2026
13. [13]v0 docs, Pricing · accessed 13 October 2026
14. [14]v0 docs, Overview · accessed 13 October 2026
15. [15]Replit, Pricing · accessed 13 October 2026
16. [16]Replit docs, Starter plan · accessed 13 October 2026
17. [17]Replit docs, Replit Core · accessed 13 October 2026
18. [18]Replit docs, Replit Pro · accessed 13 October 2026
19. [19]Replit docs, AI billing · accessed 13 October 2026
20. [20]Replit docs, Publishing costs · accessed 13 October 2026
21. [21]Replit docs, Version control · accessed 13 October 2026
22. [22]Replit docs, Upload an iOS app · accessed 13 October 2026
23. [23]Base44, Pricing · accessed 13 October 2026
24. [24]Base44 docs, Credits · accessed 13 October 2026
25. [25]Base44 docs, Billing and plans · accessed 13 October 2026
26. [26]Base44 blog, How much does Base44 cost (published 2026-07-26) · accessed 13 October 2026
27. [27]Firebase docs, Firebase Studio · accessed 13 October 2026
28. [28]r/lovable, thread on six months of Lovable credit spend (2026-01-08) · accessed 10 October 2026
29. [29]r/replit, thread on Replit Agent effort-based pricing (2026-07-16) · accessed 10 October 2026
30. [30]Replit docs, Managing your spend · accessed 13 October 2026
31. [31]Replit docs, Publishing and database billing · accessed 13 October 2026

Read next

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• Stage 4: ship and find usersBefore you launch a vibe-coded app: data, keys, backups
• Stage 4: ship and find usersShip a vibe-coded app to the App Store and Google Play
• Stage 2: check demandValidate your app idea before you build it