A practical buyer’s guide · Prices checked October 4, 2026

Base44, Bubble & the DIY app builders: what will this actually cost?

The $16 plan is not automatically the cheapest app. A builder subscription is only one line: you may also pay for hosting, database usage, AI credits, app-store accounts, transaction fees, outside integrations—and the person who keeps it working.

The short answer

Choose by the app you need to run.

Fastest AI start: Base44 or Lovable. Base44 bundles backend and hosting; Lovable produces code and shares credits across building and cloud use.
Most visual control for a complex web app: Bubble. Its managed runtime lowers infrastructure work, but increases platform dependence and workload-meter risk.
App Store launch: Compare FlutterFlow and Adalo. FlutterFlow gives you source code but expects more backend choices; Adalo is simpler and more managed.
Internal tools and portals: Compare Glide, Softr, AppSheet and Retool. They are built around business data, with pricing that may scale by user, seat, workflow or data source.
Code-first ownership: Replit or Bolt. You keep a conventional codebase, and someone owns deployment, security, backups and maintenance.

Monthly starting points · USD

What the plans cost today

These are vendor-published subscription prices. “Per month” may mean an annual contract billed upfront. Usage, seats, hosting and external services can change the bill.

AI, full-stack app builder

Base44

$0 · paid from $16/mo

Starter is $16/mo equivalent when billed annually ($192 upfront). Builder $40, Pro $80 and Elite $160 are annual monthly-equivalents.

Official pricing and product details ↗

Visual full-stack web app platform

Bubble

$0 · paid from $59/mo

Starter is $59/mo equivalent when billed annually ($708 upfront); Growth $209/mo ($2,508/year), Team $549/mo ($6,588/year). One paid plan per project.

Official pricing; official ownership and export guide ↗

AI-generated web app

Lovable

$0 · Pro $25/mo

Pro lists 100 monthly credits; Business is $50/mo. Annual prices and credit quantities can differ by workspace and region.

Official pricing and credits FAQ ↗

AI coding workspace + cloud

Replit

$0 · Core $20/mo

Core is $20 monthly or $18/mo equivalent billed annually; Pro starts at $100 monthly or $95/mo annually. Usage credits and deployments matter.

Official pricing; Replit Git documentation ↗

Prompt-to-code web apps

Bolt

$0 · Pro $25/mo

Pro includes a 10 million monthly token starting allowance; Teams is $30 per member monthly. Token use rises with project size and context.

Official pricing and token documentation ↗

Visual mobile + web app builder

FlutterFlow

$0 · Basic $39/mo

Growth is $80/mo for the first seat and $55 for the second; Business starts at $150. Code download is on Basic and up.

Official plans and feature comparison ↗

No-code native mobile + web apps

Adalo

$0 · Starter $36/mo

Starter $36/mo billed annually; Professional $52, Team $160. Published price and included app count vary by tier.

Official pricing and feature comparison ↗

Spreadsheet-to-business-app platform

Glide

$0 · Basic $25/mo

Current GlideOS pricing: Basic $25, Plus $50, Pro $125/mo; published apps, workflows, seats and credits vary by tier.

Official current GlideOS plans and FAQ ↗

Google Sheets and Workspace apps

AppSheet

$5/user/mo · test free

Starter $5/user/mo; Core $10/user/mo and may be included in eligible Google Workspace plans. Public apps without sign-in use a separate $50/app/mo plan with security limits.

Official AppSheet plan pricing and user-count FAQ ↗

Portals and internal business apps

Softr

$0 · Basic $19/mo

Current page shows Basic $19, Pro $99 and Business $329/mo with yearly billing selected; builders, app users and domains can add cost.

Official live plan comparison ↗

Internal tools and data-connected apps

Retool

$0 · Team from $10/builder + $5/user/mo

Business begins at $50/builder + $15/internal user/mo on the current US plan display. External portal users are separately priced and require Business or Enterprise features.

Official cloud/self-host pricing and seat model ↗

Microsoft 365 low-code apps

Microsoft Power Apps

$20/user/mo · paid yearly

Premium is $20 per user/month for unlimited apps, before any added Dataverse capacity or related Power Platform services. Microsoft announced $22/user/mo effective January 1, 2027.

Official Power Apps plans and announced 2027 price change ↗

Visual web front end + chosen backend

WeWeb

$13/mo shown · hosting separate

The live page displays a $13 entry figure. Workspace/editor seats and per-app hosting are separate line items; get your exact monthly total from its current calculator.

Official live pricing; official code-export information ↗

A free plan is useful for learning and prototypes. Do not treat it as a production cost estimate: custom domains, private projects, users, deployment, backups or production usage may require a paid tier.

Not one category

Which kind of builder fits?

These products solve different problems. A prompt-to-code tool, visual app platform and spreadsheet portal should not be judged by the same feature checklist.

AI, full-stack app builder

Base44

Fastest way to prompt out a conventional web app with database, sign-in and hosting bundled.

Watch the bill: Usage is credit-based across AI messages and integrations. Prove the real workflow and estimate monthly integration use before putting customers on it.
Can you leave?: Base44 advertises two-way GitHub sync and source export. Test a clean clone and independent deployment before relying on that as an exit plan.

Check Base44 source ↗

Visual full-stack web app platform

Bubble

Strong choice when you want to visually model a complex browser-based product, database and workflows without maintaining infrastructure.

Watch the bill: Usage is measured in Workload Units; extra workload can add cost. Native mobile and web share project usage. Track a realistic test workload, not just the plan price.
Can you leave?: Bubble says its apps run on Bubble and application code cannot be exported. Data can be exported; moving means rebuilding logic and behavior.

Check Bubble source ↗

AI-generated web app

Lovable

Good for quickly generating a polished web product when you can review code and keep a GitHub-backed project.

Watch the bill: Credits cover building and can also pay for hosted app usage and in-app AI. Hosting may fit the included allowance at small scale, then consume credits as traffic or storage grows.
Can you leave?: Code ownership and GitHub sync help portability. You still need to operate the app, database, authentication, secrets and deployment if leaving its managed services.

Check Lovable source ↗

AI coding workspace + cloud

Replit

Best for a hands-on builder who wants an AI coding agent, a real code editor, Git and deployment in one workspace.

Watch the bill: Agent/model credits and production deployments are different costs. Set spending controls and observe database, compute and outbound-service charges.
Can you leave?: Your project is code with Git workflows; portability is high relative to visual-only runtimes. The tradeoff is that someone must maintain and deploy it.

Check Replit source ↗

Prompt-to-code web apps

Bolt

Very quick for prototypes and standard web apps, with a path to choose a database provider and keep generated source code.

Watch the bill: Large projects use more tokens as Bolt syncs and reads the project files. Hosting/request and database limits apply; verify the actual production stack separately.
Can you leave?: Generated code and provider choice make exit more practical than a proprietary visual runtime, but the code still needs developer review and an operator.

Check Bolt source ↗

Visual mobile + web app builder

FlutterFlow

A leading shortlist when App Store and Google Play apps are central and you want visual control plus downloadable Flutter source.

Watch the bill: Database, authentication, file storage, email, monitoring and store accounts are separate services/costs. Include those before comparing the subscription.
Can you leave?: Flutter source-code download and GitHub integration (higher tier) provide a credible handoff route. Budget for a Flutter developer and backend ownership.

Check FlutterFlow source ↗

No-code native mobile + web apps

Adalo

Worth testing when a database-driven business app must ship to iOS, Android and web from one visual project, with flat app-action pricing.

Watch the bill: Check record/storage, editor and published-app limits for your plan. Apple and Google developer accounts and payment-processor fees are separate.
Can you leave?: The product emphasizes its managed builder and hosting; do not assume code portability. Export sample customer data and test the API before launch.

Check Adalo source ↗

Spreadsheet-to-business-app platform

Glide

Strong for internal operations, dashboards, forms and lightweight customer-facing apps built around structured data.

Watch the bill: GlideOS is a separate product from Glide Classic. Public app publishing starts on Plus; check user type, workflows, integrations and credit limits.
Can you leave?: Apps run on Glide’s hosted platform. Plan data-source exports and a replacement interface before building business-critical logic into proprietary actions.

Check Glide source ↗

Google Sheets and Workspace apps

AppSheet

A natural shortlist if the business already lives in Google Sheets, Forms, Drive and Workspace and needs mobile forms or internal workflows.

Watch the bill: Licensing follows app users across apps. Guest-device identity can count unexpectedly; map every employee and external user before estimating the bill.
Can you leave?: Data commonly lives in Sheets or an AppSheet database, but app formulas, actions and automation are platform-specific. Export data and document the logic separately.

Check AppSheet source ↗

Portals and internal business apps

Softr

A good fit for member/client portals and internal tools assembled from business data, with less freedom than a from-scratch app builder.

Watch the bill: Count external users, builder seats, data-source subscriptions and automation needs. Those limits—not the first plan price—often decide the tier.
Can you leave?: It is a hosted app layer connected to Softr or external data sources. Export underlying customer data and map permissions/workflows before assuming the UI is portable.

Check Softr source ↗

Internal tools and data-connected apps

Retool

Good for operational dashboards and staff tools that sit over business databases and APIs, especially with technical help nearby.

Watch the bill: The two-seat-type model can make a cheap builder plan expensive at scale. Retool is designed primarily for internal software, not a consumer SaaS storefront.
Can you leave?: Retool supports source control on higher plans and cloud or self-hosted deployment. Test whether the app definitions, resources and auth model transfer to the environment you want.

Check Retool source ↗

Microsoft 365 low-code apps

Microsoft Power Apps

A serious option for companies already using Microsoft 365, Dataverse, Teams and Power Automate, with an administrator to manage the environment.

Watch the bill: Connector, environment, storage, automation and per-user licensing rules are part of the cost. A license for the maker alone does not price the whole user population.
Can you leave?: Solutions can be packaged and moved within Power Platform environments, but the app logic and Dataverse model remain Microsoft-specific. Test data export and rebuild effort.

Check Microsoft Power Apps source ↗

Visual web front end + chosen backend

WeWeb

For builders who want visual front-end control while choosing a backend such as Supabase or Xano, rather than buying one opaque full-stack box.

Watch the bill: You are assembling a stack. Add a production hosting plan for each app plus database, auth, storage, email, monitoring and technical upkeep.
Can you leave?: WeWeb says paid plans include Vue code export. Confirm what is included in the exported project and test it against your chosen backend before you commit.

Check WeWeb source ↗

Do the math before you build

The plan is not the product’s total cost.

Price a real first year, not a free demo. Some platforms bundle most of the stack; others charge separately for pieces you need to make a real service work.

Add these lines

Builder: base subscription, editors/seats, project or published-app count.
Run the app: hosting, compute, database, file storage, bandwidth, usage units or AI credits.
Business plumbing: custom domain, email/SMS, payment fees, maps, analytics and integrations.
Trust: access controls, audit trail, backups, restore testing, monitoring and privacy/security review.
People: time to learn, test edge cases, correct generated code, handle incidents and maintain integrations.

Example: Bubble’s $59 Starter is billed yearly and includes 175K Workload Units a month; workload add-ons or overages may raise the cost. Lovable says Cloud and user-facing AI can consume credits. FlutterFlow’s builder plan does not remove the cost of whichever backend you connect. These are structurally different bills.

DIY or buy?

Do not build just because the monthly plan looks cheap.

Buy a proven SaaS when your process is common and the tool already handles the exceptions, permissions and support you need. Your team gets a maintained product instead of another system to own.

Use a DIY builder when the workflow is meaningfully different, you need control over the customer experience, and somebody can own testing, access, backups and future changes.

Evaluate custom software when the workflow affects revenue or customer trust, no single platform fits without brittle workarounds, and you want a maintainable system shaped around the actual process. Compare ongoing ownership and exit plans, not just build fees.

Find a business-specific guide

The question most demos skip

What can you take with you?

Before entering customer data, download a real export and ask a technical person to estimate a move. “You own your data” does not mean the workflow, UI, permissions, automations or app can move intact.

More portable, with technical ownership

Lovable, Bolt, Replit and FlutterFlow advertise source-code or Git workflows. You gain an exit route, but also responsibility for the code, deployment, database and security configuration.

More managed, harder to replace

Bubble’s official documentation says app code cannot be exported and a move requires rebuilding application logic. Glide, Softr, Adalo and Base44 keep more of the runtime inside their platforms; verify current export, API and data-backup paths directly.

Exit test: Export customers, transactions, files and history. Rebuild one important workflow from the exported data in a clean account. Record which permissions, IDs, formulas and automations did not travel.

One week, one workflow

Make every finalist earn your data.

Give each platform the same scenario and do the work yourself. A polished AI-generated demo is not proof that the system handles Tuesday afternoon.

Model the real record.Create a customer, job/order, line items, owner and status history. Check whether relationships stay clear.
Test permissions.Log in as an owner, staff member and customer. Try to see another customer’s private data by changing URLs and API requests.
Break a payment.Test a failed card, refund, duplicate webhook and changed order. Reconcile what the app and payment processor each record.
Restore a mistake.Delete or corrupt a test record, then follow the documented backup and restore process. Measure the recovery time.
Export and leave.Export data and files. Confirm the export includes relationships and identifiers; verify source code or APIs from a clean environment.

If the app handles health, financial, legal or other high-impact personal information, treat platform marketing as a starting point. Check contracts, access controls, data location, retention, incident response and applicable obligations with qualified help before launch.

What we did not put in this app-builder comparison

Framer, Webflow, Wix and Squarespace primarily build and host websites; they are relevant to a marketing-site decision, not a full custom SaaS system. Xano and Supabase are backend/database services that can pair with a front-end builder, not one-click replacements for the whole stack. Retool is a strong internal-tool option, but its user and deployment model is a separate internal-software decision. Keep the comparison tied to the job you need done.

Sources and method

Vendor pages, checked October 4, 2026

Prices and capability summaries above come from official vendor pages linked alongside each product. Pricing pages change; confirm the plan, renewal amount, tax, usage and cancellation terms at checkout. “Fit” is an editorial assessment, not hands-on product testing.

Prepared by Don. Research and correction policy.