Base44 Pricing and Review 2026: Plans, Credits, App Store Apps and Limits
What Base44 is, what each plan really buys, what you can ship on the free plan, what an App Store or Google Play app costs, and where it falls short.
Base44 is an AI app builder, owned by Wix, that turns a plain-English prompt into a working web app with a database, logins and hosting. It is free to start (25 AI credits a month), and paid plans run from $16 to $160 a month billed yearly, or $20 to $200 monthly. It is quick for web apps and internal tools. The catches: credits expire every month, code export and app-store files both need the $40 Builder plan or higher, and store apps are your web app inside a wrapper. Below is what we found, plan by plan.
What This Guide Covers
- Every Base44 plan, yearly and monthly, read October 2026
- How credits work and how far each plan goes
- Where independent reviews of Base44 stand
- What it takes to get a Base44 app into the App Store and Google Play
- Whether you can take your code with you
- Pros, cons, and who should pick something else
Want the bigger picture first? Read what vibe coding is, or our list of vibe coding tools.
TL;DR Quick Summary
Base44 in one paragraph. It builds full web apps from a prompt, with the backend, database, logins and hosting included, and it is fast for prototypes and internal tools. The free plan gives 25 message credits a month (at most 5 a day) and up to 5 apps. Starter costs $16 a month billed yearly or $20 monthly; Builder $40 or $50; Pro $80 or $100; Elite $160 or $200. Unused credits expire at each reset. Exporting your code to GitHub and downloading App Store and Google Play files both start on Builder, and store apps run your web app inside a native wrapper. Verdict: worth it for web apps you will keep on Base44; plan for Builder if you need the stores or your own copy of the code.
Build an app with AI on Appy Pie AI →Table of Contents
Answer first, then the plans, credits, the test, mobile, code and the verdict.
- What Is Base44 and How Does It Work?
- Base44 Pricing: Every Plan in 2026
- How Base44 Credits Work
- What a Month on Base44 Actually Costs
- Is Base44 Free? What the Free Plan Can Ship
- Can Base44 Make a Mobile App? App Store and Google Play
- Can You Export Your Code From Base44?
- Base44 Pros and Cons
- Who Base44 Suits, and Who Should Pick Something Else
- Base44 vs Building in Appy Pie AI
- What We Checked
- Frequently asked questions
What Is Base44 and How Does It Work?
Base44 is a vibe coding platform: you describe the app you want in plain language, and its AI writes the whole thing, front end, back end and database, then hosts it. You keep changing it by chatting with the AI, or by editing the page visually, which costs no credits. Base44 is owned by Wix, which publishes Base44's news on its own investor relations site.
Prompt to app
One description produces screens, data tables, user accounts and the logic between them.
Backend included
Database, logins, file storage and analytics come built in, with no separate service to set up.
Integrations
Built-in email, AI calls and image generation, paid in integration credits, plus connectors to tools such as Google Workspace and Slack.
Hosting and domains
Apps publish to a base44.app address on every plan; your own domain needs Starter or higher.
It sits in the same group as Lovable, Replit and Bolt. Its difference is that the backend is part of the product rather than something you connect, which makes it one of the faster ways to get a working app with logins and data. If you are weighing those tools, see our Lovable alternatives and Replit alternatives.
Base44 Pricing: Every Plan in 2026
Base44 has five plans plus Enterprise. Every plan includes the core builder, the backend and database, user logins, analytics and hosting. What changes is the credit allowance and a handful of features. Yearly billing saves 20%:
| Plan | Yearly billing | Monthly billing | Message credits | Integration credits | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | 25 a month | 100 a month | Up to 5 apps; 5 credits a day |
| Starter | $16 a month | $20 a month | 100 a month | 2,000 a month | Unlimited apps, in-app code edits, custom domain |
| Builder | $40 a month | $50 a month | 250 a month | 10,000 a month | Adds backend functions, GitHub sync, app-store files |
| Pro | $80 a month | $100 a month | 500 a month | 20,000 a month | Adds early access to beta features |
| Elite | $160 a month | $200 a month | 1,200 a month | 50,000 a month | Adds premium support |
Source: Base44 pricing page (yearly and monthly toggles) and Billing and plans docs, read October 1, 2026 from a US connection. Prices exclude tax.
- Starter is the first plan with your own domain and in-app code edits, and the docs list removing the Base44 badge from your app on Starter.
- Builder is the plan most people end up needing: it adds backend functions, GitHub sync, model selection and the App Store and Google Play files.
- Yearly perks on Builder and up: a free domain for a year and 25 credits to give a friend.
- Students and teachers get 50% off Starter or Builder (academic discount).
How Base44 Credits Work
Base44 charges in two kinds of credit, and knowing which is which saves surprises:
Message credits
- Spent when you prompt the AI to plan, add, change or fix part of your app.
- A small text or style change costs about 0.5 credits.
- Adding a feature across a few files costs about 1; a complex module about 2.
- An app-wide change, such as translating the whole app, costs 3 to 4.
Integration credits
- Spent when your published app uses a built-in service.
- About 1 credit per email, 2 from your own domain.
- About 1 per push notification, file upload, AI image or LLM call.
- Not used when you call an outside service with your own API key.
Source: Base44 Credits documentation, read October 1, 2026. Base44 calls these figures estimates that vary with the model and the work involved.
What a Month on Base44 Actually Costs
Base44 publishes rough credit costs, so we can work out how far each plan goes. Each column is one way to spend the whole allowance, using Base44's own ranges:
Free
Free
25
message credits a month
about 50 small edits
or 25 feature changes
or 12 new modules
or 7 app-wide rewrites
Starter
$16 / $20
100
message credits a month
about 200 small edits
or 100 feature changes
or 50 new modules
or 28 app-wide rewrites
Builder
$40 / $50
250
message credits a month
about 500 small edits
or 250 feature changes
or 125 new modules
or 71 app-wide rewrites
Pro
$80 / $100
500
message credits a month
about 1,000 small edits
or 500 feature changes
or 250 new modules
or 142 app-wide rewrites
Elite
$160 / $200
1,200
message credits a month
about 2,400 small edits
or 1,200 feature changes
or 600 new modules
or 342 app-wide rewrites
A real month mixes all four. Say you build a first version of a booking app in a month: eight new modules (16 credits), thirty feature changes (30), sixty small edits (30) and four app-wide passes (14). That is about 90 message credits, which fits Starter's 100 with little to spare. Double the pace, or add a second app, and you need Builder.
Our arithmetic, from the credit ranges in Base44's Credits documentation (October 1, 2026). Your own usage will differ; the credit usage page in your account is the real figure.
Is Base44 Free? What the Free Plan Can Ship
Yes, Base44 has a free plan, and it is not a time-limited trial. It includes every core feature: the AI builder, the database, logins and analytics, and you can publish to a base44.app address. What it does not include:
On the free plan
- 25 message credits a month, at most 5 a day
- 100 integration credits a month
- Up to 5 apps
- Publishing to a base44.app address
- The app-store readiness scan
Needs a paid plan
- Your own domain (Starter)
- In-app code edits (Starter)
- Removing the Base44 badge (Starter, per the docs)
- GitHub code export and backend functions (Builder)
- Downloading App Store and Google Play files (Builder)
So the free plan is enough to find out whether Base44 suits you and to build a small personal tool. It is not enough to ship something branded, or to put it in the app stores. If you mainly want to know the cheapest way to get any app built, our guide to the cheapest way to build an app compares the routes.
Can Base44 Make a Mobile App? App Store and Google Play
Yes, with conditions. Base44 can prepare your app for the Apple App Store and Google Play from inside the editor: it scans the app against both stores' guidelines, helps you fix problems, and generates the IPA and AAB files you upload. People can also add the web app to their home screen without any store.
- It is a wrapper. In Base44's words, the store app runs your published app "inside a secure web view". Most content and design changes reach users without a new store release.
- The files need Builder or higher. The readiness scan runs on the free plan, but downloading the submission files does not.
- You bring the developer accounts. Apple charges $99 a year and Google Play a one-time $25. Base44 does not create or manage them.
- No in-app purchases yet. Stripe is fine for physical goods and services, but Apple and Google require their own billing for digital goods, and Base44 says StoreKit and Play Billing support is still being worked on. An app that sells subscriptions through Stripe is rejected.
- Push notifications can be added when you generate the files, at about 1 integration credit each.
Base44 app in both stores, yearly
Builder plan, $40 x 12
$480
Apple Developer Program
$99
Google Play, one-time
$25
Year one
$604
Monthly billing: $50 x 12 = $600, so $724 in year one.
Base44 app in Google Play only
Builder plan, $40 x 12
$480
Google Play, one-time
$25
Year one
$505
Same Builder requirement, because the store files are a Builder feature.
Sources: Submitting your app to app stores and Creating and using your app on mobile (Base44 docs), read October 1, 2026. Apple and Google fees as published by each store. Our guide to creating an Apple Developer account covers the Apple side.
Can You Export Your Code From Base44?
Yes, from the Builder plan up. Base44 says you own your code, data and users, and its two-way GitHub sync puts the full source in your own repository. You can then run the app locally with the Base44 command-line tool and push changes back.
| What you want to take | Free | Starter | Builder and up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit code inside Base44 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Full source in your own GitHub repo | No | No | Yes, two-way sync |
| Backend functions | No | No | Yes |
| Run the app locally | No | No | Yes, with the Base44 CLI |
main, and once GitHub is connected you cannot restore versions from before the connection. The exported app is built on Base44's SDK and still runs against Base44's backend (the CLI runs a local copy for development), so leaving Base44 entirely means moving the database and logins as well, not just the code.Source: GitHub Integration (Base44 docs) and the Base44 pricing FAQ, read October 1, 2026.
Base44 Pros and Cons
What Base44 does well
- A working app with logins and a database from one prompt
- Backend, hosting and analytics included, nothing to wire up
- Visual edits cost nothing, so small fixes stay free
- A real free plan, not a trial
- App-store scan and file generation inside the editor
- Full code export to GitHub on Builder
Where it falls short
- Credits expire every month and top-ups never carry over
- The free plan stops at 5 credits a day
- Code export and store files both need the $40 Builder plan
- Store apps are a web view, not a native build
- No in-app purchases for digital goods in store apps yet
- You cannot preview what an AI change will cost
We also looked for independent reviews. On October 1, 2026 G2's Base44 profile showed no star rating or review count, while it listed Lovable at 4.6 from 432 reviews and Replit at 4.4 from 413. So for now the most reliable evidence is Base44's own documentation. For a side-by-side with its closest rival, see Base44 vs Lovable, where we also tested 20 live apps from the two platforms.
Who Base44 Suits, and Who Should Pick Something Else
| You want to | Base44? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype an app idea in an afternoon | Yes | Fastest route to a clickable app with real logins and data. |
| Build an internal tool for a small team | Yes | Backend and user accounts included; Starter or Builder covers most teams. |
| Launch a web app you will keep on Base44 | Yes, from Builder | Builder gives backend functions and a code backup in GitHub. |
| Sell subscriptions inside an iPhone or Android app | Not yet | No StoreKit or Play Billing support for digital goods today. |
| Own and host the whole stack yourself | Partly | Code exports, but the app still runs on Base44's backend. |
| Get a simple business app into the stores without code | Possible, from $505 a year | Builder plan plus developer accounts; compare a mobile app builder. |
If Base44 is not the fit, the closest alternatives are in our best AI app builders list. If you want to learn the method rather than one tool, how to vibe code walks through it step by step.
Base44 vs Building in Appy Pie AI
Disclosure: Appy Pie AI publishes this blog. We are not a like-for-like Base44 alternative: Appy Pie AI does not generate source code for you to export. It is worth comparing on one job, getting an app into the app stores without code:
| Base44 | Appy Pie AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A prompt that generates a web app | A prompt or a template, edited in a no-code builder |
| Free to start | Yes, a free plan with 25 credits a month | A 7-day free trial for personal use |
| Google Play | Builder, $40 a month billed yearly | Basic, $16 per app a month |
| Apple App Store | Builder, $40 a month billed yearly | Platinum, $60 per app a month |
| Code export | Yes, from Builder | No |
| Pricing unit | Per workspace, by credits | Per app |
Base44 figures from its pricing page and docs, October 1, 2026. Appy Pie AI figures from the Appy Pie AI pricing page, as shown on October 1, 2026.
Already built something on Base44 and only need it in Google Play? Because a published Base44 app is a web address, a website to APK converter can wrap it too, as can our website to app converter for both stores. Both routes give you a wrapped web app, just as Base44's own store files do, so choose on price and on which plan you already pay for.
What We Checked
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Base44 free?
Yes. The free plan includes every core feature, 25 message credits a month (at most 5 a day), 100 integration credits and up to 5 apps, and you can publish to a base44.app address. A custom domain needs Starter, and code export and app-store files need Builder.
How much does Base44 cost?
Starter is $16 a month billed yearly or $20 monthly, Builder $40 or $50, Pro $80 or $100, and Elite $160 or $200. Enterprise is priced on request. Prices were read from Base44’s pricing page on October 1, 2026.
Is Base44 legit?
Yes. Base44 is a real, working AI app builder owned by Wix, which publishes Base44’s news on its investor relations site. Like any credit-based tool, check how quickly you use credits on the free plan before you pay.
Do Base44 credits roll over?
No. Unused credits expire at each monthly reset, and bonus and top-up credits never carry over. The one exception is an upgrade from one monthly plan to a higher monthly plan, where unused credits carry over for one more cycle.
Can Base44 publish to the App Store and Google Play?
Yes. It scans your app against both stores’ guidelines and generates the IPA and AAB files, which needs the Builder plan or higher. You need your own Apple Developer and Google Play accounts, and the store app runs your web app inside a wrapper.
Can I export my code from Base44?
Yes, from the Builder plan. Two-way GitHub sync puts the full source in your own repository, and you can run it locally with the Base44 CLI. The exported app still uses Base44’s backend unless you move the data and logins yourself.
Do you need to code to use Base44?
No. You describe the app in plain language and edit it by chatting or visually. Coding helps when the AI gets stuck, and in-app code edits are available from Starter.
What happens when you run out of Base44 credits?
Actions that use credits pause until your next reset. On the free plan that means the next day, once the 5-credit daily limit is used. You can upgrade if you do not want to wait; your published app stays live.
Is Base44 better than Lovable?
They suit different people. Base44 includes the backend, database and logins, so it is quicker to a working app with data. Lovable is credit-priced too and lets you export your code as a zip or sync it to GitHub. Our Lovable alternatives guide compares them in detail.
Does Base44 have a student discount?
Yes. Students, teachers and staff at academic institutions get 50% off the Starter or Builder plan.
Want an App Without Counting Credits?
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Head of SEO and Growth Marketing Lead at Appy Pie AI with 17+ years in digital marketing and scalable growth strategies.
Abhinav Girdhar
Founder and CEO of Appy Pie AI, one of the largest no-code and AI app platforms, with 10M+ apps and websites created.