Builder.io vs Lovable (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Lovable: it is second in our ranking of AI app builders, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lovable grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Builder.io
Visual IDE and CMS with an AI agent for shipping product UI
Lovable
Chat-based AI builder for full-stack web apps and websites
Which one is for you
Pick Builder.io if
- Fits if your team already has a design system and wants an agent building against it
- Works for teams that edit site content visually next to developer work
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 60 credits a month and 15 a day run out quickly
- Pricey if you burn through credits, at $25 per 500 more
- Watch out: custom domains need Pro, and SSO and role-based access need Enterprise
- Watch out: the page doesn't say whether $24 and $40 are monthly or annual
Pick Lovable if
- Fits if you're a founder turning an idea into a working web app
- Works for teams building internal tools from one shared pool of credits
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an iPhone or Android app in the stores, as Lovable publishes to a web URL only
- Tight if you're staying free, at 5 build credits a day and 30 a month, with no custom domain, no code editing and the badge on
- Pricey if you need SSO or role-based access, since Business costs twice as much as Pro for the same credits
- Watch out: a Build mode message costs a variable amount, so you can't tell in advance how far 100 credits go
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABuilder.ioFair | 2.8GPALovableGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$24 a user on Pro and $40 on Team, in the middle of what this category charges. The page doesn't say whether that is monthly or annual, and extra credits cost $25 per 500. | CPro starts at $25 a month, or $250 for the year, which comes to about $21. That's mid-table for builders here, where the middle is $19. You get 100 credits a month, shared by unlimited members with no per-seat charge. A Build mode message costs a varying amount. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree is real but small: 60 credits a month with a cap of 15 a day, 1 design system and 1 user included, up to 5. | CFree for good, but the meter is mean: 5 build credits a day and no more than 30 a month, when one Build message can cost several. You do get unlimited members, 5 lovable.app addresses and GitHub sync. No custom domains, no code editing, and the Lovable badge stays put. |
| Features | CA visual IDE, a visual CMS, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and a Figma plugin. Roles, peer review and Slack and Jira access are Team only, and SSO is Enterprise. | CDescribe the app and it writes the front end, back end, database and sign-in as real code, with Lovable Cloud running the deployed version, Git sync on every plan, connectors and MCP servers. But the listing names the boundary: it builds web apps, and publishing goes to a web URL, never the app stores. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app and an extension where you build against a design system, so there's setup to do. | A4.8 from about 2,200 App Store ratings, the highest in this category. You build by chatting, and Plan mode lets you talk an idea through at 1 credit a message before anything gets built. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a browser extension, with a VS Code extension, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Figma, Slack and Jira. No phone or desktop app listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. It connects to GitHub, Supabase, Stripe, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Figma and Airtable, you can add your own MCP servers, and there's a Lovable API on Business plans. |
| Best for | design-system UI with an AI agent | building a web app in chat, alone or as a team |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Builder.io and Lovable. How we grade
Price against what you get
Builder.io starts at $24 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Lovable starts at $21 a month and scores 3.3.
Lovable scores higher and starts $3 a month lower. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 20 score higher than Builder.io for less, and 1 scores higher than Lovable for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Builder.io also covers AI agents.
- Lovable also covers no-code.
At a glance
| Builder.io | Lovable | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $24 per user / month, billing basis not shown | $21 per month, billed annually ($250 a year); $25 billed monthly |
| Free plan | 1 user included (up to 5), 60 credits a month with a 15 a day maximum, project hosting and 1 design system. | 5 build credits a day, capped at 30 a month, plus monthly grants of 20 Cloud credits and 4 AI credits. Unlimited members and 5 lovable.app domains; no custom domains or code editing. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Builder.io | Lovable Labs Incorporated |
| Price read from | builder.io | docs.lovable.dev |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Builder.io
- Pay-as-you-go credits cost $25 per 500 on the paid plans once monthly credits run out.
- The Free plan caps credits at 60 a month and 15 a day.
- Custom domains need Pro, and SSO and role-based access control are Enterprise only.
- The pricing page does not say whether $24 and $40 are monthly or annual figures, despite a Monthly and Annual toggle.
Lovable
- Usage is metered in credits, and a Build mode message costs a variable amount depending on the task.
- Free workspaces get 30 build credits a month at most and cannot use custom domains, edit code or remove the Lovable badge.
- SSO, role-based access and internal publishing start on Business, which costs twice as much as Pro for the same credits.
- Lovable builds web apps: publishing deploys to a web URL, not to the App Store or Google Play.
Key features
Builder.io
- Visual IDE
- The Code side connects to GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket and has a Figma plugin and a VS Code extension.
- Visual CMS
- The Content side lets teams manage and edit site content visually, and can be combined with the Code side.
- Design systems
- Free includes 1 design system and Pro up to 3. Enterprise adds unlimited design systems and Design System Intelligence.
- Agent in team tools
- On Team, the Builder agent works from Slack and Jira, and Pro and Team include built-in MCP servers.
- Review and access controls
- Team adds Admin, Developer, Designer and Editor roles, commenting, peer reviews, password-protected previews and usage metrics.
Lovable
- Prompt-to-app building
- Describe an app in chat and Lovable generates working code. Plan mode costs 1 credit per message, while Build mode charges by the complexity of the task.
- Lovable Cloud backend
- A built-in backend covers database, storage, compute and realtime usage for deployed apps, paid from the same credits. Every plan includes a monthly grant of 20 Cloud credits.
- Git sync and code ownership
- Each project is a codebase that can sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan. Editing and downloading code inside Lovable starts on Pro.
- Publishing and custom domains
- Apps publish to a lovable.app address: 5 domains on Free, unlimited from Pro. Custom domains and removing the Lovable badge need a paid plan.
- Connectors and MCP servers
- A connector catalog links apps and chats to services such as Slack, HubSpot and Notion, and custom MCP servers can be added for extra context while building.
- Shared workspaces
- Unlimited members build from one shared credit pool on every plan. Owners can set per-member monthly credit limits on paid plans.
Plans
Builder.io
Free$0
1 user included (up to 5), 60 credits a month (15 a day), 1 design system, GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket.
Pro$24
per user / month, billing basis not shown
500 credits a month, up to 3 design systems, custom domains, credit rollovers and built-in MCP servers.
Team$40
per user / month, billing basis not shown
Up to 20 users, 500 credits, agent in Slack and Jira, roles, peer reviews, custom MCP servers and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom seats and credits, SSO, role-based access control, unlimited design systems and uptime SLAs. Sold through sales.
Lovable
Free$0
5 daily build credits (30 a month at most), 20 Cloud credits a month, workspace-private projects, unlimited collaborators and 5 lovable.app domains.
ProFrom $25
per month, billed monthly; $250 billed annually
100 credits a month at the entry tier, with tiers up to 10,000. Adds credit rollovers, top-ups, custom domains, code editing and badge removal.
BusinessFrom $50
per month, billed monthly; $500 billed annually
100 credits a month at the entry tier. Adds SSO, role-based access, internal publish, personal projects, a security center and the Lovable API.
EnterpriseCustom
A platform fee plus volume-based credit pricing, with SCIM, audit logs, publishing controls, scheduled security scans and a named CSM.
Ways to pay less
Builder.io
No public discounts listed.
Lovable
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
The pricing page's Yearly toggle is labeled 2 months free. Pro with 100 credits is $250 a year instead of $25 a month, and Business is $500 instead of $50 a month.
- Education
50% off Pro for students and teachers
Verified students and teachers pay $12.50 a month for the Pro plan with 100 credits, billed monthly, for up to 12 months. Each person can use the discount once.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Builder.io or Lovable?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Builder.io starts at $24 per user / month, billing basis not shown, and Lovable starts at $21 per month, billed annually ($250 a year); $25 billed monthly. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Builder.io or Lovable?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Builder.io and Lovable have a free plan.
Which platforms do Builder.io and Lovable run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Builder.io lists a browser extension and only Lovable lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.