Gadget 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 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Gadget grades higher on the free plan. Lovable grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Gadget
Full-stack JavaScript platform with an AI assistant and hosting
Lovable
Chat-based AI builder for full-stack web apps and websites
Which one is for you
Pick Gadget if
- Fits if you write JavaScript and want hosting and an API generated for you
- Works for Shopify app developers starting on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a no-code builder, as the stack is JavaScript and TypeScript
- Pricey if you outgrow Hobby, as Pro is $35 a month and extra production environments are $10 each
- Watch out: CPU time is billed at $0.30 an hour and extra storage at $1.50 per GB on Pro
- Watch out: extra AI assistant credits are $25 per 100 on paid plans
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
| 2.2GPAGadgetFair | 2.8GPALovableGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPro is $35 a month, above the category's dearest-tenth line of $32 and against a middle of $20. Premium is $350. | 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 | BThe Hobby plan is free with 2 seats, 1 production environment and 10 hours of CPU time. One developer can live on it. | 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 | CAI assistant, hosting, generated API and store connections. It is code first, in JavaScript and TypeScript, and does not replace a no-code builder. | 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 | CA web editor, but you write and read code. No store rating is on record. | 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, with Shopify and BigCommerce connections, 5 integrations and a generated API. | 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 | a full-stack JavaScript platform with an AI assistant | 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: Gadget and Lovable. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gadget starts at $35 a month 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 $14 a month lower. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 28 score higher than Gadget 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
- Gadget also covers databases.
- Lovable also covers no-code.
At a glance
| Gadget | Lovable | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $35 per month | $21 per month, billed annually ($250 a year); $25 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Hobby plan: free, 2 seats, unlimited dev environments, 1 production environment and 100 AI credits once on sign-up. | 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 | ||
| Made by | Gadget Software, Inc. | Lovable Labs Incorporated |
| Price read from | gadget.dev | docs.lovable.dev |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Gadget
- Usage beyond included amounts is billed, for example CPU time at $0.30 per hour and extra data storage at $1.50 per GB on Pro.
- Extra AI assistant credits cost $25 per 100 credits on paid plans.
- The Hobby plan allows 5 Shopify and BigCommerce app installs.
- It is code-first: the stack is JavaScript and TypeScript rather than a no-code editor.
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
Gadget
- AI assistant
- An assistant applies changes to your app; each assistant change uses AI credits, while questions and answers do not.
- Hosted JS stack
- Server, database and frontend are hosted together, with a spreadsheet-style record editor and serverless actions.
- Auto-generated API
- CRUD API routes are generated for every database table.
- Shopify and BigCommerce connections
- Built-in webhooks, OAuth and data sync for apps on those platforms.
- Code tooling
- A CLI lets you work in your own editor and manage the project with Git.
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
Gadget
Hobby$0
2 seats, 1 prod environment, 10 hours CPU time, 0.5 GB data storage and 100 one-time AI credits.
Pro$35
per month
10 seats, 30 hours CPU time, 3 GB data storage, 1M platform credits and 10 AI credits a month; extra production environments $10 each.
Premium$350
per month
25 seats, 150 hours CPU time, 15 GB data storage, 5M platform credits and 50 AI credits a month.
EnterpriseCustom
Bring your own cloud (GCP or AWS), unlimited projects and hosting, with performance and support SLAs.
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
Gadget
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, Gadget or Lovable?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lovable is cheaper to start with: $21 a month, against $35 a month for Gadget. Gadget starts at $35 per month, and Lovable starts at $21 per month, billed annually ($250 a year); $25 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Gadget or Lovable?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Gadget and Lovable have a free plan.
Which platforms do Gadget and Lovable run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 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.