Lovable vs Mage (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 2.4.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lovable grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Mage grades higher on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lovable
Chat-based AI builder for full-stack web apps and websites
Which one is for you
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
Pick Mage if
- Fits if you already use Wasp 0.23 and want a quick starting project
- Works for people curious about the idea who want a free demo
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a maintained product, as the repository was archived on July 10, 2026
- Not for you if you use any framework but Wasp
- Tight if you want current Wasp, as Mage is frozen on 0.23 and generates legacy apps
- Watch out: there is no pricing page, and its home page shows only a title
How we grade them
| 2.8GPALovableGood | 2.4GPAMageFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree to use, per the README, against a category whose paid plans start at $15 a month. The README is the only place that says so. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | AThe hosted generator is free with no plan or cap listed. Because it is archived, that can change or stop without notice. |
| Features | 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. | DOne narrow function: a form that makes a Wasp project. It is frozen on Wasp 0.23 and produces apps other Wasp versions will not match. |
| Ease of use | 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. | DThe output is a Wasp project that you must run and fix with the Wasp tooling yourself. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CWeb only, with no apps, and the generated code is for one framework. |
| Best for | building a web app in chat, alone or as a team | a free Wasp app generator, now archived |
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: Lovable and Mage. How we grade
Price against what you get
Lovable starts at $21 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mage has no paid plan and scores 1.3.
Lovable scores higher, and starts $21 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 1 scores higher than Lovable for less, and none scores higher than Mage 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
- Mage is open source, according to its own site.
- Lovable also covers no-code.
At a glance
| Lovable | Mage | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $21 per month, billed annually ($250 a year); $25 billed monthly | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | The hosted app at usemage.ai is free to use, according to the project's GitHub README. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Lovable Labs Incorporated | Wasp (wasp-lang) |
| Price read from | docs.lovable.dev | github.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Mage
- The GitHub repository was archived on July 10, 2026, and the README says Mage is no longer maintained.
- Mage is frozen on Wasp 0.23 and generates legacy Wasp DSL apps, so output will not match current Wasp versions.
- It produces Wasp projects only, not apps in other frameworks.
- The site publishes no pricing page; that it is free comes from the GitHub README.
Key features
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.
Mage
- Describe-to-app form
- A short form takes an app name, a description, a brand color and an auth method, then generates the project.
- Full-stack output
- The generated app uses Wasp with React, Node.js and Prisma, with a database and username-and-password auth as an option.
- Example ideas
- The page offers ready-made ideas such as a todo app, a plant-watering tracker and a blog with comments.
- Open-source code
- The site says the whole app is open-source, and its code is in the wasp-lang/mage GitHub repository.
Plans
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.
Mage
Free$0
The hosted generator at usemage.ai is free to use, per the GitHub README.
Ways to pay less
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.
Mage
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lovable or Mage?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mage is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $21 a month for Lovable. Lovable starts at $21 per month, billed annually ($250 a year); $25 billed monthly, and Mage is free.
Which has a free plan, Lovable or Mage?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Lovable and Mage have a free plan.
Which platforms do Lovable and Mage 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.