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What's the cheapest AI app builder?
Last checked against official pricing pages: 2026-10-16. Prices in USD.
On sticker price, the cheapest paid entry points are Cursor Plus ($8), Base44 Starter ($16 billed yearly) and Replit Core ($18 billed yearly). But the cheapest tool for you depends on what the plan includes and how your project uses it.
Free tiers and lowest paid plans
| Tool | Free tier | Lowest paid plan | Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Limited agent/chat requests | Plus: $8/mo | Basic pool, Grok models only |
| Base44 | 25 message / 100 integration credits/mo, 5 apps | Starter: $20/mo ($16/mo billed yearly) | 100 message / 2,000 integration credits |
| Replit | Daily Agent credits (cap unpublished), 1 published app expiring after 30 days | Core: $20/mo ($18/mo billed yearly) | $20 model credits, up to 30h Free Mode chat |
| Lovable | 5 build credits/day (max 30/mo), 20 Cloud credits/mo, 4 AI credits/mo | Pro: $25/mo | 100 credits/mo (larger credit tiers available on lovable.dev) |
| Bolt | 300K tokens/day, 1M/mo, Bolt branding, 333k web requests | Pro: $25/mo | Starts at 10M tokens/mo, no daily cap, custom domain, 1M web requests |
| v0 | 7 messages/day | Plus: $30/mo per user | $30 credits/user/mo, shared pool |
How to pick the cheapest for your project
- Non-developer, want hosting included: Base44 Starter or Lovable Pro. See Base44 pricing and what a Lovable app costs.
- Small project, lots of quick edits: Bolt's token model is cheap while the project is small. See Lovable vs Bolt.
- Comfortable with code: Cursor Plus ($8, Grok models only) or Replit Core. See Cursor pricing.
- Front end only, deploying to Vercel: v0 Free, then Plus. See v0 pricing.
Worked example: cost of a 150-message MVP
Assumptions: 150 build messages in one month. Only Lovable and Base44 publish enough to estimate per message; for the others we show the plan you'd start on.
| Tool | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Lovable | ~180 credits at 1.2/message → Pro $25 if you use daily grants most days |
| Base44 | ~150 message credits (assumed 1 per message) → Builder $50 ($40 yearly), since Starter includes 100 |
| Bolt | Pro $25 (10M tokens); fits if average usage stays under ~66K tokens/message |
| Replit | Core $20; fits if average Agent cost stays under ~$0.13/message |
| v0 | Plus $30; $30 of credits |
Prices change often. We track every change on the price-change log.
After you ship: automate it
Once your app is live, Make can connect it to email, forms, CRMs and spreadsheets without more AI-builder credits. Free plan: 1,000 credits/mo; Core is $9/mo billed yearly for 10,000 credits (checked on make.com/en/pricing). New signups via our link get 1 month of Core free.
FAQ
What is the cheapest AI app builder?
By entry price: Cursor Plus at $8/month (Grok models only), then Base44 Starter at $16/month billed yearly and Replit Core at $18/month billed yearly. Most tools also have a free tier.
Which AI app builder has the best free plan?
It depends on usage: Bolt gives 1M tokens/month (300K/day), Lovable 5 build credits/day up to 30/month, Base44 25 message credits/month, and v0 7 messages/day.
Are annual plans cheaper?
Yes, where offered: Base44 saves 20%, Replit Core drops from $20 to $18/month.
How often do these prices change?
Often. VibeCost re-checks official pricing pages and logs changes; the last check date is shown on every page.