Base44

You describe the app you want, and Base44 builds it: a hosted web application with authentication, data storage, integrations, and deployment handled for you. You refine it conversationally against a live preview, then publish a managed app. No server to stand up, no deploy pipeline to wire.

The economics run on two meters. Message credits cover the chat-style building and use, and integration credits cover the richer operations: AI calls, file and image work, email, SMS, and database actions. That split is where the bill comes from.

The sweet spot is speed on things that don't need to be bulletproof: internal tools, prototypes, lightweight customer portals, and workflow experiments where a working version fast is worth more than owning the stack. Reviewers back this up, calling out the quick path from idea to a simple app that runs.

If your goal is learning, that speed compounds. You can build an approval workflow or a small data-backed tool in an afternoon, put it in front of real users, and find out whether the idea holds before you invest in real infrastructure.

Platform lock-in is the main bite. Practitioner reviews flag that your app runs on Base44's hosting and that getting the underlying data and logic out is limited, so a prototype that becomes business-critical can be hard to move. Before you build anything you'll depend on, ask exactly what's exportable, where it runs, and how a team exits the runtime.

Credit loops are the second bite. When every iteration fires an integration or generates media, costs climb faster than a flat subscription suggests. Set an iteration budget and watch credits per active user.

Advanced needs are the third. Live-updating screens, scheduled background work, and strict enterprise controls like access permissions, audit logs, and SLAs need validating before production, because this platform is tuned for speed and heavier apps strain it.

Free is $0 with 25 message credits and 100 integration credits, enough to try it. Paid runs Starter at $20/mo ($16 annual), Builder at $50/$40, Pro at $100/$80, and Elite at $200/$160, with each tier raising both credit allowances.

The tier price is half the story. The real driver is how many message and integration credits your workflow burns per active user, since media generation and integration-heavy apps eat integration credits fast. Estimate consumption on a real build before you pick a plan.