AI app builder feature comparison: Lovable vs Bolt vs Base44 vs v0
Which one has a database, login, hosting, a custom domain, code export, private apps or a phone app? Each capability below comes from the vendor's own pricing page or docs, read 18 Oct 2026, with a source link, next to what our own test saw.
Short answer: Lovable, Bolt and Base44 all include a built-in database, user sign-in and hosting on the free plan. v0 deploys to Vercel and adds a database through Marketplace integrations, which is why our v0 run needed six manual setup steps (Observed, 16 Oct 2026). The biggest free-plan differences, from each vendor's docs read 18 Oct 2026 (Verified): only Lovable can publish an invite-only app on Free; Base44 puts code export and GitHub sync behind its Builder plan; Bolt (via Expo) and Base44 (store wrapper, Builder plan for the files) have App Store paths, while Lovable and v0 build web apps. Custom domains need a paid plan on Lovable, Bolt and Base44.
Which one has what you need? Inferred
- A private app without paying: Lovable. It is the only one of the four whose free plan documents invite-only publishing.
- An App Store or Google Play app: Bolt (Expo) or Base44 (native wrapper; store files need the Builder plan). Lovable and v0 build web apps.
- Your code in GitHub on a free plan: Lovable or v0 (GitHub sync listed on Free), or Bolt (its help docs name no plan). Base44 needs Builder.
- Your own domain for the least money: Base44 Starter at $16 a month billed yearly. v0 through Vercel Hobby may work for personal, non-commercial projects (not tried).
- Zero technical setup: Lovable, Bolt or Base44: no manual steps in our run. v0 took six.
- Keeping your app out of AI training: Lovable or Bolt (free switch). Base44 excludes only Enterprise; v0 opts out by default from Business.
Our reading of the Verified and Observed cells below. Not a rank: official tiers wait for the harder v2 test.
Feature matrix
On a phone, swipe the table sideways. Each line carries its evidence label; "source" opens the vendor page we read.
| Capability | Lovable | Bolt | Base44 | v0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in sign-in for your app's users | YesPart of the built-in backend (Cloud): email, phone, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Sign in with Lovable. Verified sourceOur run: email login set up automatically; new users had to confirm their email first. Observed | YesAsk Bolt to add sign-up and log-in; email confirmation, password reset and Google sign-in are settings. Verified sourceOur run: Bolt Database + auth (Supabase-backed) applied automatically; no email confirmation. Observed | YesEvery app gets login, register and password-reset pages; email, Google, Microsoft and Facebook sign-in. SSO needs Business or Enterprise. Verified sourceOur run: built-in auth with an email code, set up automatically. Observed | Not a hosted servicev0's docs add authentication by prompting, so v0 writes the auth code into your app. Verified sourceOur run: Better Auth on Neon Postgres, and we had to generate an auth secret by hand. Observed |
| Built-in database / backend | YesLovable Cloud (Supabase-based): database, storage, edge functions, on by default. You can connect your own Supabase instead. Verified sourceOur run: set up automatically, zero steps. Observed | YesA Bolt database is "available with every plan", unlimited databases on Free. Using your own Supabase instead needs Pro or Teams. Verified sourceOur run: applied automatically, zero steps. Observed | Yes"Integrated backend and database system" on every plan, including Free. Verified sourceOur run: built in, zero steps. Observed | Via integrationsOne-click integrations (Neon, Supabase, Upstash, Vercel Blob) from the Vercel Marketplace; each creates an account on that service. Verified sourceOur run: install Neon and approve two SQL steps by hand. Observed |
| Hosting included on the free plan | YesHosted with HTTPS on a lovable.app address. Lovable may unpublish a Free-workspace app after 12 months with no visits or owner logins. Verified sourceFree includes a 20-credit monthly Cloud grant for hosting and the backend. Verified sourceOur run: live at a lovable.app address. Observed | Yes, cappedFree bolt.host address. Free hosting is up to 10 GB bandwidth and 333,333 requests a month; sites stop serving at the limit until it resets. Verified sourceOur run: live at a bolt.host address. Observed | YesEvery app is live on a free base44.app URL from the moment you create it. Verified sourceOur run: live at a base44.app address. Observed | Yes, on VercelDeploys to Vercel with a vercel.app URL. Vercel's free Hobby plan is for non-commercial, personal use only. Verified sourceOur run: needed a manual Publish. Observed |
| Custom domain | Paid plans"Custom domains are available on paid plans" (Pro, from $25 a month). Verified source | Paid plans"Custom domains are only available on paid plans" (Pro, from $25 a month). Verified source | Starter and upStarter and higher ($16 a month billed yearly). Verified sourcePaid plans list a free domain for 1 year. Verified source | Through Vercelv0's docs add your own domain through Vercel and name no v0 plan for it. Vercel Hobby (free) allows 50 domains per project. Verified sourceSo a free account can probably connect a domain for a personal project. We have not tried it. Inferred |
| Code export / GitHub sync | GitHub on Free; ZIP paidGit sync (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) on every plan, including Free. Verified sourceDownloading the whole codebase as a ZIP and editing code need a paid plan; on Free the code editor is read-only. Verified source | ZIP + GitHubDownload as a ZIP (project title > Export > Download); the help page names no plan requirement. Verified sourceGitHub sync on every change; the help page names no plan requirement. Verified source | Builder plan and upZIP export and two-way GitHub sync both need Builder ($40 a month billed yearly) or higher. On Free you can view the code but not edit it. Verified source | GitHub on Free"Sync with GitHub" is listed on the Free plan. Verified sourcev0's FAQ says you can export the code to work locally. Verified sourceWhether Free can edit code in v0: not checked. Not checked |
| Private (invite-only) app on the free plan | YesFree and Pro can publish an app as "Invite only": workspace members by name, or people invited by email. Verified source | No"On the Free plan, all published sites are public." Private sites are paid-only (projects in the editor can still be private). Verified source | No"Private apps are available on paid plans only." Verified sourceOur run: the free plan required the app to be public. Observed | Not checkedv0's docs say visibility choices "depend on your team's plan and deployment protection settings" without saying what Free gets. Not checked source |
| Mobile / App Store app output | Web apps onlyNo built-in App Store or Google Play flow and no React Native. Lovable suggests a PWA, or wrapping the URL with Capacitor outside Lovable. Verified source | Yes, via ExpoSay "mobile app" in the first prompt and Bolt uses Expo for iOS and Android; preview in Expo Go, publish with Expo's EAS CLI after downloading the code. Store release needs paid Apple and Google developer accounts. No Bolt plan requirement named. Verified source | Store wrapper, Builder planRuns your published app in a native web-view wrapper and generates store files. The store scan runs on Free; downloading the submission files needs Builder or higher. Verified source | Web appsv0's FAQ lists "mobile-responsive apps"; its iOS app is for building. We found no native or App Store output in v0's docs. Verified source |
| AI-training opt-out | Free switchFree and Pro: used unless you opt out, per account. Business and Enterprise: excluded by default. Verified sourceHow to opt out | Free switchOn by default (off for EU, UK and Swiss accounts); a Model training setting in account settings turns it off. Verified sourceHow to opt out | Enterprise only"All other plans, including Business: your data can be used to train AI models." Enterprise is excluded. Verified sourceHow to opt out | Business and upTraining opt-out by default on Business ($100 per user a month); Enterprise data is never used. The pricing page lists no opt-out for Free or Plus. Verified sourceHow to opt out |
| Free-plan allowance | 5 build credits a day, but no more than 30 a monthCheapest paid plan: Pro, $25 a month for 100 credits. Verified sourceLovable free plan limits | 300K tokens a day, 1M tokens a monthCheapest paid plan: Pro, $25 a month for 10M tokens. Verified sourceBolt.new free plan limits | 25 message credits a month, up to 5 a dayCheapest paid plan: Starter, $16 a month billed yearly for 100 message credits. Verified sourceBase44 free plan limits | 7 messages a day; new sign-ups get a one-time $5 creditCheapest paid plan: Plus, $30 per user a month with $30 of credit. Verified sourcev0 free plan limits |
| Our test: prompt to live app | under 4 minScore 100/100 on v1 (tier pending v2), zero fix prompts. Observed | about 6 minScore 100/100 on v1 (tier pending v2), zero fix prompts. Observed | about 3.5 minScore 100/100 on v1 (tier pending v2), zero fix prompts. Observed | about 15 minScore 95/100 on v1 (tier pending v2), zero fix prompts. Observed |
| Our test: sign-up flow | Email confirmation required before first login (link arrived in under 10 s). Observed | No email confirmation; sign-up logs straight in. Observed | Email code. If a new user closes the code page, the login screen offers no way to enter or resend the code. Observed | Better Auth email/password (Neon Postgres). Observed |
| Our test: setup steps we did by hand | NoneNone. Lovable Cloud set up auth and the database automatically. Observed | NoneNone. Bolt Database + auth (Supabase-backed) applied automatically. Observed | NoneNone. Built-in database + auth. Free plan requires the app to be public. Observed | SixSix steps: accept Vercel terms, install Neon, two SQL approvals, generate an auth secret, manual Publish. Observed |
| Our test: what broke | No functional bugs found in 10 feature checks, security checks or mobile checks. Password minimum is only 6 characters. ObservedLovable review with screenshots | Mobile bug: edit and delete buttons only appear on mouse hover, so they are invisible on touch screens (375×812 emulation). ObservedBolt review with screenshots | Closing the email-code page strands a new user: no way to re-enter or resend the code. Logging out does not revoke the access token on the server (the old token still worked). ObservedBase44 review with screenshots | Lost 5 points on speed: about 15 minutes and a manual Publish. The $5 free credit is one-time for new sign-ups and does not renew. Observedv0 review with screenshots |
Verified cells: read 18 Oct 2026 on the vendors' own pages: docs.lovable.dev/features/authentication · support.bolt.new/bolt-cloud · docs.base44.com/Setting-up-your-app/Managing-login-and-registration · v0.app/docs/full-stack-apps · docs.lovable.dev/features/cloud · support.bolt.new/integrations/supabase · base44.com/pricing · v0.app/docs/databases · docs.lovable.dev/features/publish · docs.lovable.dev/introduction/subscription-plans · support.bolt.new/bolt-cloud/hosting/plans · docs.base44.com/Setting-up-your-app/Setting-up-your-custom-domain · vercel.com/docs/plans/hobby · docs.lovable.dev/features/custom-domain · support.bolt.new/bolt-cloud/domains · v0.app/docs/custom-domains · docs.lovable.dev/features/code-mode · support.bolt.new/managing-projects/projects-files · support.bolt.new/integrations/git · docs.base44.com/documentation/building-your-app/developer-tools · v0.app/pricing · v0.app/docs/faqs · support.bolt.new/bolt-cloud/hosting/publish · docs.base44.com/Setting-up-your-app/Managing-access · v0.app/docs/deployments · support.bolt.new/integrations/expo · docs.base44.com/documentation/building-your-app/uploading-to-app-stores · support.bolt.new/settings/account-settings · docs.base44.com/Community-and-support/Privacy-and-security · lovable.dev/pricing · bolt.new/pricing. Prices in USD before tax. Observed cells: our v1 test, 16 Oct 2026, free plans, fresh accounts, default settings, receipts on each review page.
What we could not confirm
- v0, private app on Free: v0's docs say visibility depends on the team's plan and Vercel deployment protection settings, and don't say what Free gets. Not checked
- v0, editing code on Free: the pricing page lists GitHub sync on Free but says nothing about in-app code editing. Not checked
- v0, custom domain on Free: v0's docs name no plan and Vercel Hobby allows domains, but we haven't connected one. Inferred
- Bolt, ZIP download, GitHub sync and Expo on Free: Bolt's help pages describe them without naming a plan; we haven't tried each one on a free account. Verified as written
Spotted a capability that changed? [email protected]. We fix it and note the date.
Go deeper
- Reviews (what our build looked like and what broke): Lovable review · Bolt review · Base44 review · v0 review
- Pricing and free plan limits: Lovable pricing · Bolt.new pricing · Base44 pricing · v0 pricing · all four
- Alternatives: Lovable alternatives · Bolt.new alternatives · Base44 alternatives · v0 alternatives · index
- Lovable vs Bolt vs Base44 vs v0 (tested, scores and screenshots)
- Head to head: Lovable vs Bolt · Lovable vs Base44 · Lovable vs v0 · Bolt vs v0 · Bolt vs Base44 · Base44 vs v0
- AI training defaults and opt-outs · Cost per working app · Best for non-coders · Pre-launch checklist · Two-account data test
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Evidence labels: Verified = read on the vendor's official pricing page or docs on 18 Oct 2026 (source link in the cell). Observed = seen in our own v1 run on 16 Oct 2026, with screenshots on the review pages. Inferred = our reading. Not checked = we could not confirm it, so we don't guess. What the labels mean. Disclosures: no tool paid us, none of these links are affiliate links, and nothing here changes a score or tier.
FAQ
Which AI app builder has a built-in database and login?
Lovable, Bolt and Base44 include a built-in database and user sign-in on their free plans (Verified, vendor docs read 18 Oct 2026), and in our v1 test all three set them up automatically with zero manual steps (Observed, 16 Oct 2026). v0 connects a database through Vercel Marketplace integrations such as Neon or Supabase and writes the auth code into your app; our v0 run needed six manual setup steps.
Which AI app builders let you use a custom domain for free?
Lovable and Bolt need a paid plan (Pro, from $25 a month) and Base44 needs Starter ($16 a month billed yearly) or higher (Verified, 18 Oct 2026). v0's docs add your own domain through Vercel without naming a v0 plan, and Vercel's free Hobby plan allows domains for non-commercial, personal projects, so it probably works on a free account (Inferred; we have not tried it).
Can you export your code from Lovable, Bolt, Base44 or v0?
Lovable: Git sync to GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan including Free; ZIP download and code editing need a paid plan. Bolt: ZIP download and GitHub sync, with no plan requirement named in its help docs. Base44: ZIP export and GitHub sync need the Builder plan ($40 a month billed yearly) or higher. v0: GitHub sync is listed on the Free plan (Verified, vendor docs read 18 Oct 2026).
Which AI app builder can make a mobile app for the App Store?
Bolt builds iOS and Android apps with Expo when you ask for a mobile app in the first prompt; you publish with Expo's EAS tools and paid Apple and Google developer accounts. Base44 wraps your published app in a native web-view shell and generates store files, which you can download on the Builder plan or higher. Lovable builds web apps only and suggests a PWA or a Capacitor wrapper outside Lovable. We found no native output in v0's docs (Verified, 18 Oct 2026).
Can you publish a private app on a free plan?
Of the four, only Lovable's free plan documents it: Free and Pro can publish an app as invite-only. Bolt says all published sites on Free are public, and Base44 says private apps are paid-only; our free Base44 app had to be public. We could not confirm what v0's free plan offers, so that cell says Not checked (vendor docs read 18 Oct 2026).
Is this feature table a test result?
No. Capability rows come from each vendor's own pricing page and docs, read 18 Oct 2026, and are labelled Verified with a source link. Only the rows marked Observed come from our own test (prompt-to-app v1, 16 Oct 2026, one run per tool on free plans). Features change often, so check the vendor page before you decide. No v2 results are published yet.