Description
Base44 is an AI app builder that converts natural language prompts into fully functional web applications, handling backend setup, authentication, and hosting automatically. Users describe what they want to build and Base44 generates working pages, user flows, and a backend with database, authentication, and role-based permissions already configured. Every app includes built-in analytics, a custom domain option, payment processing, and email marketing tools with no separate add-ons to install. Pricing runs on a dual-credit system: message credits are spent when a user chats with the AI to build or edit an app, and integration credits are spent when the finished app itself calls an LLM, sends an email, or performs another integrated action. The Free plan gives 25 message credits and 100 integration credits per month at no cost, with paid tiers scaling both allowances upward. It suits non-technical founders and small teams who want a working app, not just a design mockup, generated directly from a description.
Key Features
- Natural language app generation — describe an app in plain language and Base44 builds a working version.
- Automatic backend setup — authentication, database, and role-based permissions configured without manual setup.
- In-app code edits — make direct code-level changes inside the generated app (paid plans).
- AI model select — choose which underlying AI model powers app generation (paid plans).
- GitHub integration — sync a Base44 app with a GitHub repository for version control.
- Built-in payments and email marketing — no separate add-ons needed for common business functions.
- Custom domain with free first year — connect a branded domain, included free for the first year on paid plans.
How It Works
A new project starts with a text prompt describing the app; Base44 generates pages, user flows, and a working backend from that description, then lets the user continue refining it through further prompts in the chat interface. Each message sent to the AI to build, edit, or troubleshoot the app consumes a message credit, while each action inside the finished app that calls an integration, such as an LLM response, an email send, or a database query, consumes an integration credit. Neither credit type rolls over between billing cycles; unused credits expire when the month resets. Once an app is ready, it can be connected to a custom domain, hosted with Base44’s built-in infrastructure, and synced to GitHub for teams that want version control alongside the visual builder.
Technical Architecture & Overview
- Core Engine: Not one proprietary model; paid plans include AI model select, letting users choose which underlying model generates and edits their app.
- Deployment: Fully browser-based; built-in hosting deploys apps directly from the platform, with no separate hosting provider needed.
- API Surface: Integration credits cover LLM calls, file uploads, image understanding and generation, email sending, SMS sending, and database querying from inside a built app, per Base44’s own FAQ.
- Known Limits: Free plan caps out at 5 messages per day and 25 per month; message and integration credits both expire at the end of each billing cycle rather than rolling over.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free plan is generous enough to build a real, working app, not just a preview | Message and integration credits expire at the end of each billing cycle rather than rolling over |
| Every plan bundles payments, email marketing, and analytics with no separate add-on costs | Two separate credit types (message and integration) add a layer of complexity to estimating real monthly cost |
| Unlimited number of apps on every paid tier, not capped per project | Free plan is capped at 5 messages per day even within the 25/month total |
| GitHub integration and in-app code edits give more technical control than a pure black-box generator | Enterprise pricing is fully custom, with no published starting figure |
| Free domain included for the first year on paid plans | Jump from Free to Starter is the only tier without in-app code edits, backend functions, or model selection |
Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | $0/month (25 message credits, 100 integration credits) |
| Starter | $20/month billed annually (100 message credits, 2,000 integration credits) |
| Builder | $40/month billed annually (250 message credits, 10,000 integration credits, custom domain) |
Platform Availability
Web
Best For
Non-technical founders | Small business owners | Product managers | Rapid MVP building
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s included in Base44’s free plan?
The free plan gives 5 messages per day and 25 messages total per month, plus 100 integration credits, with access to all core integration types including authentication and data storage, per Base44’s official FAQ.
What are integration credits in Base44?
Integration credits are consumed when an app’s own user takes an action that uses an integration, such as an LLM call, file upload, email send, or database query. Each integration request costs 1 credit regardless of type, according to Base44’s official FAQ.
What happens if I hit my Base44 plan limit?
On the free plan, you wait until the next day for more messages or the next billing cycle for more integration credits. On paid plans, you can upgrade to a higher tier anytime from the billing dashboard, per Base44’s own FAQ.
Do Base44 credits roll over month to month?
No. Unused message and integration credits expire at the end of each billing cycle and do not carry forward, according to Base44’s official pricing page.
How does Base44 differ from Bolt.new?
Both generate working apps from natural language prompts with automatic backend setup. Base44 uses a dual-credit system (message and integration credits) with GitHub sync on paid tiers, while Bolt.new is built around StackBlitz’s in-browser development environment.
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