AI coding assistants , by Lovable (Lovable AB) , since 2023
Lovable
Prompt-to-app builder for web products, billed through a shared credit balance
- WEB
What Lovable does
Lovable is a chat-driven AI tool that builds, hosts, and iterates on web applications for non-technical and technical builders alike, describing itself as "an AI software engineer." All usage -- building, hosting, and AI features -- draws from one shared credit balance rather than separate metered categories.
What you get: Chat-to-app generation, One-click hosting, Shared credit billing, Team workspaces.
Typical jobs: Non-technical founder MVPs; Landing page/CRUD app builds.
Worth knowing: IMPORTANT DATA GAP: lovable.dev/pricing renders its plan-tier dollar prices entirely client-side (via JS after page load); repeated fetches of the static page source contained credit-policy text (expiry rules, free-tier grants) but no Pro/Business dollar figures. priceMonthly is left null per the no-fabrication rule rather than estimated. Recommend a manual browser check before publishing final price copy.
What users complain about: 'I burned through my credits fast while trying to nudge it into a usable state' and 'the resulting app wouldn't work properly' (Hacker News)
Pricing and plan limits
Verified August 2026| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | n/a | Daily grant of 5 build credits (up to 30/month), plus monthly grant of 20 Cloud credits and 4 credits for in-app AI features |
| Pro | not disclosed | n/a | Monthly credit allocation scales with plan tier; exact dollar price is not disclosed in the site's rendered pricing content (client-side rendered, no numeric price present in fetched page source) -- see note |
| Business | not disclosed | n/a | Shared team credit pool billed on one invoice, admins can cap per-member monthly credits; exact dollar price not disclosed in fetched page content |
| Enterprise | not disclosed | n/a | Volume-based credit pricing, custom |
Where it wins
- Single credit balance covers building, hosting, and AI features so pricing complexity is centralized rather than split across meters
- Users report noticeably higher build-quality/reliability than some competing prompt-to-app tools for typical landing-page/CRUD apps
Where it falls short
- Credits can be burned through fast while iterating -- one builder reported exhausting an allotment trying to get a project to a usable state, another ran out of credits within 30 minutes
- Generated apps still commonly need substantial manual debugging afterward, and the platform is best suited to simple app clones rather than complex, novel systems
How we scored it
Full methodology| Criterion | Weight | Score | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 30% | 6.0 | 1.80 |
| Value for money | 25% | 6.0 | 1.50 |
| Ease of use | 15% | 9.0 | 1.35 |
| Maturity | 15% | 6.0 | 0.90 |
| Support & docs | 10% | 6.0 | 0.60 |
| Momentum | 5% | 8.0 | 0.40 |
| Weighted total | 100% | 6.5 | 6.50 |
Alternatives to Lovable
Chosen by editors, not sponsors-
AiderFreeCheaper entry plan
-
ClineFreemiumCheaper entry plan at $9.99/mo
-
GitHub CopilotFreemiumCheaper entry plan at $10/mo
-
ZedFreemiumCheaper entry plan at $10/mo
Similar tools in AI coding assistants
Anthropic's terminal-based coding agent bundled into Claude Pro/Max subscriptions
- DESKTOP
- API
AI-first code editor built on VS Code with agent mode and multi-file edits
- DESKTOP
AWS's IDE assistant with autocomplete, an agent, and automated Java upgrades
- PLUGIN
- DESKTOP
- API
- WEB