Lovable

Prompt a full web app into existence, with hosted previews and one-click deploy

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $25/mosubscription / year $300estimated build time closest consolation build: one sittingreplaced by 0 people

The wrapper is easy: a CLI that sends your brief to a model, writes the files, and starts the dev server is one sitting of work. The model doing the writing is the actual product, and you cannot rebuild that. Everything Lovable puts around it, the hosted preview, the deploy, the database wired up for you, and a non-developer being able to use any of it, goes with the subscription.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • the frontier model, which is the actual product
  • hosted preview URLs and one-click deploy
  • a database and auth wired up for you
  • a non-developer being able to ship anything at all

Why people still pay

People pay because the model is the product and the wrapper is the delivery, and because Lovable turns a brief into a deployed app with a database behind it without anyone opening a terminal. The subscription buys model access, safe execution, and hosting that makes the result shareable.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Node 22
  • Anthropic or OpenAI API key
  • git
01
A Node 22 CLI: `vibe new "a habit tracker with a weekly grid"` scaffolds a Vite + React + TypeScript app into ./apps/(slug), then edits it in a loop. Generated apps persist to plain JSON or SQLite via better-sqlite3.
02
A Node 22 CLI: `vibe new "a habit tracker with a weekly grid"` scaffolds a Vite + React + TypeScript app into ./apps/(slug), then edits it in a loop. Generated apps persist to plain JSON or SQLite via better-sqlite3.
03
Interface for this AI coding agents and developer workspaces workflow: a CLI with a dry-run or preview command and an explicit output path.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

A Node 22 CLI: `vibe new "a habit tracker with a weekly grid"` scaffolds a Vite + React + TypeScript app into ./apps/(slug), then edits it in a loop. Generated apps persist to plain JSON or SQLite via better-sqlite3. A Node 22 CLI: `vibe new "a habit tracker with a weekly grid"` scaffolds a Vite + React + TypeScript app into ./apps/(slug), then edits it in a loop. Generated apps persist to plain JSON or SQLite via better-sqlite3.

2

Phase 2, implement

Keep the transcript, file tree, and last diff in .vibe/session.json inside the app, resend only the files I named, and print tokens and cost per round.

3

Phase 3, implement

Send a plain-language brief to a model API, have it write a small React app into a local folder, run it, and keep iterating in the same conversation.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Prompt a full web app into existence, with hosted previews and one-click deploy.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Every round is a git commit on a branch and prints the diff first. `vibe undo` is a git revert, so nothing the model does is unrecoverable. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: A failed tool call or interrupted run must retain the branch and trace; no file outside the selected repository may change. State the practical limit: the frontier model, which is the actual product.

the pro prompt
Build me a local brief-to-app generator to replace Lovable. Requirements:

- A Node 22 CLI: `vibe new "a habit tracker with a weekly grid"` scaffolds a Vite +
  React + TypeScript app into ./apps/<slug>, then edits it in a loop. Generated apps
  persist to plain JSON or SQLite via better-sqlite3.
- Call the Anthropic or OpenAI API with the key from .env and ask for whole files
  back as JSON, path plus contents, never prose I have to dig out of a code fence.
- Every round is a git commit on a branch and prints the diff first. `vibe undo` is
  a git revert, so nothing the model does is unrecoverable.
- After each round run `npm run build` and `tsc --noEmit`, feed failures back, retry
  three times, then stop and show me the error instead of looping.
- `vibe preview` runs the Vite dev server on localhost:5173. No accounts, no
  telemetry, nothing leaves my machine except the model calls.
- Keep the transcript, file tree, and last diff in .vibe/session.json inside the app,
  resend only the files I named, and print tokens and cost per round.
- Out of scope: hosted previews, one-click deploy, and team collaboration. Do not
  build a web UI, the terminal is the interface.
- README: which key to set, what a typical app costs, and the honest warning that the
  output is only as good as the model behind it.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

open-lovableChats a React app together, or clones an existing site into one; bring your own model keys.28knov 2025open source↗OnlookOpen source visual builder that edits a real React codebase with AI, Figma-style.26kjul 2026open source↗DyadLovable on your laptop, minus the hosting fairy.21kaug 2026open source↗

all 3 free alternatives to Lovable →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Lovable pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free$0/workspace$0/workspace5 build credits/day capped at 30 per calendar month; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Projects are workspace-private, but code download/editing and custom domains are excluded.
pro 100 build credits$25/workspace$21/workspace100 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 200 build credits$50/workspace$42/workspace200 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 400 build credits$100/workspace$84/workspace400 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 800 build credits$200/workspace$167/workspace800 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 1,200 build credits$294/workspace$245/workspace1,200 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 2,000 build credits$480/workspace$400/workspace2,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 3,000 build credits$705/workspace$588/workspace3,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 4,000 build credits$920/workspace$767/workspace4,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 5,000 build credits$1125/workspace$938/workspace5,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 7,500 build credits$1688/workspace$1407/workspace7,500 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
pro 10,000 build credits$2250/workspace$1875/workspace10,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 100 build credits$50/workspace$42/workspace100 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 200 build credits$100/workspace$84/workspace200 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 400 build credits$200/workspace$167/workspace400 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 800 build credits$400/workspace$334/workspace800 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 1,200 build credits$588/workspace$490/workspace1,200 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 2,000 build credits$960/workspace$800/workspace2,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 3,000 build credits$1410/workspace$1175/workspace3,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 4,000 build credits$1840/workspace$1534/workspace4,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 5,000 build credits$2250/workspace$1875/workspace5,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 7,500 build credits$3300/workspace$2750/workspace7,500 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
business 10,000 build credits$4300/workspace$3584/workspace10,000 subscription build credits/month plus 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap; 20 Cloud credits/month; 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members.Adds business controls; annual value is the published monthly equivalent.
enterprise——Custom build-credit volume, security, support and contract terms.Contact sales.

free tier5 build credits/day capped at 30/month, plus 20 Cloud credits/month and 4 AI credits/month; unlimited members

billingmonthly and annual; every paid bundle is priced per workspace rather than per member

hidden costsSubscription credits can expire: monthly-plan credits last at most 2 months, annual-plan credits expire 1 month after the annual term, and top-ups expire after 12 months. Hosting and in-app AI consume separate Cloud/AI credits beyond the small grants.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Lovable

Can you build your own Lovable with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. The wrapper is easy: a CLI that sends your brief to a model, writes the files, and starts the dev server is one sitting of work. The model doing the writing is the actual product, and you cannot rebuild that. Everything Lovable puts around it, the hosted preview, the deploy, the database wired up for you, and a non-developer being able to use any of it, goes with the subscription.

What does the Lovable build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Send a plain-language brief to a model API, have it write a small React app into a local folder, run it, and keep iterating in the same conversation. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: the frontier model, which is the actual product; hosted preview URLs and one-click deploy; a database and auth wired up for you. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Lovable prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Lovable project take?

The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Lovable?

the frontier model, which is the actual product; hosted preview URLs and one-click deploy; a database and auth wired up for you; a non-developer being able to ship anything at all. People pay because the model is the product and the wrapper is the delivery, and because Lovable turns a brief into a deployed app with a database behind it without anyone opening a terminal. The subscription buys model access, safe execution, and hosting that makes the result shareable.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Pro plan is $25/mo (monthly), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Lovable?

open-lovable: Chats a React app together, or clones an existing site into one; bring your own model keys. Onlook: Open source visual builder that edits a real React codebase with AI, Figma-style. Dyad: Lovable on your laptop, minus the hosting fairy. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/lovable/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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