Lovable AI (lovable.dev): what it is, what it builds and what it costs

What is Lovable?

Lovable is an online service that builds a web app from messages written in plain language. You describe a screen, a rule or a fix; an AI agent writes the code, shows you the result and puts it online. Building software by conversation has a name: vibe coding.

People also search for it as “Lovable AI” or “Lovable dev”: lovable.dev is the address of its website.

The vendor is Lovable Labs. Its pages contradict each other on the legal entity: the terms of service are entered into with “Lovable Labs Incorporated” and governed by Delaware law, while the privacy policy names “Lovable Labs Sweden AB”, in Stockholm.

What Lovable builds and hosts

According to the documentation, the app comes with its server side and its online address. Point by point:

• App type. Web apps; no React Native project and no built-in submission to the iOS or Android stores. source
• Database and user accounts. The backend (the server side of the app) is called “Cloud”. It combines the database, authentication (users signing in with an account) and file storage, and is built on Supabase’s open-source foundation. You can also connect your own Supabase project.
• Hosting. Every plan publishes to a lovable.app address. A live site does not consume credits by itself, and no visitor or bandwidth cap is tied to the plan. Two limits are documented: 1,000 server requests per project per 10 seconds on recent projects, and an inactive free project may be unpublished.
• Domain name. Your own address (yourcompany.com, for example) requires a paid plan. The SSL certificate is automatic and the domain can be bought inside Lovable.
• Code. Two-way GitHub sync on all plans; .zip download on paid plans. source GitHub is a code hosting service: syncing the project there means keeping a copy outside Lovable. Sync covers one branch at a time, in a repository always created by Lovable and private by default. GitLab and Bitbucket are supported too.

The terms of service state that you own your code, your projects, your customer data and the AI-generated output, subject to third-party rights.

What Lovable bills: credits, not messages

Lovable does not bill per user. It bills credits, drawn from a single balance per workspace. Three things draw on it: the messages you send to the agent, the running of the “Cloud” backend, and the AI features of apps you have already published.

A message is not a credit: its cost depends on the task. Using the vendor’s three examples, here is what the free plan’s 30 monthly credits amount to.

Message (vendor’s example)	Credits per message	Messages you get from 30 credits
Change a button color	0.50	60
Remove a footer	0.90	33
Add authentication	1.20	25

The free plan gives at most 5 credits a day: four changes the size of adding authentication (4.8 credits) are enough to empty the day.

The first paid plan, Pro, starts at $25 per month for 100 credits a month, plus 5 build credits per day. Tiers, rollover and top-ups are covered on the Lovable pricing page.

When credits run out

The documentation describes three effects. Building stops and the current message is paused. The AI features of published apps return an error. The “Cloud” backend is paused, with data retained.

The published site stays online, but the backend it relies on stays paused while the balance is empty. On the free plan, you wait for the renewal (daily credits come back at midnight UTC) or move to a paid plan. On Pro and Business, a one-time or automatic top-up restarts the meter.

Hosting and data

The platform is a managed service: you cannot install it on your own servers. The apps it produces can be hosted elsewhere. Apps created since May 13, 2026 need a host that runs server code; older ones only need a static file host.

On where data is stored, the documentation states: "Cloud" backend: Americas, Europe, or Asia-Pacific; region set at activation and not changeable. source EU inference (the AI model processing requests inside the European Union) and data residency for Git sync are listed on the Enterprise plan. The privacy policy states that data is processed in several countries, including the United States.

One thing to know before you commit: leaving the built-in backend is only possible toward Supabase, managed or self-hosted. You then have to export the database, move the files and reconfigure authentication. The opposite path, from Supabase to the built-in backend, is not supported.

AI inside your apps

If your app uses AI itself, that usage draws on the same balance, after a monthly allowance of 4 AI credits. The run and AI cost is the same on Pro and Business. Because a Business credit is more expensive, the consumption shown in credits is lower there for the same spend.

Who it suits, who it does not

This assessment rests on the vendor’s public documents; no real trial took place.

• If you want a web app with accounts and data and no server to manage, Lovable puts the code, the backend and the online address in one service, the free plan included.
• If you work as a team, credit billing avoids per-seat pricing: members are unlimited on every plan.
• If you want an app in the iOS or Android stores, look at Bolt instead, whose documentation describes mobile apps built with Expo.
• If your budget has to be predictable, start on the free plan and read the cost of each message in the history: it is the only measure of your own usage.
• If you worry about lock-in, turn on GitHub sync from day one and note that the backend only moves to Supabase.

Lovable alternatives

The three other app builders in the database each count something different. Bolt measures tokens, tied to the size of the project: see Lovable vs Bolt. Base44 separates message credits from integration credits: see Lovable vs Base44. Replit includes a monthly amount of credits expressed in dollars and bills its agent by effort: see Lovable vs Replit.

For the wider view, the Lovable alternatives comparison puts the four tools in one table, and the AI app builders comparison starts from the need rather than the tool.