By the PrototypeVerdict Test Team · Usage data from our Oct 29, 2026 test round · Pricing checked: Oct 29, 2026
← All free AI app builder tools
How many credits or tokens will your app use, and which plan does that fit? This calculator starts from what our three standard test apps actually used in Lovable, Base44, Bolt.new and Softr, then compares that with each plan’s allowance and price. It’s an estimate from one test run per app, not a quote.
Credit and cost calculator
How many apps like our test builds? (see the exact prompts)
Loading the calculator… If nothing appears, JavaScript is turned off; the tables below have the same numbers.
Which AI app builder fits me? (5 questions)
The quiz covers the three tools we’ve scored (Lovable, Base44, Bolt.new). Every reason it gives comes from our Oct 29, 2026 test logs.
The numbers behind the calculator
What each test app used (Oct 29, 2026)
| Tool (plan tested) | Test build | What it used | Working at the end? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovable Pro, 100 credits ($25/mo, billed monthly) | Client intake portal (logins, form, file upload, admin view) | 6 credits 1 credit from the balance + the day's 5 free daily build credits (Lovable's usage page also showed 6) | yes |
| Lovable Pro, 100 credits ($25/mo, billed monthly) | Invoice tracker (clients, line items, statuses, dashboard) | 3 credits from the balance (104 to 101); Lovable's usage page showed 2.70 | yes |
| Lovable Pro, 100 credits ($25/mo, billed monthly) | One-page landing page with a contact form | 1.5 credits from the balance (101 to 99.5) | yes |
| Base44 Builder ($50/mo, billed monthly) | Client intake portal (logins, form, file upload, admin view) | 1.65 message credits message credits (approximate, as shown) | yes |
| Base44 Builder ($50/mo, billed monthly) | Invoice tracker (clients, line items, statuses, dashboard) | 5.45 message credits message credits; includes one 'continue' after a checkpoint pause | yes |
| Base44 Builder ($50/mo, billed monthly) | One-page landing page with a contact form | 1.65 message credits message credits | yes |
| Bolt.new Free ($0) | Client intake portal (logins, form, file upload, admin view) | ~185K tokens about 185K tokens, including one login fix that alone used about 84K | yes |
| Bolt.new Free ($0) | Invoice tracker (clients, line items, statuses, dashboard) | ~100K tokens about 100K tokens | yes |
| Bolt.new Free ($0) | One-page landing page with a contact form | ~15K tokens about 15K tokens; the 300K daily cap was hit as this build finished | yes |
| Softr Basic ($25/mo, billed monthly) | Client intake portal (logins, form, file upload, admin view) | 0.94 AI credits 0.76 for the build + 0.18 for one fix (we also answered the AI's 2 clarifying questions) | no |
| Softr Basic ($25/mo, billed monthly) | Invoice tracker (clients, line items, statuses, dashboard) | 2.7 AI credits 0.77 for the build + 1.93 for follow-ups (follow-up split from session notes) | no |
| Softr Basic ($25/mo, billed monthly) | One-page landing page with a contact form | 0.37 AI credits AI credits | yes |
Source: our test logs from Oct 29, 2026. Same three prompts pasted word for word into each tool, fake data only, nothing published. Full method: How we test. Full dataset: AI app builder usage study.
Plans and allowances (as of Oct 29, 2026)
| Tool | Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually (per month) | Monthly allowance | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lovable | Free | $0/mo | $0/mo | n/a | 5 daily build credits, up to 30 a month; no monthly balance | lovable.dev/pricing |
| Lovable | Pro, 100 credits | $25/mo | $21/mo | 100 credits | plus 5 daily build credits (no monthly cap on the daily ones) | lovable.dev/pricing |
| Lovable | Pro, 200 credits | $50/mo | $42/mo | 200 credits | plus 5 daily build credits | lovable.dev/pricing |
| Lovable | Pro, 400 credits | $100/mo | $84/mo | 400 credits | plus 5 daily build credits | lovable.dev/pricing |
| Lovable | Business, 100 credits | $50/mo | $42/mo | 100 credits | SSO and team controls; Lovable says each Business credit is worth more | lovable.dev/pricing |
| Base44 | Free | $0/mo | $0/mo | 25 message credits | 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month; up to 5 apps | base44.com/pricing |
| Base44 | Starter | $20/mo | $16/mo | 100 message credits | 100 message / 2,000 integration credits | base44.com/pricing |
| Base44 | Builder | $50/mo | $40/mo | 250 message credits | 250 message / 10,000 integration credits (the plan we tested) | base44.com/pricing |
| Base44 | Pro | $100/mo | $80/mo | 500 message credits | 500 message / 20,000 integration credits | base44.com/pricing |
| Base44 | Elite | $200/mo | $160/mo | 1,200 message credits | 1,200 message / 50,000 integration credits | base44.com/pricing |
| Bolt.new | Free | $0/mo | $0/mo | 1M tokens | 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily limit (the plan we tested) | bolt.new/pricing |
| Bolt.new | Pro (entry tier) | $25/mo | $18/mo | 10M tokens | starts at 10M tokens a month, no daily limit, unused tokens roll over | bolt.new/pricing |
| Softr | Free | $0/mo | $0/mo | 5 AI credits | 5 AI credits a month | www.softr.io/pricing |
| Softr | Basic | $25/mo | $19/mo | 10 AI credits | 10 AI credits a month (the plan we tested) | www.softr.io/pricing |
| Softr | Pro | $119/mo | $99/mo | 50 AI credits | 50 AI credits a month; Softr's plan for granular permissions | www.softr.io/pricing |
| Softr | Business | $395/mo | $329/mo | 100 AI credits | 100 AI credits a month | www.softr.io/pricing |
Prices in USD before tax, as of Oct 29, 2026, read from each tool’s own pricing page or plan docs. Lovable’s tier prices are from Lovable’s plan docs. Prices change; check the source before you buy.
How the estimate is worked out
- Usage = (number of each app type × what that test app used) + (change requests × what one change request used, where we measured it).
- Share of plan = usage ÷ the plan’s monthly allowance. On Lovable Free and Bolt Free we also show the minimum number of days, because of their daily limits.
- Dollar value = usage × (monthly price ÷ monthly allowance). It’s what that slice of the plan is worth, not a separate charge.
- What’s not included: hosting, AI features inside your live app, Base44 integration credits, bigger or longer projects, and taxes. Track price changes on our pricing tracker.