Is there a free AI that builds apps? Mother read the fine print.
November 12, 2026.
Yes. Several AI app builders have free plans. Free is enough to try an idea and make a small first version. The limits show up when you publish: a badge, a cap on apps, a link that expires, or no business use.
What do the free plans give you?
These come from each company's own pricing pages and docs, read on November 12, 2026.
- Base44. 25 messages a month, at most 5 a day. Your app goes live at a free base44.app address with a Base44 badge. Exporting code is paid, and the exported code still needs Base44 to run.
- Lovable. 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month. You can publish at a lovable.app address and sync your code to GitHub. Downloading the code is paid.
- Replit. The free Starter plan lets you publish one app. That link goes down after 30 days, and the app carries a "Made with Replit" badge.
- Bolt. 1 million tokens a month, at most 300,000 a day. Hosting is included, with Bolt branding. A free site stops loading when it uses up its monthly traffic.
- v0. 7 messages a day. It deploys to Vercel and syncs with GitHub.
- Google AI Studio. Build mode makes an app with a server, a database, and sign-in. Free publishing covers up to two apps, for accounts that qualify. A published app uses your own API key when people use it.
Where does free stop?
- You run out of messages. Most plans count messages or credits each day or month. When they run out, you wait or pay.
- Publishing has strings. Expect a badge, the builder's web address, and a cap on apps. Base44, Lovable, Bolt and Google AI Studio charge for a custom domain.
- Your code may not leave. Some builders let free users sync to GitHub. Others charge for any export.
- Business use may not be allowed. Read the host's rules before you take money through the app.
Is Google AI Studio really free and unlimited?
Free, yes. Unlimited, no. Some search answers say it is, but Google's own docs say otherwise.
The free plan has a "modest quota" that resets each day. On the free tier, Google says it uses your content to improve its products. Keep private data out of it.
For the closest thing to unlimited, see our post on builders with unlimited free credits.
Where can you host an app for free?
If you export your code, you need somewhere to run it. Each free host has a catch.
- Vercel. The free Hobby plan is for non-commercial, personal use only. Taking payments or showing ads counts as commercial.
- Netlify. The free plan gives 300 credits a month. When they run out, every project on your team pauses until next month.
- Cloudflare Pages. It hosts static sites, with 500 builds a month on the free plan.
- GitHub Pages. It hosts static sites only. It does not allow online stores or software sold as a service.
- Render. A free web service sleeps after 15 minutes without visitors. It takes about a minute to wake up. A free database expires after 30 days. Render says not to use free services for production.
What is the free path that lasts?
Don't generate what already exists. A lot of business software is free, with public code you can change. Your AI agent can set it up and run it for you.
You still pay for a place to run it. But there is no message limit, no badge, and the code is yours. Our post on building a business app with AI for free shows how, with examples.
To check first, search the directory by the product you would replace, or ask your coding agent:
/mothermachine <what you need>
What we do not cover yet
- We have not tested these builders. We read their pages. We have not built the same app on each one.
- Plans change often. These limits are from November 12, 2026. Check the pricing page before you start.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free AI that builds apps?
Yes. Base44, Lovable, Replit, Bolt, v0 and Google AI Studio all have free plans. They limit how much you build and how you publish.
Which free AI app builder is best?
It depends on where you hit the limit. Compare the message allowance, the publishing rules, and whether you can take your code with you.
Is Google AI Studio free and unlimited?
It has a free plan, but Google's docs describe a modest quota that resets daily, not unlimited use. Free publishing covers up to two apps for accounts that qualify.
Can I sell things from an app on a free plan?
Check the host's rules first. Vercel's free plan is for non-commercial personal use only, and GitHub Pages does not allow online stores.
What is the cheapest way to run an app for a long time?
Start from free software that already does the job. Have your AI agent set it up, and pay only for a place to run it.
Sources
All read November 12, 2026.
- Billing and plans and Developer tools. Base44.
- Subscription plans and Hosting. Lovable.
- Starter plan. Replit.
- Pricing and Hosting plans. Bolt.
- Pricing. v0.
- Build mode, Deploying, Google AI plans and Pricing. Google AI Studio.
- Fair use guidelines. Vercel.
- Billing FAQ for credit-based plans. Netlify.
- Pages limits. Cloudflare.
- GitHub Pages limits. GitHub.
- Deploy for free. Render.