You want to build an app without hiring a developer. Base44 suits a small business app you want to build and change through chat. Bubble suits an app whose rules you want to edit visually yourself. Both include a database, sign-in and hosting. The differences are how you maintain the app, when you pay and what you can take elsewhere.
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00:08 the app dashboard and its sharing settings
00:18 three sample booking records
00:25 the Security screen
00:35 the sign-in code, with a paid editing notice
00:44 the booking page’s code
00:02 the Data tab opens
00:10 a Customer data type
00:23 creating a Full name field
00:36 choosing a date field
00:48 the Customer privacy rule editor
For the business owner who wants a useful app without arranging every screen and workflow by hand.
The cheaper Starter plan doesn’t include code export. Builder is the plan to consider if a developer may take over.
You get a code starting point. Moving the database, sign-in and other services can still need development work.
For the founder or operator willing to learn a visual editor to control how the app works.
You can export your records, but you can’t take a runnable copy of the app elsewhere.
Choose it when the visual editor is valuable enough that you’re comfortable keeping the app on Bubble.
| What you need | Base44 | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Make routine changes | Ask through chat. Inspect the generated app and code when a change needs closer attention. | Edit conditions and actions visually. Useful when you want to follow each step yourself. AI generation is also available. |
| Keep customer records private | Set create, read, update and delete rules against the signed-in user. | Use database privacy rules to control which records and fields reach each user. |
| Build a mobile app | Prepare app-store files in the editor. Downloads require Builder or above. | Use the native mobile editor, built on React Native, alongside the web editor. |
| Move away later | Export code on Builder. A replacement for database, sign-in and other hosted services may still be needed. | Export data, not runnable app source. Rebuild the app’s logic to host it elsewhere. |
| Find ready-made extensions | Use the built-in services and external integrations. | Browse its plugin marketplace, including free and paid additions. |
Our buying call: start with Base44 for a small app you’ll mostly change through chat. Start with Bubble if inspecting and editing multi-step rules is central to your work. Choose Base44 Builder when exporting code is required. Choose Bubble for a dedicated native mobile editor.
Sources: Base44 permissions · Bubble privacy rules · Base44 mobile and export · Bubble mobile · Bubble code ownership.
Both let you build free. Base44 also lets you publish within its free allowances. Bubble needs a paid plan for a live app. The prices below are monthly equivalents when paid annually.
A free builder is not the same as free live publishing; the plan row above explains the difference. A public API lets other software work with app data: Base44’s developer tools and Bubble’s APIs. Check outages on the Base44 or Bubble status page.
Security standards are the vendors’ stated platform credentials. Base44 lists its training opt-out on Enterprise. The AI training row summarizes the linked terms, not a claim about what data has actually been used.
Base44 charges for the AI work used to build and run your apps. Bubble charges for the server work each project uses. A monthly plan price is only the starting point. Custom domains, external APIs and extra editors can change which plan you need.
| Before you pay | Base44 | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| What makes the bill grow | Building and integration actions. More messages or app actions can require extra credits. Backend functions require Builder. | Running the app. Database operations and workflows consume workload. More usage can need an add-on or overage payment. |
| What free leaves out | Paid features. Publish a small app free, but pay for a custom domain, backend functions or source export. | Live publishing. Build in the development version. Publishing needs at least Web Starter. |
| What you keep if you leave | App source on Builder or above. Exporting files doesn’t replace the hosted database and sign-in. | Your data. Export records, then rebuild the app’s logic to host elsewhere. App configuration export is not standalone source code. |
Both builders start free. Choose what the app needs and how you’ll pay. These are the starting plans for one web app with those features; extra usage can raise the bill.
No paid subscription
No paid subscription
For a small live app, Base44 can stay free. With your own domain, its Starter plan is cheaper. Connect external APIs through backend functions and Base44 needs Builder, while Bubble Web Starter still covers the plan features. Usage charges are separate.
Both start at $0. Base44 can publish within its free allowances; Bubble’s free version is for development.
Checked September 7, 2026. The full price list uses monthly billing. Annual prices in the calculator are monthly equivalents, paid for a full year. Bubble’s plans here are Web only. Base44 pricing · Bubble pricing · Base44 integration requirements.
These recordings show the editors in use. They cover different sample apps and sessions, so they aren’t a timed build contest or a test of client-data isolation.
The records and app code are in the same dashboard.
Our sample bookings are already there. The recording opens Security and then the code files. Code editing shows a paid-plan notice.
You define the data type and its fields yourself.
The recording adds Full name and Signup date, then opens the Customer privacy rule. It shows where the rule is edited, without proving a completed access policy.
A template gives you an app to begin changing.
The gallery includes a task-management app with a detail view. A template using backend functions still needs the plan that supports them.
The marketplace shows what a template includes.
This recording opens the Canvas Building Framework listing. Its price and feature list belong to that template; hosting the app is a separate plan choice.
On September 7, 2026, we changed a fictional request’s description as admin. We saved it and refreshed the preview. The new description remained.
Checked September 7, 2026: 29 selected scan rows and two additional documentation checks. A ✓ means documented; a ✗ means the product doesn’t offer the stated feature. A — means we couldn’t confirm it either way. Shared marks can still involve different plans or ways of building.
| Capability | Base44 | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Build and change the app | ||
| Build apps and websites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Change an app through AI chat (Bubble: AI Agent is in beta) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Control the design | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preview the app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Responsive layouts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Import a design (Both offer a design import path. This does not establish identical conversion or editing behavior.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client records and access | ||
| Manage files and data | ✓ | ✓ |
| Set access permissions (Data access rules need to be configured and tested for the app. Permissions for editor collaboration are a separate feature.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| User accounts and sign-in | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in database | ✓ | ✓ |
| Expose app data through an API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Workflows and connections | ||
| Automate workflows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Send email and notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create AI agents | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connect external services | ✓ | ✓ |
| Send email through Resend (Uses an external service. Its account and usage charges may be separate.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Send SMS through Twilio (Uses an external service. Its account and usage charges may be separate.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Visual logic and conditions (Base44: Conditional rules are specified in plain-language workflow descriptions) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Publishing and maintenance | ||
| Host and publish apps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connect a custom domain | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Branches and merging (Bubble: Branches, version history, and permission settings require premium version control) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manage the codebase through GitHub (Base44 lists GitHub integration on Builder and above. Bubble’s app source export is explained in the side-by-side section.) | ✓ | — |
| Plugin marketplace | — | ✓ |
| App store publishing support (Base44 documents app-store file downloads on Builder and above. Store submission support does not establish that both builders use the same mobile technology.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| In-app purchases | — | ✓ |
| Mobile interface components | — | ✓ |
| Template marketplace | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public service status | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export app source code (Base44 requires Builder or above. Exported code can still depend on hosted services. Bubble exports data and app configuration, but not standalone app source code.) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Publish a live web app on a free plan (Within the free plan’s usage allowances. Bubble’s free version is for development. A live app requires a paid plan.) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Controls for running the app | ||
| Per-record and per-field permission rules on the data (Base44 supports record and field rules. Bubble privacy rules control record access, field visibility and direct edits through linked input fields. Changes made by workflows also need their own permission checks.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| A visual trigger-and-action workflow builder in the product (Base44 requires Builder. Its diagram’s edit controls open an AI prompt. AI makes the change. Bubble lets you change events, actions and conditions directly in the workflow editor.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Package for the iOS & Android app stores (Base44 packages a web app for the stores. Downloading store files needs Builder. Bubble builds native apps with React Native and includes store submission tools. Publishing needs a mobile plan. Both require your own developer accounts and store approval.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edit workflow steps visually without AI chat (Base44’s workflow diagram has edit controls, but each opens the AI chat to make the change. Bubble exposes the workflow steps and their settings directly.) | ✗ | ✓ |
Code export starts at Builder. Moving the whole app takes more than a download.
Starter costs less, but Builder is the relevant plan if you need GitHub or code export. Exported pages may still depend on Base44 services.
Pick it when chat is how you want to build, and budget for Builder if code handoff matters.
The app’s logic stays on Bubble.
You can export records. You can’t export a standalone runnable app. A future move needs a rebuild, even if you paid for a higher tier.
Pick it when visual control is worth staying on its hosting.
Both charge for usage. Base44 separates messages from integration actions. Bubble measures server work. Your user count alone doesn’t determine the bill.
Privacy rules need configuration on either platform. An admin preview doesn’t show what a client can access. Use separate client sessions before inviting real customers.
Create one useful screen and save a record. Make one change yourself. That gives you a concrete first decision before choosing a paid plan.
Built with Base44 or Bubble? Tell us what you made, which plan you chose and what raised the bill. Your experience can help the next buyer choose.
Switching from drag-and-drop? Start here.
Base44 wins on automations and app-store publishing.
If you might open the code, read this one.
The back office, against the machine under it.
All four, and the one question that splits them.