Base44 review: good for quick internal apps, less so for business websites

Base44 turns a chat into a working web app with logins and a database. Here is where it shines, where it struggles and what it costs.

We.Inc is free to start, no credit card. AI building from $20/mo.

The verdict

Base44 is a good choice if you want a simple web app, such as a tracker, a booking tool or an internal dashboard, with sign-in and a database already wired up, and you do not want to touch code. It is less suited to marketing websites and to large, complex apps, where its credit limits and chat-only workflow start to pinch.

It is free to try with 25 message credits a month, and paid plans run from $16 to $160 a month.

Base44 at a glance

	Base44
What it is	AI app builder: describe an app in chat, get a working web app
Owner	Wix (acquisition announced June 2025)
Price	Free (25 message credits a month); Starter $16, Builder $40, Pro $80, Elite $160 a month billed annually (monthly billing costs more)
Built in	Database, user sign-in, hosting; custom domain and GitHub integration on paid plans
Best for	Internal tools and simple apps for non-developers
Watch out for	Two credit pools (message and integration) and thin free allowance

Prices checked September 2026 (September 25) on each vendor's own pricing page, in US dollars. Vendors change prices often, so confirm on their page before you buy.

Pros and cons

Base44

Best for: Non-developers who need a working app with logins and data

Price: Free (25 message credits a month); Starter $16, Builder $40, Pro $80, Elite $160 a month billed annually (monthly billing costs more)

Pros: Fast from idea to working app; Database and sign-in included without setup; Low $16 entry price; In-app code editing and GitHub integration on paid plans

Cons: 25 message credits a month on free goes quickly; Message and integration credits are counted separately; Complex apps can take many credits to get right; Not built around marketing sites

We.Inc

Best for: Business owners who want a finished website or web app written from a description

Price: Free plan: up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, no AI. AI building from $20/mo (Starter, 250 credits). Pro $49/mo, Max $99/mo.

Pros: Describe what you want in chat and AI builds a full, editable site or app; Edit by clicking on the page, by asking in chat, or in a real code editor; Export the React and TypeScript code to GitHub, so you are never locked in; Unlimited sites on paid plans, custom domains from Starter

Cons: The free plan is templates only; AI building needs a paid plan; Newer platform with a smaller app marketplace than the big names; Store features are simpler than a dedicated ecommerce platform

Verdict by buyer

Replacing a spreadsheet with a simple app that has logins and a database: Base44 is a strong fit. A small team building internal tools without a developer: a good fit, if you watch the credits. A developer who wants full control of the code: look at Replit or Cursor. A business that needs a marketing website with pages, a contact form and a custom domain: a website builder is the simpler route.

What Base44 does well

Base44's biggest strength is that the boring parts are already done. A new app comes with a database and user accounts, so a request like "a client intake form that saves to a table and lets staff log in" works without connecting outside services. For small teams replacing a spreadsheet, that is genuinely useful, and it is cheaper to start than most rivals.

Where Base44 falls short

Everything happens through chat, so precise layout changes can take several attempts, and every attempt spends a message credit. Integration credits are a second meter to watch if your app sends email or calls AI. And because Base44 is now part of Wix, it is worth watching how the product and pricing evolve.

Who should pick something else

Developers who want full control will be happier in Replit or Cursor. People who need a marketing site for a business are better served by a website builder.

Where We.Inc fits: the free plan publishes up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, with no AI and no custom domain, and needs no credit card. AI building, where you describe the site and it is written for you, starts at $20 a month (Starter, 250 credits); Pro is $49 and Max is $99.

What it costs over a year

At the prices read on base44.com/pricing on September 25, 2026, on annual billing and assuming no change: Starter is $192 a year, Builder $480 and Pro $960. The free plan costs nothing but its 25 message credits a month are best treated as a trial. The real cost depends on how many credits your app takes to get right, which the test below measures.

A five-task test to run before you pay for Base44

AI builders charge by usage, so the useful question is how far a plan's credits go on a real job. Give Base44 the same small-business website brief you would give any other tool, then count the credits each step uses.

1. Ask for the first version from one paragraph describing the business. 2. Request five specific edits (a new section, a colour change, a price change, a new page and a text fix). 3. Submit the contact form and check where the entry goes. 4. Publish on a custom domain. 5. Check whether you can export or download the code and what you would need to host it elsewhere.

Write down how many credits steps 1 and 2 took. Divide the plan's monthly credits by that number and you have a rough idea of how many changes a month the plan supports for you.

Ownership, support and integrations

Base44 includes its own database, sign-in and hosting, so your app runs on Base44's backend. Paid plans list GitHub integration and in-app code editing, and integration credits cover built-in services such as email and AI calls. We could not confirm full export terms for every plan, so ask Base44 before building something you may need to move. Base44 has been part of Wix since the acquisition announced in June 2025.

Who wrote this and how

We.Inc makes a competing website builder, so read this with that in mind. Every price on this page comes from the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown, with a link to it. We say where the other option is the better choice, and we do not publish scores for tests we have not run.

Start from a template

Sources

Base44: Pricing (Checked Sept 25, 2026)
Wix press room: Wix acquires Base44 (Checked Sept 25, 2026)
We.Inc: Pricing (Checked Sept 25, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Is Base44 good?

For simple apps with logins and data, yes: it is quick and includes a database and sign-in. For marketing websites or large apps, other tools fit better.

Is Base44 free?

Yes, the free plan includes 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month and up to 5 apps.

How much does Base44 cost?

Starter is $16, Builder $40, Pro $80 and Elite $160 a month, as listed on base44.com/pricing on September 25, 2026.

Is Base44 owned by Wix?

Yes. Wix announced the acquisition of Base44 in June 2025.

Is this review sponsored?

No. We.Inc makes a competing product, so we link our sources and say where Base44 is the better choice.