Quick answer
Base44 - Both start free with no credit card. Base44 meters usage in AI credits: 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month, with room for up to 5 apps. Bubble meters usage in workload units instead: 50K a month on one app editor, with 6 hours of server logs and a full visual-development toolkit (API connector, component library, web and mobile debuggers, native mobile editor) included on the free plan.
How the free tiers compare
Base44's free plan gives 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month across up to 5 apps, no card required. Bubble's free plan gives 50K workload units a month on a single app editor, 6 hours of server logs, and a wider built-in toolkit for both web and mobile development, also no card required. Base44's Starter plan is $16 a month billed annually; Bubble's Starter plan is $59 a month billed annually.
Base44 vs Bubble free tier, side by side
| Base44FTV 57 | BubbleFTV 67 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan usageDifferent units: Base44 meters in AI credits, Bubble in workload units. | 25 message credits/month, 100 integration credits/month | 50K workload units/month |
| Apps / editors on the free plan | Up to 5 apps | 1 app editor |
| Server logs | Not published as a separate figure | 6 hours |
| Built-in toolkit | Authentication, database, analytics | API connector, component library, web debugger, native mobile editor, mobile debugger, on-device testing |
| Credit card required | Not required | Not required |
| First paid plan price | Starter - $16/month billed annually | Starter - $59/month billed annually |
After you outgrow the free tier
Base44's Starter tier is $16 a month billed annually. Bubble's Starter tier is $59 a month billed annually and raises the workload allowance from 50K to 175K units a month; neither vendor's page states the plain monthly (non-annual) rate for these tiers.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Base44 | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Moving to the first paid tierBubble's Starter tier costs more but includes 3.5x the workload allowance of its own free plan. | $16/month (Starter, billed annually) | $59/month (Starter, billed annually) |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Base44 when…
- You want to run several separate apps on the free plan: up to 5.
- You want a simple monthly AI-credit count rather than a workload-unit meter.
- You're building primarily with an AI prompt-driven workflow.
- You want the cheaper first paid tier: Starter at $16/month billed annually.
Pick Bubble when…
- You're building one app that needs a full visual editor, on either web or native mobile.
- You want built-in server logs (6 hours) and an API connector on the free plan.
- You want native mobile tooling: a mobile editor, mobile debugger, and on-device testing, all included free.
- You want the higher published feature-parity between the free and paid tiers.
Bottom line
Base44 is the cheaper way in, with a simpler credit count and a $16 Starter tier. Bubble's free plan packs in more built-in tooling, especially for native mobile, but its next tier costs almost four times as much.
Read the full listings: Base44 and Bubble. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.