Lovable

Lovable — Prompt-to-Deployed Full-Stack Web App Builder (React + Supabase, GPT Engineer Rebrand, Active, Not Shut Down)

Not shut down — rebrand from GPT Engineer.​ Lovable (lovable.dev, Stockholm, founded Nov 2023 by Anton Osika + Fabian Hedin, formerly the GPT Engineer commercial app, renamed Dec 2024 / Jan 2025) active 2026-08, independent, no acquire/shutdown, $400M Series C Aug 2026 at $13.3B valuation, 8M+ users, 100k+ projects/day. Category ai-productivity-data; pipeline_stage none. Killer differentiator = plain-English → deployed full-stack web app (React+TS+Tailwind+shadcn/ui frontend, Supabase Postgres+RLS+auth+storage backend) with GitHub sync so code is yours, not a locked runtime​ + Plan Mode (plan-before-code) + Agent Mode (autonomous multi-file debug) + Skills (reusable team patterns) + Lovable Cloud (hosting/edge/AI gateway) + native AI features in shipped apps; not Bolt.new (same stack, weaker GitHub handoff/governance), not v0 (component/frontend-first, no Supabase auth out of box), not Cursor/Claude Code (IDE assistants, no deploy+hosting surface), not Bubble (true no-code, no real code export). 2026 trap: credit math is opaque​ — “Make button gray” 0.5 cr, “add auth” 1.2 cr, complex debug loop 5–15 cr, MVP 150–300 cr, so $25 Pro (100/mo + 5/day) dies in 1–2 real MVPs then top-ups; Free = 5/day capped 30/mo, public-only, Lovable badge, no custom domain, no private project; deployed apps incur separate Cloud (20/mo grant) + AI gateway usage billing; non-technical users hit Supabase RLS/auth wall; no native iOS/Android binary (PWA/web only); generated code still needs human security/reliability review.

1. One-line positioning

Lovable = the AI software engineer for web apps: type “CRM with login, Kanban, team roles, Stripe billing” → Plan Mode drafts screens/data models/flows → approve → Default Mode generates React+TS pages, wires Supabase tables/RLS/auth (Google/GitHub/email), Tailwind+shadcn UI, edge functions → visual editor click-to-edit elements → chat to iterate (“remove footer” 0.9 cr, “add dark mode” ~1 cr) → GitHub sync pushes repo you own, or clone to Cursor → one-click deploy on *.lovable.app or custom domain → built-in AI features (chatbot/Q&A/translate) run via Lovable AI gateway → Business adds SSO/team workspace/internal publish, Enterprise adds SCIM/audit/custom connectors. Fits ai-productivity-data; pipeline_stage none (prompt→plan→generate→iterate→deploy→run). For founders/freelancers/designers shipping a real CRUD app Tuesday, Pro $25 is fastest; for deep backend/complex domain logic/native mobile, pair with Cursor or hire.

2. Core features

3. Pricing (2026-08, USD — credit-metered, workspace-shared not per-seat)

pricing_type = freemium-credit-metered-workspace-shared-plus-cloud-usage; starting_price = $0; free_tier = "yes-but-throttled; 5 daily build credits capped 30/mo, public-only, badge on, no custom domain, no private project, no rollover/top-up, 20 Cloud+4 AI grant to try hosting — serious build needs Pro"; pricing_note = "lovable-stockholm-2023-osika-hedin-gpt-engineer-commercial-renamed-dec-2024-jan-2025-not-shutdown; credits-task-weighted-button-gray-0.5-auth-1.2-landing-1.7-mvp-150-300-debug-loop-5-15; pro-25-100-mo-plus-5-day-dies-in-1-2-mvps-then-topups; deployed-app-cloud-ai-gateway-billed-beyond-20-4-grant; student-50pct-pro-12.50; credits-rollover-1-cycle-daily-no-rollover; no-per-seat-workspace-shared; aug-2026-series-c-400m-13.3b-valuation-active"

4. Access Type

access_type: web-app-plus-github-sync-no-desktop-no-mobile-native

access_display: 🌐 lovable.dev (chat/visual editor/deploy/cloud console) · 🔗 GitHub 2-way sync (clone to Cursor/VS Code) · Lovable Cloud hosting + Supabase backend · no Electron desktop, no iOS/Android native builder, no public REST API for build (Cloud has AI gateway), no MCP client (exposes MCP server to its own agent)

5. Reviews (2026)

Praise: 0→deployed URL in <1 hr for standard CRUD, real React/TS/Supabase not fake builder, GitHub sync = zero lock-in, Plan Mode stops premature code, Agent Mode self-debugs, Skills reuse brand patterns, unlimited collaborators free, $25 Pro + student $12.50 unbeatable for portfolio/MVP, Lovable Cloud spares Supabase setup.

Gripes: credit opacity​ (debug loop 5–15 cr silently), Free 30/mo = 6 days then starved, deployed app Cloud+AI gateway bills beyond grant (chatbot-heavy SaaS creeps), non-technical users cliff at RLS/auth/edge fn, no iOS/Android binary (PWA only), generated code needs security/accessibility review before prod, Bolt.new cheaper feel for one-off, v0 cleaner component aesthetics, Cursor better for devs who live in IDE.

6. Best for / Not for

7. Competitors