--- type: blog title: "Is Lovable Free? What the Free Plan Gives You in 2026" description: "Lovable has a free plan with 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month. See what it covers, what Pro costs, how credits run out, and when paying is worth it." date: "2026-11-12" lastModified: "2026-11-12" authors: "Runner AI Team" tags: ["Lovable", "Pricing", "AI App Builders", "E-Commerce"] featured: false readTime: "8 min read" seo: title: "Lovable Free Plan 2026: Credits, Limits, Pro Cost" description: "Yes. Lovable's Free plan gives 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month. Custom domains, code editing and badge removal need Pro, from $25 a month." --- Yes, Lovable is free to start. The Free plan costs $0 and gives you 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, and you can publish your app to a free `lovable.app` address. To connect your own domain, remove the "Edit with Lovable" badge, or edit and download the code, you need a paid plan. Pro starts at $25 a month for 100 credits. Disclosure: Runner AI publishes this guide. Every Lovable detail below comes from Lovable's own pricing page and documentation, retrieved on November 12, 2026. Lovable changes its plans often, so check the [Lovable pricing page](https://lovable.dev/pricing) before you decide. > **Key Takeaways** > > - **The Free plan is $0** and gives **5 build credits a day, capped at 30 a month**, plus 20 Cloud credits, 4 AI credits and 1 connector credit each month. > - **Pro starts at $25 a month for 100 credits** ($21 a month billed yearly). Business starts at $50 a month for the same 100 credits. > - **Credits run out by the size of the change.** Lovable's own examples range from **0.50 credits** for a small button to **2.00 credits** for a landing page with images. > - **Free projects can be published publicly**, but custom domains, badge removal and code editing need a paid plan. > - **Lovable builds general web apps.** For a store that ships physical products, Lovable points you to its Shopify integration, which needs a paid Shopify plan after the trial. ## What do you get on Lovable's Free plan? Lovable's subscription docs list the Free plan as the plan for "trying Lovable and building smaller projects." Here is what it includes and what it does not. | Feature | Free plan | |---|---| | Build credits | 5 a day, up to 30 a month | | Monthly grants | 20 Cloud credits, 4 AI credits, 1 connector credit | | Private projects | Yes (workspace-private) | | Publish to a `lovable.app` address | Yes, public or invite only | | Custom domain | No | | Remove the "Edit with Lovable" badge | No | | Edit or download the code | No | | Git sync (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) | Yes | | Workspace members | Unlimited | | Automations | Up to 3 per person | Two points surprise people. First, older reviews say free projects must be public. Lovable's current docs list workspace-private projects on the Free plan. Second, you can publish for free. Lovable's publishing docs say publishing works "on all plans," and a public app can be visited by anyone with the URL. What you cannot do for free is put that app on your own domain. ## How many credits do you get per day and per month? On the Free plan, you get 5 build credits every day. They stop at 30 for the month. Daily credits expire at the end of each day and do not roll over, so you cannot save them up for one big session. You also get a small daily chat allowance. Lovable does not publish the exact number. Chat messages usually cost "a fraction of a credit," according to its credits docs. The monthly grants are for specific uses: - **20 Cloud credits** pay for hosting and the backend of your published app. - **4 AI credits** pay for AI features inside apps you build, such as a chatbot. - **1 connector credit** covers connector use. These grants do not roll over. Lovable says most small apps cost nothing to host. Apps with high traffic can draw on your credit balance. ## How fast do Lovable credits run out? Credits are not one per message. In Build mode, the cost depends on how complex the change is. Lovable gives these examples: | Request | Credits used | |---|---| | Make a button gray | 0.50 | | Remove a footer | 0.90 | | Add authentication | 1.20 | | Build a landing page with images | 2.00 | Plan mode costs 1 credit per message, plus any research it does. So 5 daily credits can cover a landing page and a few small edits. That is enough to try an idea. It is rarely enough to finish a full app, because real projects need many rounds of fixes. When a change goes wrong and you ask the AI to fix it, the fix costs credits too. That is the main reason people on the Free plan hit the limit and look for more. ## How much does Lovable cost when you upgrade? Lovable has four plans: Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise. Pro and Business are sold in credit tiers, from 100 to 10,000 credits a month. These are the entry tiers: | Plan | Monthly credits | Monthly billing | Annual billing | |---|---|---|---| | Free | 5 a day (max 30 a month) | $0 | $0 | | Pro | 100 | $25/mo | $250/yr ($21/mo) | | Pro | 200 | $50/mo | $500/yr ($42/mo) | | Pro | 400 | $100/mo | $1,000/yr ($84/mo) | | Business | 100 | $50/mo | $500/yr ($42/mo) | | Enterprise | Volume-based | Contact sales | Contact sales | Paid plans also keep the 5 daily build credits. Lovable's credits docs say Pro and Business get them "with no monthly cap," though the pricing FAQ notes some regional plans still cap them at 30 a month. What Pro adds over Free: - Custom domains - Removal of the "Edit with Lovable" badge - Code editing and code download - Rollover of unused monthly credits while you stay subscribed. On monthly billing they expire two months after they are issued. On annual billing they expire one month after the annual billing period ends - Top-up credits, which last 12 months Business adds single sign-on, more automations, and AI-training opt-out by default. Business credits cost more than Pro credits for the same amount. ## Is Lovable worth it? It depends on what you build. **Lovable is worth it when:** - You are building a web app, not just a website: a SaaS product, a dashboard, an internal tool, a booking app or a membership site. - You want to own the code. Pro lets you edit and download it, and every plan includes Git sync. - You sell software or digital products. Lovable's built-in payments (paid plans only) handle subscriptions and one-time payments through Stripe or Paddle, and Lovable says it adds no fee on top of the provider's fee. **Lovable is less of a fit when:** - You only need a simple site and will rarely change it. The free tier of a website builder may be enough. - You need a full online store for physical products. See the next section. - You cannot predict how many changes you will make. Credit use goes up with every fix, so your monthly cost can grow. If you are comparing app builders in general, our [Bolt alternative guide](./bolt-alternative) covers the other popular prompt-to-app tool. ## Is Lovable safe? Lovable runs security checks, and it is open about their limits. Its security docs say a Quick scan runs automatically when you publish. It checks database access rules, npm dependencies, and whether an MCP server is open without login. A Deep scan reviews the full code for problems like leaked secrets, missing access control and injection. You start that one yourself. Lovable also says plainly: "These tools help identify common security issues, but they cannot guarantee complete security." You are responsible for making sure your app is secure enough for its use. For apps that handle personal or payment data, Lovable recommends an extra professional security review. In short, Lovable is safe to use as a builder. Whether the app you build is safe depends on how you set up logins, data rules and payment keys. One practical rule from Lovable's Stripe docs: never paste your Stripe key into the project chat. ## Can you build an online store with Lovable for free? You can build a store front end for free. Taking real orders takes more work and usually more money. Lovable is a general app builder. It does not come with a product catalog, cart, checkout and order system the way a store platform does. Lovable gives you three paths: 1. **Your own Stripe account.** This works on the Free plan. Lovable sets up Stripe Checkout and a buy button. Products, refunds and webhooks are managed in the Stripe dashboard. Lovable warns that, with a live key, payments made in the preview are real. 2. **Built-in payments.** These need a paid Lovable plan. Lovable says they are designed for digital products and software. If you use them for physical products, "inventory and logistics will need to be managed separately." 3. **The Shopify integration.** For physical goods, Lovable points you here. Lovable builds the storefront and Shopify runs the back end. Lovable's docs say "Shopify handles payments, inventory, and logistics when you go live." A new store starts as a sandbox that cannot take real payments. You claim it to start a 120-day Shopify trial, and after that you need a paid Shopify plan to keep selling. So a real Lovable store usually means two bills: a Lovable plan (Pro, if you want your own domain and no badge) and a Shopify plan. Our [Shopify pricing guide](./shopify-pricing-2026) shows what that second bill looks like. ## A store-first option: Runner AI If your goal is an online store and not a general app, a store platform can save you the setup work. Runner AI is one option. It is an AI-native e-commerce platform: you describe your store in chat, and the AI builds the storefront, product pages and checkout. You keep editing by chat or with visual tools. Here is how Runner's plans compare on the points this article covers. See the [Runner pricing page](https://www.runnerai.com/pricing) for current details. | | Runner Free | Runner Plus | |---|---|---| | Price | $0 | $25/month | | Credits | 150 welcome credits plus quest rewards | 1,000 per billing cycle | | Build and preview the store | Yes | Yes | | Publish the store | Yes, to a free `runnerai.dev` address | Yes, 1 always-on store | | Custom domain, no watermark | No | Yes | | Runner fee per sale | 5% | 2% | Annual billing is 20% lower on every paid plan. The payment provider's own fee, such as Stripe's card fee, is charged on top of the Runner fee on every plan. Be clear about the trade-offs. Like Lovable, Runner's Free plan publishes to a free address. Your own domain and removing the watermark need Plus. Runner also takes a fee per sale, which Lovable's built-in payments do not. **Runner fits you if** you want to sell products and want the storefront, product pages and checkout to come with the platform. It also includes AI product sourcing and dropshipping, and you can connect Stripe, TikTok and more. **Pick Lovable instead if** you are building something that is not a store: a SaaS tool, a dashboard, a booking app or a member portal. Runner is built only for stores. For a longer side-by-side, read our [Lovable alternative comparison](./lovable-alternative). For other store platforms, see our guide to [e-commerce platforms for small businesses](./ecommerce-platforms-for-small-businesses). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Lovable completely free? The Free plan costs $0 and needs no payment to start. It is limited to 5 build credits a day and 30 a month. Custom domains, badge removal and code editing need a paid plan. ### How many free credits does Lovable give? 5 build credits per day, capped at 30 per month on the Free plan. You also get 20 Cloud credits, 4 AI credits and 1 connector credit each month for hosting, in-app AI and connectors. ### Do Lovable credits roll over? Daily credits do not. They expire at the end of each day. On paid plans, unused monthly credits roll over while you stay subscribed. They expire two months after they are issued on monthly billing, or one month after the annual billing period ends on annual billing. Top-up credits last 12 months. ### Can I use a custom domain on Lovable's Free plan? No. Lovable's docs say connecting a new custom domain requires a paid plan. On Free, your app uses a `lovable.app` address. ### How much is Lovable Pro? Pro starts at $25 a month for 100 credits, or $250 a year ($21 a month). Higher tiers add more credits, up to 10,000 a month. ### Can I sell physical products with Lovable? Yes, but you add the store parts yourself or through Shopify. Lovable recommends its Shopify integration for physical goods, and Shopify needs a paid plan once the 120-day trial ends. ## Sources - [Lovable Subscription Plans](https://docs.lovable.dev/introduction/subscription-plans) — Pro and Business tier prices, annual prices, Free plan features, custom domains, badge, code editing, automations. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Lovable Plans and Credits](https://docs.lovable.dev/introduction/plans-and-credits) — daily build credits, monthly grants, credit costs per request, rollover and expiry on monthly and annual plans, top-ups. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Lovable Pricing](https://lovable.dev/pricing) — Free plan grants, credit expiry, regional daily cap, unlimited members, Business vs Pro credit pricing. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Lovable Publish docs](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/publish) — publishing on all plans, public and invite-only access, custom domain needs a paid plan. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Lovable Security docs](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/security) — Quick and Deep scans, scan limits, user responsibility. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Lovable Stripe integration](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/stripe) — own-Stripe setup on any plan, live-key warning, key handling. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Lovable Payments](https://docs.lovable.dev/features/payments) — built-in payments need a paid plan, Stripe or Paddle, no added Lovable fee, physical goods guidance. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Lovable Shopify integration](https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/shopify) — sandbox store, 120-day trial, paid Shopify plan after trial, Shopify handles payments and inventory. Retrieved 2026-11-12. - [Runner AI Pricing](https://www.runnerai.com/pricing) — Runner plan prices, credits, publishing and fees per sale. Retrieved 2026-11-12.