Is Base44 Free? What the Free Plan Really Gets You

Yes, Base44 is free to start. The Base44 pricing page lists a Free plan at $0 with 25 message credits a month, 100 integration credits a month and up to 5 apps, with login, a database and analytics included. That is enough to build and test a real app. It is usually not enough to launch a business on.

I run Virtual Horizons, and I'm a Base44 Legend Partner, Ambassador and Community Pillar. We build client apps on Base44 every week and have more than 10 apps live on the App Store and Google Play. This is the breakdown we give people who ask whether they can build their idea without paying anything.

What do you get on the Base44 free plan?

You get the core platform: the AI builder, a database, user login and analytics, with a monthly allowance of credits. Here is how Free compares with the first paid tier, based on Base44's own pricing page.

Base44 says annual billing saves 20 percent, which is why the yearly prices are lower than the monthly ones. Plans change from time to time, so check the pricing page before you decide.

What can you build with 25 message credits?

Enough for a small, focused first version if you plan before you prompt. Message credits are your building budget: each time you ask the AI builder to create or change something, it uses credits. Integration credits are used by your live app when it does things like send emails, call AI models or handle file uploads.

Where people burn through free credits is not the first build. It is the back-and-forth after it: "make the button blue", "move it left", "that broke the form, fix it". Every one of those is a message.

How to stretch your free credits

1. 1Write a real spec in your first prompt. Who uses the app, what data it stores, what each screen does and who can see what.
2. 2Name your data up front. For example: clients, projects, invoices, messages. Changing the data model later costs more messages than getting it right first.
3. 3Batch small changes. Ask for five layout tweaks in one message instead of five messages.
4. 4Test before you ask for fixes. Click through the whole flow, write down everything that is wrong, then send one clear message.
5. 5Stop the loop early. If the AI tries the same fix twice and it still fails, describe the expected behavior differently instead of repeating "fix it".

What does the Base44 free plan not include?

The free plan leaves out the features most business apps need to go live. Based on Base44's pricing page and its integrations documentation:

• A custom domain. Connecting your own domain starts on Starter.
• In-app code edits. Editing the code directly inside Base44 starts on Starter.
• Backend functions and connectors. These are how you connect Stripe, Twilio, Google Calendar and similar services. Base44 lists them as Builder plan or higher.
• GitHub two-way sync. The GitHub docs say it "requires the Builder plan or higher."
• Emailing people who have not signed up. Base44 can email your own users on any plan, but emailing other addresses needs a paid plan and a verified custom domain.

The good news is that the built-in tools work on every plan. Base44's docs describe its built-in integrations, like the AI model, email to your users and file uploads, this way:

Is the free plan enough for a business app?

For a prototype, a pitch demo or an internal test with a few people, yes. For an app your customers will use, usually not. The moment you need your own domain, online payments, texts or a connection to your CRM, you are on a paid plan.

That is not a trick. A business app has real running costs, and the paid tiers are still inexpensive compared with traditional development. Our Base44 pricing guide breaks down what each plan costs in a typical first year, and our honest Base44 review covers where the platform shines and where it struggles.

When does paying for Base44 make sense?

Upgrade when you hit one of three walls: you run out of credits mid-build, you need your own domain, or you need to connect an outside service. Here is the full plan ladder from Base44's pricing page.

Free plan or hire help?

Both can be the right answer. If you enjoy building and your app is simple, the free plan is a great place to learn. If your time is worth more than the learning curve, or the app handles payments or customer data, it often costs less to have someone who builds on Base44 every day get it right the first time.

We do both kinds of work: we build Base44 apps from scratch, and we pick up apps people started themselves and finish them. Our Base44 developers page explains how that works, and if you want the app in the App Store too, start with our guide on publishing a Base44 app to the App Store.

Roenic Natarelli

Founder, Virtual Horizons

Roenic runs Virtual Horizons and is a Base44 Legend Partner, Ambassador and Community Pillar, Base44 Shark Tank winner and multiple-time Vibe Sprint winner. The studio builds web and mobile apps, AI voice agents and automations, with more than 10 apps live on the App Store and Google Play. More about us