Replit gives you a full code editor and can ship your app to the iPhone App Store. Lovable is the smoother no-code path, with payments that can handle sales tax for you. Here is the full comparison, checked against both companies’ own docs.
By Saad Aziz · Checked against both companies’ docs on
Pick Replit if you want a full code editor, an iPhone app in the App Store, or the cheapest paid plan with payments ($18 a month, billed yearly). Pick Lovable if you don’t code and want the smoothest path, or sell worldwide and want Paddle to handle sales tax. Neither runs the business after launch; for that, pick Starty.
Every row comes from the companies’ own pricing pages and docs, checked on October 21, 2026. A highlight marks the tool that is clearly ahead on that row.
| Feature | Replit | Lovable |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Replit, Inc., founded in 2016; Amjad Masad is founder and CEO | Lovable, based in Stockholm, founded in 2023 |
| Free plan | Daily Agent credits and one published app, which goes offline after 30 days | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month |
| Paid from | $18 a month billed yearly, $20 monthly | $21 a month billed yearly, $25 monthly |
| How usage is billed | Credits per checkpoint, scaled by effort; credits also pay for hosting, database and storage | One credit balance for building, hosting and AI |
| Who it’s built for | A full code editor with an AI agent: you can open the code, shell and Git | Chat-first app building, with code you can sync to Git |
| Backend | PostgreSQL database, Replit Auth and file storage | Lovable Cloud on Supabase: Postgres, sign-in, storage and functions |
| Payments | Stripe on Core and up; you go live on your own Stripe account | Stripe or Paddle set up and managed for you on paid plans; Paddle handles sales tax |
| AI in your app | OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini with no keys, paid plans only, billed at API price | Managed AI with no keys, including image, video and voice; 4 free AI credits a month |
| App Store and Play Store | iPhone App Store, via Expo and your Apple developer account; Google Play guidance varies in its docs | No, web apps only |
| Code | Full editor, zip download and GitHub; moving elsewhere means rebuilding secrets and database | Git sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan; host it anywhere |
| Hosting | Autoscale, static, always-on and scheduled deployments | Hosting included; custom domain from Pro |
| Team | Up to 5 collaborators on Core, 15 builders and 50 viewers on Pro | Unlimited users on every plan; SSO on Business |
| Analytics | Traffic, unique visitors and uptime monitoring | Visits and traffic sources per app; workspace insights on Business |
| Emails | Through connectors like Resend or SendGrid | Sign-in emails; your own sending domain on paid plans |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II and GDPR; ISO 27001 in progress | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022; not HIPAA compliant |
| Support inbox and customer list | Through helpdesk and CRM connectors | Not listed |
Prices per month in US dollars, paid monthly or billed yearly.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | $0 | Daily Agent credits, lighter builds, one published app that goes offline after 30 days |
| Core | $20 | $18 | AI integrations, up to 60 projects, $20 for stronger models, 5 collaborators |
| Pro | $100 | $90 | 10 parallel agents, 15 builders and 50 viewers, 28-day database rollback, premium support |
Replit charges credits per checkpoint, more for complex requests, and the same credits pay for hosting, the database and storage. Usage beyond your credits is billed as you go. Enterprise is priced on request.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud and 4 AI credits |
| Pro | $25 | $21 | 100 credits, custom domain, built-in payments, roles |
| Business | $50 | $42 | 100 credits, SSO, workspace insights |
Lovable uses one credit balance for building, hosting and AI inside your app, with no charge per user. Enterprise is priced on request.
Chat-first building with sign-in, a database and hosting set up for you. Replit works without code too, but it opens into a full code editor.
Replit builds native apps with Expo and sends them to App Store Connect. Lovable builds web apps only.
Lovable can set you up with Paddle, which acts as merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT. Replit uses Stripe, where tax is yours to handle.
A full editor with shell and Git, any stack, and always-on or scheduled deployments for background work.
Unlimited users on every plan. Replit allows 5 collaborators on Core and 15 builders on Pro.
Neither has a built-in support inbox or customer list, and analytics stop at traffic. Starty builds them in, along with payments and analytics with AI cost per customer.
Replit is a full development environment with an AI agent on top. You can build by chatting, but you can also open the code, the shell and Git at any time, and choose your stack. That makes it popular with developers and with people who want to learn as they build.
Lovable is chat-first. You describe what you want and see it change, and the code stays in the background unless you sync it to Git. For people who don’t code, it is the smoother path.
Replit gives you a PostgreSQL database, Replit Auth for sign-in, file storage, and four kinds of deployment: autoscale, static, always-on and scheduled. Always-on and scheduled deployments matter if your app runs background jobs.
Lovable runs on Lovable Cloud, built on Supabase: a Postgres database, sign-in, storage and edge functions, with hosting included. You can connect your own Supabase project instead.
Replit integrates Stripe on Core and up. Its agent sets up a test sandbox, and you go live on your own Stripe account through Replit’s Stripe app. Sales tax and VAT are yours to handle, as with any Stripe account.
Lovable can create and manage a Stripe or Paddle account for you on paid plans. Paddle acts as merchant of record, so it collects and pays sales tax and VAT for you, which saves real work if you sell to many countries. You can also connect your own Stripe key, even on the free plan.
Both let your app use AI without API keys. Replit’s AI Integrations cover OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini models on paid plans, billed at the providers’ API prices from your credits.
Lovable covers chat models plus image, video, music and voice, billed from your credits, with 4 free AI credits a month on the free plan. Neither shows what AI costs per paying customer.
Replit can build native apps with Expo and send them to App Store Connect and TestFlight from the browser. You need your own Apple developer account. For Google Play, Replit’s own docs disagree: one page says it is not supported yet, another describes publishing manually.
Lovable builds web apps only. You can make the app installable from the browser, or wrap it yourself with a tool like Capacitor.
Lovable syncs your code with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan, and the app can be hosted anywhere.
Replit lets you download your project or connect GitHub. Hosting it elsewhere means setting up your secrets, database and deployment again yourself.
Replit, Inc. was founded in 2016, with Amjad Masad as founder and CEO.
Lovable started in 2023 as GPT Engineer, founded by Anton Osika and Fabian Hedin, and is based in Stockholm.
Both build the app well. After launch, Replit connects to helpdesk and CRM tools you set up yourself, Lovable’s docs show no support inbox or customer list, and both stop at traffic analytics. If you plan to sell, that part is still yours to set up.
| Tool | Payments | AI in your app | Support inbox | Customer list | Product analytics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replit | Stripe, Core plan and up | Managed, no keys | Via a connector | Via a connector | Traffic and uptime |
| Lovable | Built in, paid plans | Built in, no keys | Not listed | Not listed | Traffic only |
| StartyOur pick | Built in, nothing to connect | Ready-made, metered for you | Agent answers customers | Built in, with segments | Funnels, retention, AI cost |
Starty is our product and our pick if you want to sell. It covers the after-launch part neither Replit nor Lovable does.
Official pricing pages, docs and announcements only, checked on October 21, 2026. Where a company’s docs don’t mention something, we say so rather than assume it’s missing.
For developers, often yes: Replit is a full code editor with any stack and more deployment types. For people who don’t code, Lovable is usually the smoother start. Replit also wins if you need an iPhone app in the App Store; Lovable wins if you want Paddle to handle sales tax.
Replit’s first paid plan is cheaper: $18 a month billed yearly, against Lovable’s $21, and both include payments at that price. On the free plans, Lovable is more forgiving: Replit’s free published app goes offline after 30 days.
Yes. Some people build the first version in Lovable, then move it to Replit to keep working in a full editor; Replit even offers an import from Lovable. Expect to set up the database and secrets again on Replit.
Yes. Replit’s Agent builds apps from a description, and you never have to open the code. You will see a developer environment around it, which some people like and others find busy.
It depends on what you need. Lovable is smoother if you don’t code, Base44 can publish to both app stores, and Cursor or Claude Code suit developers working in their own code. If you want the business run for you after launch, Starty is built for that.
For App Store apps, Replit or Base44. For a full code editor, Replit. If you want a support agent and a customer list after launch, Starty is built for that. Our roundup of the best vibe coding tools compares eight of them side by side.
Lovable for the smoothest no-code path and payments with sales tax handled. Replit for developers, a full editor and iPhone apps. Base44 for the cheapest entry plan and publishing to both app stores. See also our Base44 vs Lovable comparison.
Enter your email to join Starty’s private beta. We’ll email you your access, and you can start building for free.
No. You describe what you want, or fork an idea, and Starty builds it. You review and approve; you never have to open the code.
No. Starty takes no fee on your revenue. Payouts go to your bank account, and Starty earns from plans and credits.