Best AI App Builders 2025: Build an Entire App in Minutes

There are plenty of places to look in the world of AI app builders and vibe coding. To get started quickly with an app, I’d recommend Lovable. Its simple approach to full-stack app development means users can have an app going in under five minutes.

For beginners with little coding experience, I’d recommend an option such as Base44, which starts at a reasonable price and gives the option for users to edit their app directly. On the other hand, if you’re an advanced user with coding experience, Cursor is a great option – providing advanced features such as inline code suggestions.

In this article, I’ll break down the best AI app builders on the market right now, using my own experience testing each platform. I’ll also run through what exactly you’ll need to look for when choosing one of these platforms for yourself, and whether you even need AI to build an app at all.

In this guide:

• Best AI App Builders
• What to Look for in an AI App Builder
• Can You Build an App Without AI?
• Methodology: How We Tested App Builders
• Verdict: Get Started With an AI App Builder

Best AI App Builders in 2025

1. Lovable – Best for a quick setup
2. Bolt.new – Best for full stack development
3. Base44 – Best for ease of use
4. Cursor – Best for coders
5. FlutterFlow – Best for customization options

1. Lovable – Best AI App Builder for a Quick Setup

• Price: Free to start

Lovable is an all-round AI app builder that had my app ready to go in less than five minutes after I’d submitted my initial prompt. It’s probably one of the more well-known providers out there, given its simple and straightforward approach to app building, and is a perfect option for businesses looking to get up and running quickly, as well as for those without any coding knowledge.

Lovable offers full-stack app generation with plenty of control over the backend and frontend, all from your browser. Once I’d submitted my initial prompt, I was taken to the platform’s design hub, where I was able to interact further with its AI assistant to continue to build my app. I wanted to create an app to accompany a fictional cat event I was running.

You can speak directly and in plain English to the AI, and you can even speak your thoughts aloud if you’d prefer. I was also able to easily toggle between the AI design screen and the app’s code, giving experienced coders the option of getting more hands-on with what they are designing.

I found it simple to toggle between views of the AI generator and of my app’s code – perfect if you’re a coder who wants to get more hands-on. Source: Tech.co testing

While you don’t need to be an experienced developer in order to make an app using Lovable, you may need some knowledge of code in order to create more complex functions. For example, Lovable struggled when I asked it to overlay a booking tool on a pair of cat toes, instead placing the toes above a generic picture of a cat.

Of course, as these tools are still developing, avoiding difficult prompts is probably best. However, more robust tools, such as Cursor or FlutterFlow, may be better suited if you want to create an app with more complex functionalities. 

Lovable struggled with my request to overlay a booking tool on an image of a cat’s toes, suggesting it may be more suited to simpler requests. Source: Tech.co testing

Overall, Lovable’s main strength is in its sense of community. The platform encourages you to look at and take inspiration from designs made by other users. As you are writing your initial prompt, you can scroll down to look at the other apps and websites that have been made.

To top this off, Lovable offers real-time collaboration, so you can work on projects alongside colleagues and view changes as they happen.

How much does Lovable cost?

Lovable is free to get started with, and anyone can make an account today. As with most free AI app builder platforms, you’ll have a set amount of credits that you can use with the platform. Although, with Lovable, I ran out pretty quickly, so you might want to consider a paid plan if you want to use the platform’s AI tools regularly.

Here are the plans on offer, with a short preview of what you can expect:

• Pro: $21 per month – usage-based cloud and AI, custom domains
• Business: $42 per month – design templates, single sign-on (SSO)
• Enterprise: Custom – dedicated support, custom design systems

Lovable’s first paid tier is slightly more expensive than the cheapest option on this list, Base44, which starts at $16 per month. Cursor is the same at $16 per month. However the jump between plans for Cursor is much more expensive. Altogether, Lovable sits around the average.

2. Bolt.new – Best AI App Builder for Full-Stack Development

• Price: Free to start

Compared with the other providers on this list, I’d call Bolt.new a mix between Lovable, which can be used without coding, and Cursor, which users certainly need coding knowledge to use.

In this sense, Bolt.new is the best option for full-stack development, in that it gives users freedom with a high-quality AI generator, as well as a solid coding option. Experienced developers can make use of integrations with GitHub, taking their projects a step further.

Bolt.new is a browser-based platform that starts a lot like Lovable and Base44. Users are invited to prompt the generator in plain English, or to import their projects from Figma or GitHub. There is also the option to enable other AI agents, such as Claude AI and V1 Agent, another full-stack coding application, in order to prompt the chatbot further.

What stood out to me straight away was the “Plan” option in the prompt bar. As you’re working on your app, you can brainstorm with the AI without making any solid changes to your project. Once you’ve submitted your plan, the AI will break down in bullet points what elements should be included, along with a helpful summary at the end that justifies its decisions.

If you like the plan, you are then invited to implement it, a great option for businesses who want to see how their input will be interpreted by the AI. This will also help you to identify whether you need to reiterate any element of your prompt that could be misinterpreted.

Bolt.new’s design options felt unique and inventive compared with options such as Lovable and Base44. Source: Tech.co testing

Likewise, I was happy with the design Bolt.new came up with. It looked professional and clear, and I appreciated the unique take on the cat booking tool that hadn’t been so successful with Lovable.

Better yet, if you do have some coding experience, you can easily switch screens and take over the design options for yourself, which is great for users that want a bit more originality.

However, compared with alternatives such as Base44 and Lovable, I did feel that my app took a lot longer to load, and there were some lags that made using the platform slightly frustrating at times. That being said, I still feel the platform is a solid option for those wanting to both utilize AI generation tools and to probe deeper, using code.

I also appreciated the option to view what your app would look like on both phone and desktop. Although, FlutterFlow takes this option one step further, by allowing you to view your app through specific phone models.

Import options from Bolt.new included GitHub and Figma. Source: Tech.co testing

How much does Bolt.new cost?

Anyone can start with a free account on Bolt.new. The platform works on the basis of tokens, which you can exchange for using the AI generator. The free plan comes with 400,000 tokens per day, and I still had some spare when I was finished creating the first draft of my app.

If you opt for a paid plan, your price will change depending on the number of tokens you would like per month. You can get between 10 million and 1,200 million per month. Below, are the prices of plans if you choose 10 million tokens:

• Pro: $18 per month – custom domain support, SEO boosting, unused tokens roll over to next month
• Teams: $27 per month – team-level access management, granular admin controls and user provisioning
• Enterprise: Custom pricing – advanced security (SSO, audit logs, compliance support), dedicated account manager & 24/7 priority support

Bolt.new’s entry level pricing plan is cheaper than Lovable’s, and has more features for what you pay for. And while Lovable’s second lowest plan starts at $42 per month, Bolt.new’s is just $27 per month, only a $9 difference from its lowest-priced plan.

Barring only Base44 and Cursor, Bolt.new is one of the more affordable options on my list, and you certainly wouldn’t be sacrificing much in terms of features if you pay less.

3. Base44 – Best AI App Builder for Ease of Use

• Price: Free to start

For complete beginners, Base44 is a great choice. It’s a browser-based platform that gets you an app in under five minutes, getting you set up easily with UI, backend, database, authentication, and logic.

Likewise, the app prioritizes versatility and simple-to-use functions specifically for non-technical users, through automations, dashboards, and a visual interface that allows users to interact directly with their app.

I liked the initial design Base44 came up with after I’d submitted by original prompt and, like Bolt.new, I enjoyed the Discuss Mode available to brainstorm and work through my ideas, without actually making any concrete changes.

I also found it highly beneficial to be able to edit my app directly and intuitively, with the platform emulating the building functionalities of some website builders. For example, when I wasn’t happy with the font style the AI had come up with, I just had to hover over it and I was given the option to select a new one. I did this by toggling Visual edit mode at the bottom of the chat.

Base44 took some of the design information I’d given it in order to come up with this professional and modern-looking events information dashboard. Source: Tech.co testing

Inevitably, there were some things I missed out with my prompt – but Base44 was there to pick up the slack. It took the information I had given it and expanded, for example, with the events information tool above. Although the AI did make a few mistakes along the way, it was able to correct itself after some more prompting.

Similarly, if security is a concern, Base44 covers plenty of bases. Users have full ownership and accessibility of all the apps you create and the data stored within them. Built-in security also includes encryption and role-based permissions.

Ultimately, Base44 was the easiest AI app builder to use, and feels very intuitive when understanding the needs of the user.

While Base44 did make more minor mistakes compared with Bolt.new and FlutterFlow, it was able to correct itself with some prompting. Source: Tech.co testing

How much does Base44 cost?

Base44 is available with an entirely free plan, giving you access to the platform’s core features. Like other AI platforms, Base44 allocates a number of credits depending on the paid plan you go for, and these credits can be used for AI integrations and messages during the creation process.

Here is a breakdown of its paid plans:

• Starter: $16 per month – all core Base44 features including authentication, database functionality, and analytics
• Builder: $40 per month – unlimited number of apps and in-app code credits
• Pro: $80 per month – backend functions, connect a domain, GitHub integration
• Elite: $160 per month – premium support, 1,200 message credits and 50,000 integration credits

Base44’s entry-level paid plan tier is the cheapest on my list, compared with options such as Lovable and Bolt.new. Things do get a bit more expensive in the higher tiers, particularly when compared with Lovable and Cursor.

Users will also have to pay $80 per month before they can integrate GitHub, so this could be something to consider if that is an app you’d need, especially since other providers, such as Bolt.new, offer this on free plans.

4. Cursor – Best AI App Builder for Coders

• Price: Free to download

Unlike the previous options on our list, Cursor isn’t an AI app builder, exactly. The app-based platform sits alongside your project as a coding assistant, providing help for existing developers or those with a strong knowledge of code.

Therefore, while Cursor may not be the best option for beginners, its advanced tools and intuitive features make it perfect for app builders that want to take it to the next level.

Cursor is one of the most notable AI coding tools operating today. It’s recognized by developers as an outstanding tool, due to it offering a great set of features at an affordable price.

As soon as you download Cursor, you’re able to immediately import all of your existing code settings into the platform, allowing you to pick up exactly where you left off. From there, you can build your code with the help of Cursor’s AI assistant on the right hand side or edit your code as you would with any other coding platform.

Likewise, you can also prompt the AI directly from your code, highlighting features and adding comments where you would like it to make changes. This involved approach allows you to pursue more complex projects that would be far more difficult with tools such as Lovable or Base44.

You can customize your view with Cursor, based on your preferred color scheme. Source: Tech.co testing

Another great function is the option to select certain files or elements as you are prompting, which compels the AI to use the information you’ve selected when writing a piece of code. This is a great tool for businesses working with specific documentation or APIs. Cursor will also offer inline code suggestions to make your code stronger in the long run.

That doesn’t mean it’s entirely exempt from mistakes, however. The good thing is that if you are using Cursor as a developer, you will be able to spot these mistakes as they happen and correct them. 

How much does Cursor cost?

Cursor is free to download on its site, and anyone can get started today. If you’re thinking about a paid plan but aren’t entirely sure, you can also get access to two-week free trial of the platform’s lowest paid plan, Pro, alongside the free Hobby plan.

Here are the plans on offer:

• Pro: $16 per month – unlimited Tab completions, Background Agents
• Teams: $32 per month – centralized team billing, usage analytics and reporting, role-based access control
• Pro+: $60 per month – 3x usage on all OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini models
• Ultra: $200 per month – 20x usage on all OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini models, priority access to new features
• Enterprise: Custom pricing – pooled usage, invoice/PO billing, AI code tracking API, priority support and account management

You can also pay extra for a Bugbot add-on, which catches real bugs and security issues within your coding projects. This varies by plan.

Ultimately, for what it is, Cursor comes in at an affordable price, particularly for small businesses. Its starter paid plan is around the same as Lovable, Bolt.new, and Base44, with even more advanced functionality. Although, you should remember that Cursor is an AI tool that can help with building apps, not generate one for you.

5. FlutterFlow – Best AI App Builder for Customization Options

• Price: Free to start

FlutterFlow has been praised by users for its highly customizable interface, particularly when it comes to designing an app that is unique and original. While it doesn’t have an AI app generator per se, like Base44 or Bolt.new, it does have a host of advanced AI tools that will help you to develop your app.

Unlike Base44 or Lovable, I’m not invited to immediately prompt my idea to the AI when I log into FlutterFlow. Instead, I’m given an option of many different tutorials to take me around the platform, including a guide on building a new app in 10 minutes, completely from scratch.

As the platform has so many tools to choose from, the tutorial certainly helped me to find my way around. In terms of these tools, FlutterFlow offers everything from adding widgets to customizing the font style, all from its left hand tool bar. On the left hand side, users can also alter page parameters, page imports, and route settings. 

I liked the fact that, on the top navigation bar, the platform consistently checked for any errors in my app as I designed and looked for opportunities to optimize its performance. This was a feature I couldn’t see in any of the other platforms I tested.

While the number of customization options on FlutterFlow were great to see, they could be overwhelming for new users. Source: Tech.co testing

FlutterFlow has a range of AI tools that users can use to enhance the content on their app. For example, the Image to Component tool allows users to add an image of your UI component directly into FlutterFlow, and the tool will analyze the visual structure of this image to generate a matching component for you to use.

There is also the Prompt to Component tool, which is used to generate a UI component almost immediately with the help of the platform’s visual editor and additional prompting.

However, unlike any of the other platforms I tested, I wasn’t able to directly find these AI tools. While I knew they existed, they weren’t as easily accessible and so, if you are looking to use AI extensively, Lovable or Base44 may be a better choice.

Similarly, the complicated setup of the platform meant I did have to Google certain queries, particularly when trying to find certain functions.

While I wouldn’t recommend FlutterFlow to beginners, there is still something to be said for its superior customization tools and advanced functionality, especially for businesses looking to create complex apps.

How much does FlutterFlow cost?

FlutterFlow is free to get started, and you’ll get 1,000+ prebuilt templates, API and data integration, among other features. Alternatively, here is a breakdown of the paid plans available:

• Basic: $29.25 per month – unlimited projects, code download, custom domain web publishing
• Growth: First seat, $60 per month, second seat, $41.25 per month – source repository/GitHub integration, real-time collaboration with up to two users
• Business: First seat, $112.50 per month, seats two to five, $63.75 per month – real-time collaboration with up to five users, up to three automated tests per project

FlutterFlow has one of the highest starter plans on my list but, considering its advanced functionalities for those that need it, it could be well worth the price for some businesses.

What To Look For in An AI App Builder

Here are some of the questions you can ask yourself before settling on an AI app builder:

• What is your budget? Always a smart question to ask before a business investment. All of the apps on my list have free plans, but you may need to opt for a paid plan for more advanced features.
• How much experience do you have with building apps? Most apps will accommodate beginners, particularly in the AI sector. However, be aware that some apps, like Cursor, require the user to understand and write code. Others, such as FlutterFlow, may not require it but may be easier to use if the user does have some coding experience.
• Do you need an app ready as soon as possible? In this case, you’ll want to go for a platform with a designated AI app generator, such as Lovable or Base44. Options such as Cursor, where you’ll have to build it yourself, are not ideal.
• Would you like your app builder to be app or browser-based? Options like Lovable, Base44, and Bolt.new can be used directly from a browser, whereas you’ll have to download the app to use Cursor.
• What security features will you need? Fully understand the data you will be using to build your app and the security features you will need to keep its operations safe.

Can You Build an App Without AI?

Yes, you can build an app without AI. Popular platforms to do this on include Microsoft Power Apps and Adalo, neither of which require any level of coding experience. That being said, if you are building a particularly complex app, you may need to go beyond and approach a developer to do this for you.

Those with coding experience can build an app without AI from scratch, but it will ultimately be a lot more time consuming. In fact, many experienced developers today are using both AI and their own coding knowledge in order to develop projects.

All in all, whether you need AI specifically depends on your skill level and timeframe. If you need an app running as soon as possible, and don’t have the coding knowledge to start from scratch, AI is a great way to get started. 

Methodology: How We Tested AI App Builders