Best for startups

Free AI App Builders

Which AI app builders let you build and publish an app for free today, how many credits you get, what limits them and what the first paid plan costs, read from the builders' own pages.

10AI app builders with a free allowance
7web app builders
3mobile app builders
4startup programs for more

Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . AI app builders change their credits and plans often, sometimes month to month: confirm the terms on the builder's page before you build on them.

AI app builders you can start with for free today include Macaly (1M credits a month, 1 live app), Draftbit (one-time 3,000 credits, no time limit), Blink.new (5 credits a day, up to 30 a month), FlutterFlow (visual builder, up to 2 projects), and Lovable (5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month). Each of the 10 free plans below links to the builder's page that states it, with its main limit, where a free app can be published and what the first paid plan costs.

AI app builders turn a description in plain words into a working app: they write the code, run it and host it, and most let a founder start for free with a daily or monthly allowance of credits, or a trial.

The headline number is rarely what stops you. Credits can reset every day and never roll over, a free plan can cap you at one project, a free app may publish only on the builder's own subdomain, and a trial can need a card. Each builder below shows its free allowance, its main limit, where a free app can be published and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the builder's own page with the date we read it.

Which builders we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the builders'. Several of these builders pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link, and Founden is run by the same company as StartupPerks: those links are labeled, and neither plays any part in which builders are listed or where.

Web apps and sites

AI builders for web apps and sites

Describe the app in words and the builder writes, runs and hosts it, with a free plan or free credits to start.

  1. 1

    Macaly

    The most credits on a standing free plan

    Macaly's free plan gives 1M credits a month and keeps one app live on a Macaly domain, with no card to start. A custom domain starts at $10 a month.

    Start free at MacalyReferral linkTerms read on macaly.com on Macaly: the free allowance and how to start
  2. 3

    Lovable

    The best-known builder, on a small daily allowance

    Lovable's free plan grants 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud credits a month; daily credits expire each day. Free apps publish on a lovable.app address.

  3. 4

    OnSpace AI

    Many daily credits for web and mobile

    OnSpace gives 500 credits a day up to 2,000 a month, for web and mobile apps; once the monthly cap is reached you wait for the next cycle. Custom domains and private projects are on Pro.

    Start free at OnSpace AIReferral linkTerms read on onspace.ai on OnSpace AI: the free allowance and how to start
  4. 5

    Meku

    Small projects with up to 3 apps

    Meku's FAQ states 150 credits a month, at most 50 a day, and up to 3 projects on the free plan (its plan card shows 100 credits). Free projects are public.

    Start free at MekuReferral linkTerms read on meku.dev on Meku: the free allowance and how to start
  5. 6

    Whacka

    Trying an idea for a couple of weeks

    Whacka gives 8 credits a day and 24 a month with no card, and hosts a free app on a whacka.app subdomain for 14 days after publishing; always-on apps are paid.

    Start free at WhackaReferral linkTerms read on whacka.app on Whacka: the free allowance and how to start
  6. 7

    Founden

    A whole company, not only the app

    Founden builds and runs a company from a description: site, database, sign-in, payments and email. The first build starts an 8-day Pro trial with 300 credits; a card is needed, and nothing is charged before the trial ends.

Mobile apps

AI builders for mobile apps

Builders that make iOS and Android apps, from a prompt or a visual editor, with a free plan to start.

  1. 1

    Draftbit

    Mobile apps with the most free credits

    Draftbit's free plan has no time limit and includes its AI agents, the visual editor, a one-time 3,000 credits and web publishing on a draftbit.dev address. App store publishing is paid.

    Start free at DraftbitReferral linkTerms read on draftbit.com on Draftbit: the free allowance and how to start
  2. 2

    FlutterFlow

    Visual building for up to 2 projects

    FlutterFlow's free plan builds mobile, web and desktop apps in a visual editor, for up to 2 projects with web publishing on free subdomains, but only 5 AI generation requests in total.

  3. 3

    Rapidnative

    Prototyping a mobile app from a prompt

    Rapidnative gives 20 credits a month, up to 5 a day, with no card; free projects have up to 5 screens, and publishing to the app stores needs a paid plan.

    Start free at RapidNativeReferral linkTerms read on rapidnative.com on Rapidnative: the free allowance and how to start
When the free plan runs out

Startup programs for app builders

Programs from app builders that give startups credits or discounts, largest tracked value first. Most ask for an application, and several for funding or a partner investor.

Referral offers

Also useful for building and shipping apps

Shown only because they fit what this page is about, and ordered by that fit (70%) and what a referral is expected to earn us (30%). We may earn a commission if you sign up through one of these, at no cost to you. They never change the ranking of this page.

Head to head

Compare the top options

Methodology

How this comparison is built

The list covers AI app builders a founder can start with for free today without applying to a program, grouped into builders for web apps and sites and builders for mobile apps. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each builder's terms. Every term comes from the builder's own pricing or documentation page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. Credits that reset each day, a cap on projects or publishing only on the builder's subdomain can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the builder states them. Several of these builders pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links, and Founden is run by the same company as StartupPerks; neither decides whether or where a builder appears, and no builder pays for a placement on this page.

Read the full methodology
Questions

Common questions

What is the best free AI app builder?

It depends on what limits you. By the numbers each builder states, Macaly gives the most on a standing free plan (1M credits a month and one live app), OnSpace AI the most daily credits (500 a day, up to 2,000 a month), and Blink.new and Lovable 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month. For mobile apps, Draftbit gives a one-time 3,000 credits with web publishing on a draftbit.dev address.

Is Lovable free?

Yes, with a small allowance: 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud credits a month. Daily credits expire at the end of each day, and free apps publish on a lovable.app address; a custom domain needs a paid plan, with Pro from $25 a month for 100 credits.

Can I publish an app on a free plan?

On most of these builders, on the builder's own address: Blink.new, Lovable, Macaly (one app at a time), Whacka (for 14 days after publishing), and Draftbit and FlutterFlow for web apps. A custom domain is a paid feature on the builders that state it, and publishing to the App Store or Google Play needs a paid plan on Rapidnative and Draftbit.

Do free AI app builders need a credit card?

Blink.new, Macaly, Whacka and Rapidnative say no card is needed for their free plans. Founden's free trial needs a card to start and charges nothing before its 8 days end. The other builders' pages do not say.

Are there startup programs for AI app builders?

Yes. Replit for Startups offers up to $25,000 in credits, Retool for Startups up to $25,000, Bubble $3,000 in credits through Microsoft for Startups, and Framer a startup discount. They are listed below the comparison, and most ask for an application.

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StartupPerks is a comparison tool and is not endorsed by the programs it lists. It is a referral partner of some providers, and those links are labeled where they appear. AITraining.jobs and Founden are run by the same company as StartupPerks: their listings are free, ranked by the same rules as every other program, and labeled "Same owner as StartupPerks" wherever they appear. Values and eligibility are aggregated from each provider's public pages and can change or be incomplete. Always confirm the current terms and your eligibility on the provider's own page before applying.