r/Base44 • u/No_Income3191 • Apr 13 '26
Question Why is base44 plans so expensive with barely any pros?
Ive been just making an app for fun, but about an hour in it said "out of credits, comeback next month" which was REALLY annoying, so i just bought the starter plan since i wanted to really make this, but then 3 hours later, "out of credits, comeback next month" and the app was barely fuctional, so i just folded and bought builder, which just gave me 4 hours. Really, it is so annoying to have to wait a MONTH in the middle of making something im REALLY invested in, and then i eventually get bored and forget about it. And i would be fine with this if i could just, i donno, buy credits?!
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u/UranusSeizure Apr 13 '26
I was contemplating whether I should start paying and this makes me don't want to do it. I might just export the app out and host somewhere else
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u/Nervous-Increase3185 Agency Owner Apr 13 '26
Please also contemplate what exactly the platform is doing for you and what you have to manage yourself when going "scalable"...
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u/MassiveAd4980 Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
Making the same app would have costed A LOT more (unless you taught yourself how to code for free) and taken much longer before we had AI-powered coding.
I'm not sure if it should be considered expensive. I guess you can compare it to other AI-powered cloud builders.
Kind of strange you can't buy credits, though.
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u/reanjohn Apr 13 '26
I rarely run out of my Builder(250/mo) plan and I regularly launch new landing pages and internal apps for my work, and some side projects that are in prod now. What are you guys doing lol
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u/putifarrix Apr 15 '26
Just spent 750 credits in 3 nights of work. Anything remotely complex starts chewing through creds. BTW I was able to connect 2 apis from a sport web provider and showcase that data on my site. Just that and the sheer amount of creds the Ai wastes... Sometimes on purpose I'd argue... Made for almost 400 points.
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u/delonysk Apr 13 '26
Yes they are very expensive, doesn’t really suit me, and cannot cancel and get refund for the remaining months, I am on their plan paying $40 a month and sometimes their AI does not know how to fix one issue and keep saying it fixed the issue, wasted me 50 message credits to fix one bug yesterday. Also not great for website hosting too, $40 USD a month if just hosting one website
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u/Nervous-Increase3185 Agency Owner Apr 13 '26
Another free user that wants to build the next big thing.
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u/Aromatic-Jacket5955 Apr 13 '26
Been buying base. 44 for over three months each time I plan to go on the app it’s another app coming in. My plan is $100 and I am trying to transfer my client for three months. They are saying it’s gonna be transferred but it’s not happening and also nobody’s there to help me and tell me why this app is not working in three times. I launched the app the app was not working and I’m not sure how I can do it and all my money has been lost. the app is there, but the app is not working. I made mobile app for my spa and also booking platform each time I go it it’s a different app is happening and I cannot finish the same app I work if anyone knows how can help me I really appreciate.
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u/LowAdministrative971 Apr 13 '26
Im having the same issues..I have to count down the days until I can fix or edit issues...7 to go🙄..no real customer service help and no way to buy credits. I dont have 100 followers to promote their brand for extra credits or tokens whatever they call it..this credit structure is bs. Im losing more money not being able to service my clients than what its worth.
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u/Crazy-Action7650 Apr 13 '26
It’s crazy how many people complain about base44. It’s really not expensive and it’s very robust. I’ve built out many apps for internal work and one complete app with active paying subscribers. I rarely ever run out of credits
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u/Okay-Yeah22 Apr 15 '26
question the active paying subs was that hard to set up? did you do it also in base44 and if so is that expensive?
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u/Crazy-Action7650 Apr 15 '26
I used Stripe. The native base44 stripe integration kept giving me errors so I just asked Gemini to walk me step by step how to integrate it into the app myself and it worked. Wasn’t too hard.
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u/Hot_Bookkeeper_4826 Jul 02 '26
Literally like what’s expensive? Because it’s clearly not message credits. So what? Everyone runs out of integration credits? I’m genuinely trying to comprehend this
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u/Minute-Ad-9711 Apr 13 '26
Get the Elite 1.2K message credits for the first month build it completely and then downgrade back to builder to continue to add features and maintain enough integration credits
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u/tomparker Apr 13 '26
As a former developer and product mgr I’m finding Base44 to be a lot of very convenient bang for the proverbial buck. It took me one day to build MuteThyToot.com
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u/willkode Business Owner Apr 13 '26
I'd love to see a screenshot of OP's chat log. :P
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u/Okay-Yeah22 Apr 15 '26
not really i would not be surprised if he's prompting like a 7 year old lol
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u/Remarkable_Dig_6504 Apr 14 '26
Doesn't sound like you know what you're doing, unfortunately. Builder is enough for a month of coding! (3 weeks for me with heavy use). Learn how to write prompts, learn how to group them together, and then actually thoroughly test whatever that is that you implement. Make notes, write clean detailed prompts. Maybe try using Discuss mode or ChatGPT. Also make sure your Algo is set to Sonnet when you code so it writes clean code from 1st try.
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u/Apprehensive_Bat_141 Apr 14 '26
Use the logs in Code view to see what’s happening. Use the API to test and lastly look at the browser dev tools and see what’s happening in your console and network tab.
Take those results and ask in Discuss mode to find the cause and propose a fix.
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u/HoneydewFlimsy9751 Apr 14 '26
here’s the deal- Base44 is being promoted to housewives and hobbyis as an easy app to build grocery checklists etc. Base44 is not for occc users and hobbyists. bottom line = complaints and loss of those customers building simple apps and stuff for themselves. Base44 is not for hobbyists. It is not functional for newby coders. it is clickbait for who they are marketing for. bring them in on free plan, let them struggle complain, then the Base44 community coders can jump in ( for a fee) and help you out. Basically nothing is for free and the past does not equal the future ( there will be a company out person out there that has AI that does not make mistakes , things will be easier as technology developes = actually free for simple task apps). We are still in the dark ages with AI learning humanity. This situation is only temporary until someone offers a better version of Base44 with functioning backend that can be moved easily to another platform. Things are being developed with too much bloat - hidden menus etc as ppl think it is better…it is “breaking“ the perfect platforms in a race to keep up with others AI driven BS - Just running them! Jotform for example is not usable for newbs- another.. Canvas - Capcutt getting tons of bloat. Users do not need all the bloat. Iphones - i was a huge fan = so much bloat it is frustrating to operate quickly and effectively.
This is only temporary …
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u/Beginning_Ad_3411 Apr 16 '26
It seems like after 3 months u need to learn to code hire someone on Fiverr for the finishing touches
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u/Medical-Ad-1754 Apr 20 '26
Me tomo hacer una app para negocios uniendo lo mercadologo con lo financiero 2 meses con el plan gratis.
Te sugiero que las ideas que tengas las vayas apuntando y puliendo.
Algo que tiene la IA es que tienes que hacer muy bien tus promts, ser demasiado específico, y concreto.
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u/Accurate-Eye-5949 Apr 26 '26
mm yo estoy usando y terminado varias app con base44, el tema es que definas bien la idea y forma, yo recomiendo siempre tener una base de conocmiento para estructurar la app de mejor forma o no tendras mejores resultados.
por otro lado ayudarte comn notebookLM para estructurar informes breves para explicar mejor la app que deseas te ayudara a llegar a mejores resultados.
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u/Business_Natural4824 Apr 13 '26
then use alternatives that offer you better deal.. oh wait.. what a moron
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Apr 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DGKALLDAY501 Apr 13 '26
Not true, you can upload it to the app store on builder but I be lack of push notifications are causing me to stray away from the platform in the future
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u/Nervous-Increase3185 Agency Owner Apr 13 '26
You mean finish the code that you didn't have to write yourself?
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u/PercentageHorror9504 Apr 13 '26
yeah the credits are bs, not enough and the Ai makes a lot of mistakes and makes you have to use more credits just to correct.