Floot vs Lovable: which AI app builder for an app with a database?
A side-by-side comparison of Floot and Lovable for building apps that save data and have user logins: database, sign-in, building from ChatGPT or Claude, mobile apps, pricing, and when to pick each.
Key Takeaways
- Both include the backend. Floot gives each app a Postgres database, serverless endpoints and hosting. Lovable’s built-in backend includes a database, sign-in, storage, edge functions and hosting, built on Supabase’s open-source foundation.
- Both can be driven from ChatGPT and Claude. Floot is listed in the ChatGPT app directory, the Claude connector directory and the Cursor Marketplace. Lovable documents an MCP server you add by URL in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and others.
- Pricing works differently. Floot charges by daily building actions with hosting metered by usage. Lovable uses one credit balance for building, hosting, backend and in-app AI.
- Phone apps are the clearest split. Floot builds and submits native iOS and Android apps. Lovable’s FAQ says it builds web applications, not native apps.
- Lovable is ahead on Git workflows. Lovable lists Git sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan. Floot offers code download on paid plans.
Quick-Start Prioritization Framework
| If you… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Need iPhone and Android apps as well as the web app | Floot | Builds and submits native apps; no Mac needed |
| Want your code synced to GitHub from day one | Lovable | Git sync on every plan, including Free |
| Want to download the whole database on the free plan | Floot | Database download on every plan |
| Prefer one credit balance covering everything | Lovable | Building, hosting, backend and AI on one balance |
| Want to install from the ChatGPT or Claude directory | Floot | Listed in both directories |
| Already use Supabase and want to connect your own project | Lovable | Documents connecting your own Supabase project |
Floot and Lovable both turn a plain-English description into a working web app with a database, user sign-in and hosting included. If you are a small business owner or founder choosing between them, the differences that matter are less about the AI and more about how you work, how you pay, how you get your data out, and whether you need phone apps. We make Floot, so read this with that in mind; we’ve stuck to what each company’s own documentation and pricing pages say as of 2026-11-11, and we say plainly where Lovable is the better fit.
What each one is
Both are AI app builders aimed at people who would rather describe an app than code it. Both produce web apps and host them. The differences are in the backend, the workflow and the extras.
Floot
Floot (Y Combinator S25) builds full-stack web apps from plain-English descriptions: a React frontend, serverless backend endpoints and a Postgres database per app. You can build in Floot’s own editor, or from ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Codex or Cursor through Floot’s MCP server. Apps include their own logins, file storage, email, push notifications, scheduled jobs, realtime and payments, and can also be shipped as native iOS and Android apps.
Lovable
Lovable is an AI app builder used mainly in its own web editor. Its documentation describes a built-in backend, also called Cloud, with a database, users and sign-in, file storage, realtime, edge functions, scheduled jobs, secrets and logs, built on Supabase’s open-source foundation. You can also connect your own Supabase project instead. Lovable hosts published apps on lovable.app addresses or your own domain.
Head-to-head comparison
What each product documents on its own pages. A blank or “see docs” means we didn’t find it on the pages we checked, not that it’s missing.
| Floot | Lovable | |
|---|---|---|
| Database | Postgres per app | Built-in database on Supabase’s open-source foundation, or your own Supabase |
| Database export | Download the whole database on every plan | Export from project settings; excludes stored files, edge function code and secrets |
| Restore | Paid plans: any moment in the last 7 days; SQL dump import | Docs link to a database backups page |
| Your users’ sign-in | Email, Google, Microsoft, with roles | Email and password, plus Google (Lovable-managed or your own credentials) |
| Where you build | Floot editor; ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor | Lovable editor; MCP server for ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code |
| How you connect ChatGPT or Claude | Listed in ChatGPT app directory and Claude connector directory | Add mcp.lovable.dev as a connector; ChatGPT app via @Lovable for new projects |
| Native mobile apps | iOS and Android, built and submitted by Floot | Web apps only, per FAQ; PWA or wrap it yourself |
| Payments | Floot Payments: checkout and subscriptions, paid out via Stripe | Built-in payments on paid plans; own Stripe on Free |
| Code | Download on paid plans | Zip download on paid plans; Git sync on every plan |
| Custom domains | Paid plans, one free domain | Paid plans |
| Free plan | 100 building actions/day, $3 one-time hosting, 2 mobile builds/month | 5 build credits/day (max 30/month), 20 Cloud and 4 AI credits/month |
| Entry paid plan | Pro $25/month | Pro from $25/month (100 credits), $21 billed annually |
| Next tier | Power $100/month | Business from $50/month, $42 billed annually |
The core difference
Lovable is built around its editor: a polished, visual place where you chat with the agent and watch the app change, with Git sync to take your code anywhere. Its MCP server extends that editor so other AI tools can drive it.
Floot is built so the app can be made wherever you already talk to an AI. The same project can be built from a ChatGPT or Claude conversation, from a coding agent like Claude Code or Cursor, or in Floot’s editor, and it extends past the browser to native phone apps.
What that means day to day
If you live in ChatGPT or Claude and want to say “add a booking table and let clients sign in with Google” there, Floot is designed for that, and installs from those directories without copying a server address. If you prefer a dedicated building screen and want your code flowing into Git from the start, Lovable is designed for that.
Database and data ownership
For an app that stores customer or business data, this is where the two differ most in practice.
Floot
Each app has its own Postgres database. You can download it on every plan, including Free. Paid plans can import a SQL dump and restore the database to any moment in the last 7 days, which matters when an AI change or a bad import goes wrong. You can upload a CSV and ask the AI to import it.
Lovable
Lovable’s docs describe viewing tables and editing records in the backend, and an export of project data. They note that the database region is locked once the backend is enabled, that migrating an existing Supabase project into the built-in backend isn’t supported, and that removing the database permanently deletes it along with its backups, user accounts and stored files. Moving to your own Supabase project later is documented as a manual process.
Pricing compared
The two charge in different units, so a direct comparison depends on how you build.
Floot: daily actions, metered hosting
Free is $0 with 100 building actions a day and a $3 one-time hosting allowance. Pro is $25 a month with 1,000 actions a day, $10 of hosting and 5,000 AI credits included each month. Power is $100 a month with 5,000 actions a day, $25 of hosting and 15,000 AI credits. Failed actions don’t count, publishing is free on every plan, and there are no per-seat charges for your app’s users.
Lovable: one credit balance
Free gives 5 build credits a day up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud credits and 4 AI credits monthly. Pro starts at $25 a month for 100 credits ($21 billed annually) and scales up to 10,000 credits; paid plans also get 5 daily build credits with no monthly cap. Business starts at $50 a month and adds SSO. Credits pay for building, hosting, the backend and AI features in your app, and the cost of a build step varies with the task. Lovable says workspaces have unlimited members on all plans.
When to pick Floot
Floot is the better fit if several of these are true.
- You want to build from a ChatGPT or Claude conversation, installing from their directories.
- You need native iOS and Android apps, and don’t own a Mac.
- You want to download your full database on the free plan and restore to any moment in the last week on a paid plan.
- Your users should sign in with Microsoft as well as email and Google.
- You want scheduled jobs, email in and out, push notifications and payments in the same app.
When to pick Lovable
Lovable is the better fit if several of these are true.
- You want your code in GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket from the first day, on any plan.
- You prefer working in a dedicated visual editor where you watch each change as you chat.
- You like one credit balance that covers building, hosting and in-app AI.
- You already use Supabase and want to connect your own project.
- Your team needs SSO for the builder workspace (Business plan).
- A web app or Progressive Web App is all you need on phones.
Common mistakes when comparing them
People choosing between AI builders often trip on the same things.
Comparing $25 to $25
The entry prices match, but the units don’t. Build the same small app in both and see what a week of real changes uses.
Forgetting phone apps until later
If customers expect an App Store app, decide now. Wrapping a web app yourself later is a separate project.
Not testing export
Download the database once in whichever you choose, and check what the export includes.
Testing only as the builder
Sign up as two ordinary users in either tool and confirm each sees only their own data before launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Floot or Lovable better for apps with a database?
Both include a database, sign-in and hosting. Floot gives each app a Postgres database you can download on every plan, with 7-day point-in-time restore on paid plans, and builds native mobile apps. Lovable offers a polished editor, Git sync on every plan and a Supabase-based backend.
Can I use Lovable from ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes. Lovable documents an MCP server that you add by URL in ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code, and a ChatGPT app for starting new projects. Floot is listed in the ChatGPT app directory and Claude connector directory.
Does Lovable make iPhone and Android apps?
Lovable’s FAQ says it builds web applications, not native apps, and suggests a Progressive Web App or wrapping your site with a tool like Capacitor yourself. Floot builds and submits native iOS and Android apps.
Which is cheaper, Floot or Lovable?
Both have free plans and paid plans from $25 a month. Floot charges by daily building actions with hosting metered by usage; Lovable charges credits from one balance for building, hosting and backend use. Which costs less depends on how much you build and how much traffic your app gets.
Can I move my app from Lovable to Floot, or the other way?
Both let you take code and data out: Lovable has zip download on paid plans, Git sync and a database export; Floot has database download on every plan and code download on paid plans. Either way, moving means adapting the code to the new platform’s structure.
Do my app’s users need a Floot or Lovable account?
No. Both document sign-in that belongs to your app, so your users create accounts on your app itself.
Sources
- Floot, Pricing, 2026 https://floot.com/en/pricing
- Lovable, ChatGPT app, 2026 https://docs.lovable.dev/tips-tricks/chatgpt-app
- Lovable, Subscription plans, 2026 https://docs.lovable.dev/introduction/subscription-plans
- Lovable, Plans and credits, 2026 https://docs.lovable.dev/introduction/plans-and-credits
- Lovable, Built-in backend (Cloud), 2026 https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/cloud
- Lovable, MCP server, 2026 https://docs.lovable.dev/integrations/lovable-mcp-server
- Lovable, FAQ, 2026 https://docs.lovable.dev/introduction/faq
- Lovable, Pricing, 2026 https://lovable.dev/pricing