In this guide
"How much will this actually cost me?" is the question every builder asks before starting, and the honest answer depends on which stage you're funding: a weekend prototype, a validated MVP, or a live product with real users. This guide breaks down real costs at each stage across the tools we've reviewed.
Stage 1: Weekend prototype
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| AI app builder | $0 (free tier: Lovable, Bolt.new, Base44, or v0 all have usable free plans) |
| Hosting | $0 (builder's default subdomain) |
| Domain | $0 (not needed yet) |
| Total | $0 |
A weekend prototype to validate an idea genuinely costs nothing beyond your time.
Stage 2: Validated MVP, ready to share
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| AI app builder subscription | $16-25/mo (Base44 Starter to Lovable Pro) |
| Hosting | Already included in the builder subscription — no separate purchase needed |
| Custom domain (optional) | $10-15/yr, only if you want your own branded URL |
| Total (first month) | ~$16-25, or ~$30-40 if you also add a custom domain |
This is the stage most "how to build a SaaS with AI" advice targets — see our full guide for the complete process. The domain is optional; hosting is not an extra cost since it's bundled into every builder here.
Stage 3: Live product with real users
| Item | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| AI app builder subscription | $25-50/mo |
| Database/backend usage (if separate from builder) | $0-25/mo on Supabase's free-to-Pro tiers |
| Payments processing (Stripe) | 2.9% + 30c per transaction, no monthly fee |
| Custom domain (optional) | $10-15/yr — hosting itself is already covered by your builder subscription |
| Total baseline | $25-75/mo before payment processing fees, plus ~$10-15/yr if you add a domain |
Costs scale with traffic and usage from here — these are baseline figures for a small, early-stage live product.
Cost comparison across builders
Entry pricing varies more than it might seem: Base44 and v0 start lowest ($16-20/month), Lovable and Bolt.new sit at $25/month, and Softgen's license-plus-usage model ($33/year plus metered usage) can be cheapest overall for light, ongoing use. See our Best AI App Builder roundup for the full pricing comparison across all six.
Key takeaways
- A weekend prototype genuinely costs $0 using any major builder's free tier.
- Hosting is always included in the builder subscription — it's never a separate cost you need to budget for.
- A validated, shareable MVP typically costs $16-25 for the first month, or $30-40 if you also add an optional custom domain.
- A small live product with real users typically runs $25-75/month baseline, before payment processing fees.
- Usage-based billing layers are the most commonly forgotten cost — annual domain renewal is a distant second, and only applies if you chose to add one.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, for a prototype or small first project. Lovable, Bolt.new, Base44, and v0 all have free tiers sufficient to build and test a small app, though sustained development or a live product with real traffic typically requires a paid plan.