Base44 vs Bolt: Which AI Builder Should You Use?

Base44 and Bolt both generate a working application with a database behind it from a written prompt, but they part ways on where a project is allowed to start from. Bolt documents bringing an existing GitHub repository in as a new project; Base44's GitHub integration goes the other direction — it connects an app you already built inside Base44 to a repo, not the reverse. Here's what each vendor's own pages say, end to end.

What does each one actually build?

Base44's own FAQ describes the product directly: "Base44 is a no-code AI platform that uses vibe coding to build fully-functional apps and websites. You describe what you need in plain language, and Base44 builds the full thing: frontend, backend, database, user auth, payments, all of it. The apps run on real production infrastructure, not a sandbox" (Base44, pricing page, checked September 2026). The same page lists a core feature set included on every plan, Free too: AI app building, an integrated backend and database, a responsive visual editor, an analytics dashboard, multi-user editing, cloud storage, authentication and user management, marketing tools, and debugging tools.

Bolt's own documentation describes it as "an AI-powered builder for websites, web apps, and mobile apps," with examples ranging from landing pages and e-commerce shops to CRMs, SaaS platforms, and mobile games (Bolt, "Intro to Bolt", checked September 2026). It adds: "Bolt builds full-stack web applications using a wide range of JavaScript-based web frameworks. To build mobile apps, you use the Expo integration" (same source). Base44 documents a different mobile route: its app store guide says your mobile app "runs your published Base44 app inside a secure web view," and downloading the store submission files needs the Builder plan or higher.

Can I start from an existing codebase?

This is the real fork between the two. Bolt's documentation states plainly: "You can bring an existing GitHub project into Bolt, or start building in Bolt and create a new GitHub repository for your project" (Bolt, "GitHub for version control", checked September 2026), and once you select a repository, "Bolt loads your repository as a new Bolt project" (same source). That's a real import path — an external codebase becomes the starting point for a Bolt project.

Base44's GitHub integration runs the other way. Its GitHub integration docs describe connecting an app you've already built inside Base44 outward: you start from the app's Dashboard, authorize the Base44 Builder GitHub app, and create a new repository for the app (checked September 2026). Base44's documentation doesn't describe a way to hand it an external, non-Base44 codebase and have it become a new Base44 project's source — the integration exists to sync a Base44-generated app out, not to bring an outside one in.

What backend and database does each one use?

Base44's pricing page lists an integrated backend and database system as included on every plan, without a separate provider choice described there or in its GitHub docs. Bolt documents more flexibility at project setup: "Bolt creates a database automatically if your project needs one, or if you explicitly ask Bolt to create a database or a database-related feature," and "If you prefer to use Supabase when creating a new project, you can select it during setup" (Bolt, "Database", checked September 2026).

How does code export work on each?

Base44's exports are ZIP download and two-way GitHub sync, both gated to Builder plan or higher. Its developer-tools docs state it directly: "Downloading a ZIP file and connecting to GitHub both require a Builder plan or higher" (Base44 docs, "Developer tools", checked September 2026). Once connected, GitHub sync runs automatically rather than on a button you press: Base44's GitHub integration docs note "there's no option to manually push updates from your Base44 app to GitHub" — sync happens on Base44's own timing. Our Base44 export guide covers this mechanism, its irreversible effect on Version History, and the full leaving checklist in more depth than repeated here.

Bolt documents a zip download without naming a plan requirement. "You can download your project as a zip file to work on it outside of Bolt, using your own code editor" (Bolt, "Manage your projects", checked September 2026). Neither this page nor Bolt's GitHub integration page states a plan restriction the way Base44's Builder-plan gate is documented, so this guide won't claim one either way — check your account's available options directly if a specific plan matters to your export.

Where does each one host a published project, and what does a custom domain cost?

Base44's default hosting is its own domain, with a documented custom-domain gate starting at Starter. "Every Base44 app comes with a free built-in domain (myapp.base44.app) that you can personalize anytime," and "Custom domains are available on the Starter, Builder, Pro, and Elite plans" — not Free (Base44 docs, "Setting up your custom domain", checked September 2026). Documented limits: "up to 150 domains and subdomains to a single app, and up to 350 domains in total across your account" (same source).

Bolt's default is a free subdomain, with the custom-domain gate tied to any paid plan and a real downgrade risk. "When you publish a project with Bolt, it automatically goes live on a free bolt.host domain" (Bolt, "Domains", checked September 2026). A custom domain needs a paid plan: "Custom domains are only available on paid plans, so you'll need to upgrade from Free to any paid tier to use one" (same source), and it doesn't survive a downgrade: "If you downgrade to the Free plan, you'll no longer be able to publish to your custom domain" (same source) — a risk Base44's documentation doesn't describe for its own custom-domain feature.

Capability matrix

Who is each one not for?

Base44 is not the fit if you already have a codebase you want an AI builder to read and edit in place — its documentation doesn't describe that path, only exporting a Base44-built app outward. It's also not the fit if you need a fully native mobile build: Base44's documented app-store route wraps your published web app in a web view.

Bolt is not the fit if you want a documented, fixed custom-domain allowance across a growing number of projects the way Base44's 150-per-app, 350-per-account limits spell out — Bolt's domain documentation doesn't state an equivalent count.

Is Figment a fit for either kind of project?

No. Figment publishes a Figma design as a live website through its Figma plugin; it doesn't generate an application from a prompt, provision a database, or manage a Git-based import, and its AI editor, public now, edits a separate static copy of an existing site rather than generating an app. Neither Base44 nor Bolt's job — a prompt-generated, database-backed application — is what Figment does. Our Base44 pricing and Lovable vs Bolt guides cover each vendor's plan numbers and Bolt's mechanics against a third builder in more depth than repeated here.

Which should I actually pick?

• Pick Bolt if you need to bring an existing GitHub repository into an AI builder as a starting point, or you want a choice between an automatic database and Supabase at setup.
• Pick Base44 if you're starting from a prompt rather than existing code and want a single, integrated backend without a provider decision, plus a documented, generous domain allowance once you're on a paid plan.
• Check both vendors' current pricing pages before committing — Base44's credit allotments and Bolt's token limits are each set on pages that update independently of this guide.

Bottom line: both hand you a real application with a database behind it, so the decision usually comes down to where your project starts. If it starts as code already sitting in GitHub, that's Bolt's documented path today. If it starts as a prompt and you want one integrated backend without choosing a database provider, that's Base44's shape. Either way, check the export and domain gates above against the plan you're actually on before you commit to one.