v0 vs Lovable: Which AI Builder Should You Use?

v0 and Lovable both turn a prompt into a working, database-backed application with real, exportable code, but they part ways on a question a lot of comparisons skip: what happens when you already have a Figma design and want to build from it, not from scratch. v0 gates its Figma import behind its own paid plan; Lovable gates its richest Figma import behind a paid seat on Figma's side instead. That single difference says a lot about how each product is built and who it's built for. Here's what each vendor's own documentation says, end to end.

What does each one actually generate from a prompt?

v0's own introduction describes itself as "an AI agent that helps anyone create real code and full-stack apps and agents" (v0 Docs, "Introduction", checked September 2026), and it's explicit about going past a mockup: "Build both UI and backend logic, not just mockups" (same source). Its FAQ confirms the exact, fixed stack: "v0 uses Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and shadcn/ui" (v0 Docs, "FAQs", checked September 2026). Its documentation doesn't describe generating native mobile output — no React Native, Swift, or Kotlin.

Lovable's documentation describes "a full-stack AI development platform for building, iterating on, and deploying web applications using natural language, with real code, security, and enterprise governance," generating "a working application that includes frontend, backend, database, authentication, and integrations, all backed by editable code" (Lovable Documentation, "Welcome", checked September 2026). Unlike v0's fixed stack, Lovable's own FAQ describes a transition: "TanStack Start with server-side rendering (SSR)" for apps built from May 13, 2026 onward, while older apps on "React + Vite... continue to work as before" (Lovable Documentation, "FAQ", checked September 2026). That same FAQ rules out one thing directly: "Lovable builds web applications" and "does not generate React Native projects" (same source) — the native-mobile gap v0's documentation simply leaves undescribed.

How does each one bring in a design you've already built in Figma?

This is where the two products genuinely diverge, not just in wording. v0's Figma integration is gated by v0's own plan: its docs state "The Figma integration is available on paid v0 plans" (v0 Docs, "Figma", checked September 2026). Once available, you "Click the + button in the prompt form, choose Import from… → Import from Figma, and sign in with your Figma account," or paste a Figma link directly into the chat (same source). v0 then reads "pages and frames," "design tokens and colors," "layout and text" including "auto layout, spacing, size, and the exact text," exported "assets" like icons and images, and "dev resources" such as Dev Mode-linked code or specs (same source).

Lovable's Figma import is gated by Figma's own plan, not Lovable's. Its documentation lists three methods: the Figma plugin, a Figma MCP connection, or uploading a .fig file directly (Lovable Documentation, "Bring Figma designs into Lovable", checked September 2026). The plugin needs "at least a Dev seat in your Figma organization" (same source); the MCP connection needs "a Dev or Full seat in Figma (not available on Figma's free Starter plan)" plus both apps in Dev Mode (same source); but .fig upload is "Available on all Figma plans," and "requires no additional installs" (same source) — though it only "extracts your variable collections, colors, typography, and frame structure," not interactive components (same source).

Put plainly: on a free v0 account, you can't import a Figma file at all until you upgrade. On Lovable's free tier with a free Figma plan too, you can still get a structural .fig upload in — just not the real-time MCP connection or the plugin's component-level export.

What backend and database does each one use?

v0's docs describe backend connection as a core capability — "Connect to backend to build rich, data driven applications" (v0 Docs, "Introduction") — through database integrations added per project: "select from previously created stores," or click Create "to open the Marketplace and accept the provider's terms" for a new one (v0 Docs, "Databases", checked September 2026). Adding one this way "provisions a new user account on that service and adds the necessary environment variables to your project" automatically (same source) — the database account exists independently, and you can sign into it outside v0.

Lovable's built-in Cloud backend "utilizes Supabase's open-source foundation" for a production-ready Postgres environment (Lovable Documentation, "Lovable Cloud", checked September 2026), or you can connect a Supabase project you already own, which "does not change your code and does not delete anything in your Supabase project" if disconnected (Lovable Documentation, "Connect to Supabase", checked September 2026). Our Base44 vs Lovable and Replit vs Lovable comparisons cover this same Lovable backend against two other builders in more depth; this guide won't repeat that here.

Capability matrix

How do I get from a prompt to a repo I own?

v0's GitHub connection: Project menu → Settings → GitHub, click Connect, choose your Git scope, and select Create Repository — v0's documentation confirms "v0 creates a private repository and pushes the project's current code to it" (v0). Lovable's works the same way in outcome, different menu path: connecting a project "creates a new GitHub repository and starts two-way sync automatically" (Lovable Documentation, "Sync your Lovable project with GitHub"). Either way, you hold an ordinary repository. What to verify before treating it as your real source of truth — environment variables, database ownership, auth callback URLs, a local build check, a careful domain cutover — is covered in our guide to moving an AI builder's project to your own codebase, which applies here the same way it applies to Bolt.

How does each one's pricing actually work?

v0's own docs describe pricing as a prepaid credit balance measured against token usage: plans run from Free through Premium, Plus and Business to Enterprise, and paid plans include a monthly credit allowance (v0 Docs, "Pricing", checked September 2026). v0's docs page and its pricing page showed different figures for the same plan when checked, so confirm the current price there. Credits "roll over to the next billing cycle and expire after 65 days" (same source). Lovable's pricing page defines a single credit type the same way, in principle — "Credits are units Lovable uses to measure and pay for usage across your workspace" (Lovable, pricing page, checked September 2026) — but its numbers render client-side rather than as static page text, so this guide won't print them; check Lovable's pricing page directly for current figures.

Who is each one not for?

v0 is not a fit if you want your Figma import available on a free account — that feature specifically requires a paid v0 plan, regardless of what Figma plan you're on. It's also not a fit if you need output outside the Vercel/Next.js ecosystem, since the stack isn't a choice.

Lovable is not a fit if you need native mobile output — its own FAQ rules out React Native directly — or if your team is standardized on Vercel deployments and wants that as the default rather than one option among several external hosts.

Is Figment a fit for either kind of project?

No. Figment publishes a Figma design as a live website through its Figma plugin, and its AI editor is a preview with an access-request form, not a production tool. Neither v0 nor Lovable's job — a prompt-generated, database-backed application — is what Figment does. If the actual need is publishing a Figma design as a site rather than generating an app from one, that's the one case where Figment, not either builder here, is the right tool.

Which should I actually pick?

• Pick v0 if you're already building on Vercel, want a fixed, well-supported Next.js stack, and are willing to pay for the Figma import specifically.
• Pick Lovable if you want to bring in a Figma file without upgrading your builder plan first — the .fig upload works on any Figma plan — or if you want a choice of external hosts beyond one default.
• Check both vendors' current pricing pages before committing, since v0's credit allowances and Lovable's plan prices are each set on pages that update independently of this guide.

Bottom line: the real fork here isn't which one generates better code — both hand you a real, exportable full-stack app. It's whose plan you have to upgrade to get an existing Figma design in: v0 ties that to its own subscription, Lovable ties it to your Figma seat instead, with a free-tier .fig fallback either way you look at it from Lovable's side. Pick based on which constraint you're already living with.