Base44 builds apps and websites from a prompt. It writes the design, the data and the logic, and runs them on its own backend and hosting. Splitleaf runs on your Mac or Windows PC and keeps your website as a folder of HTML, CSS and Markdown, which you publish to your own host.
Made for apps
Base44 calls itself a no-code AI platform for full-stack apps, websites and AI agents, with a managed backend, logins, integrations and hosting built in. Internal tools, customer portals and dashboards are its home ground. If you need that, Base44 does a job that Splitleaf does not. Splitleaf publishes static pages, with no database and no user logins.
A website that people read is a different job, and most websites do not need a database.
Two kinds of credits
Every Base44 plan is a monthly allowance of message credits, for the AI, and integration credits, for actions such as email or connected tools. Base44 says that exact usage varies by the action and the AI model you pick. The Free plan has 25 message credits a month, at most 5 a day. Starter has 100, for $16 a month billed yearly.
What the plan decides
On Base44, much of what you would call owning a site is a plan feature. From Base44's billing and plans page:
- Your own domain needs Starter or higher.
- Removing the Base44 badge needs Starter or higher.
- The GitHub integration, which puts the code in your own repository, needs Builder or higher.
- The number of published apps is 5 on Free. When a paid plan ends, the workspace goes back to Free. You choose 5 apps to stay published, and the others are unpublished.
Base44 says you own what you build and can export the full source code with GitHub sync. The database, logins and hosting remain Base44's managed services.
In Splitleaf none of this depends on a plan. The site is a folder on your disk from the first day. Every publish is a commit to your own GitHub repository, on your own domain, on any static host.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Splitleaf | Base44 |
|---|---|---|
| What it builds | Websites: pages, a blog, docs | Apps, websites and AI agents, with a database and logins |
| Where you work | On your Mac or Windows PC | In a browser, or Base44's mobile app |
| How you edit | Visual Designer, Content pane and an agent | A chat with Base44's AI and a visual editor. Code edits on paid plans |
| Where the site lives | Files in your folder and your GitHub repository | On Base44. GitHub sync from the Builder plan |
| Hosting | Any static host you choose | Base44 hosting |
| Your own domain | Yes, through your host | From the Starter plan |
| AI | Claude Code on your Claude plan, or your own key. No markup | Message credits, from 100 a month on Starter |
| Price model | $129 once per person | $16 to $160 a month, billed yearly |
| Works offline | Yes, with a 90-day license grace period | No |
Pricing
What AI costs
What it costs over five years
These are list prices with yearly billing, in USD, before tax. Base44's price includes hosting and the AI up to the plan's credits. Splitleaf includes neither, so your hosting and your AI are separate lines.
| Scenario | Base44 | Splitleaf |
|---|---|---|
| One person, own domain, no badge (Starter) | $960 | $129 + your AI and hosting |
| One person, code in your own GitHub (Builder) | $2,400 | $129 + your AI and hosting |
| Heavier building (Pro) | $4,800 | $129 + your AI and hosting |
How we counted:
- Base44. One workspace on Starter at $16, Builder at $40 or Pro at $80 a month, billed yearly.
- Splitleaf. One license. Your own domain, no badge and the GitHub history are part of every license.
This table is not like for like. Base44 includes the AI and the hosting. In Splitleaf you pay your host, and you pay your AI provider: the Claude plan you may already have, or your own key. Add your own AI bill to the Splitleaf column.
The Splitleaf license includes 12 months of updates. The app you bought keeps working and publishing after that. A future major version is an optional paid upgrade.
Which one fits you
Questions
Can I export my Base44 code?
What happens to my apps if I cancel Base44?
Can Splitleaf build an app with logins and a database?
Can I use my Claude subscription for AI in Splitleaf?
Who should choose Base44?
Sources
- Base44 pricing: plans, credits and the yearly discount
- Base44 billing and plans: features per plan, and what happens when you cancel
- Base44 documentation: what Base44 builds and what is included
- Splitleaf pricing
Prices are list prices in USD with yearly billing, read on the vendor's own page on the date above. Taxes are excluded. If a price here is out of date, tell us at contact@splitleaf.eu and we will correct it.