Lovable builds apps from a chat. You describe what you want, and Lovable writes the code, hosts the result and runs the backend: database, logins, storage. Splitleaf is for websites. It runs on your Mac or Windows PC, and your site is a folder of HTML, CSS and Markdown files that you publish to your own host.
Both use AI to build. They differ in what they build, where it lives, and how the AI is charged.
An app or a website
Lovable is made for apps: logins, a database, payments and AI features inside the app. If you are building a product with users and data, that is a job Lovable does and Splitleaf does not. Splitleaf publishes static pages, with no database and no user accounts.
A marketing site, a blog or a docs site is a different job. Most websites do not need a database. They need pages that load fast and are easy to change for years.
Every message is metered
In Lovable, one balance of credits pays for building, chat, hosting and the AI features in your app. Lovable publishes its own examples: "Make the button gray" costs 0.50 credits, "Remove the footer" 0.90, and a landing page with images 2.00. On Pro, 100 credits a month cost $25, so a credit is $0.25. Monthly plan credits expire two months after they are issued.
In Splitleaf, you edit text and layout in the Designer and the Content pane yourself. When you want the agent, it runs on the Claude plan you already pay for, or on your own key. We add no markup.
Where the site lives
Lovable hosts every published app, on a lovable.app address or on your own domain. Your own domain needs a paid plan. On the Free plan, Lovable may unpublish a project for inactivity. Lovable says you own your code. Git sync with GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket is on every plan, and downloading the code needs Pro.
In Splitleaf the site is already a folder on your disk. Every publish is a commit to your own GitHub repository, and the pages go to any static host you choose.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Splitleaf | Lovable |
|---|---|---|
| What it builds | Websites: pages, a blog, docs | Web apps with a database, logins and payments, and websites |
| Where you work | On your Mac or Windows PC | In a browser, or Lovable's desktop app |
| How you edit | Visual Designer, Content pane and an agent | A chat with Lovable's agent. Code editing on paid plans |
| Where the site lives | Files in your folder and your GitHub repository | On Lovable, synced to Git if you connect it |
| Hosting | Any static host you choose | Lovable hosting. Traffic past the grant uses credits |
| Your own domain | Yes, through your host | Paid plans |
| AI | Claude Code on your Claude plan, or your own key. No markup | Lovable credits, from $25 a month for 100 |
| Price model | $129 once per person | Monthly, by credits. Unlimited members share them |
| 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. Lovable prices by credits, not by people or sites, so each scenario names a credit tier.
| Scenario | Lovable | Splitleaf |
|---|---|---|
| One person, Pro with 100 credits a month | $1,250 | $129 + your AI and hosting |
| Three people, Pro with 400 credits a month | $5,000 | $1,107 + your AI and hosting |
| Agency: five people, Pro with 800 credits a month | $10,000 | $2,085 + your AI and hosting |
How we counted:
- Lovable. Pro at $250, $1,000 and $2,000 a year. Members are free on every plan; they share the credits.
- Splitleaf. One license per person, plus a team seat at $72 a year for each person after the first.
This table is not like for like, and we want to say so. Lovable's price includes the AI, and hosting for most small apps. Splitleaf's price includes neither. You pay your host, and you pay your AI provider: the Claude plan you may already have, or your own key. We do not know how much AI your team will use, so 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
Do I own the code Lovable writes?
Does Lovable charge for hosting?
Can Splitleaf build an app with logins and a database?
Can I use my Claude subscription for AI in Splitleaf?
Who should choose Lovable?
Sources
- Lovable pricing: plans and credits
- Lovable subscription plans: credit tiers, monthly and yearly prices, features per plan
- Lovable credits and usage: what credits pay for, examples, expiry, price per credit
- Lovable hosting
- Splitleaf pricing
Prices are list prices in USD, 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.