Forge vs Base44
Base44's a horizontal 'turn your idea into an app' builder at $16/mo Starter with a dual-credit pricing model. Forge is £7/mo, refuses to compete on vibe coding, and wins by being the spreadsheet-killer for one specific operator at a time.
Comparison verified 2026-05-09. Base44 pricing and feature claims sourced from base44.com.
Most-damning rows first. Every claim sourced and dated.
| Feature | Forge | Base44 |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | £7/mo Pro | $16/mo Starter |
| Pricing model | Single credit pool — 1 per app, 0.25 per edit | Dual credits: 'message' + 'integration' (separately metered) |
| Free tier | 5 credits/mo, 2 projects, real Supabase | 25 messages + 100 integration credits, no custom domain, no backend functions, no private apps |
| Built for | SMB operators running on spreadsheets | Horizontal — non-technical founders, internal tools, vibe coding |
| CSV-first onboarding | Upload spreadsheet → schema inferred → working app in 60s | Prompt-only ('describe your idea') |
| Vertical templates | Restaurants, contractors, salons, property — operator-shaped | Horizontal — same template starts whatever you build |
| Generated app | ZIP export of full React + Supabase source | Locked in Base44 runtime |
| Stripe payments | User-owned key, payment links from any row, one-prompt scaffolding | Stripe integration (counted against integration credits) |
| Visual editor | Click-to-edit on the live preview | Rebuilt visual editor with auto-save + undo/redo (50 steps) |
| Scheduled agents | Hourly cron, send_email/send_sms/update_row/email_summary | Superagents on entity events (paid tier) |
Base44 charges separately for messages and integrations — a credit you spent on AI generation is gone, and an integration call (Stripe webhook, Slack post) costs from a different bucket. Two pools mean two ways to run out. Forge has one credit, one number, one decision.
Base44 is horizontal — 'turn your idea into an app' for any idea. Forge ships restaurant-shaped, contractor-shaped, salon-shaped templates because those operators have the same problems and the same data. Pick a wedge; ship a tool.
Base44 is owned by Wix but operates as a separate product, $16+ entry. Wix's 200M-user funnel funds the headcount, but you don't get a Wix-Base44 integration that helps you charge clients. Forge optimizes spend for the SMB owner Wix's marketing budget never reaches.
Forge Pro
£7/mo
Switching from Base44? Free tier first, no card needed.
Start freeWhatever's left expires when you cancel. The CSV migration path is fastest: export your Base44 app's data as CSV, upload to Forge, and the schema is inferred in under a minute. The UI regenerates from a Forge prompt — usually faster than the original Base44 build because Forge starts vertical.
Base44 is operated as a separate business unit post-acquisition. The brand-trust halo is real for marketing, but the product stack is separate from Wix Studio. Forge's bet is that brand trust matters less than 'this app works on day one and I can read the code.'
Yes. Forge's free tier (5 credits/mo, 2 projects) is enough to build one real app and ship it. Run Base44 and Forge side by side for a week; the answer is usually obvious by the time you hit the credit ceiling on either.
Base44 added mobile publishing in Feb 2026; Forge generates responsive React apps that work on mobile via the browser, not native iOS/Android binaries. If you need a native app store presence, Base44 (or React Native + a Forge ZIP export) is the path.
Comparing Forge to your shortlist?
£7/mo Pro. Your code, your domain, your Stripe — built for the way you actually run your business.
Switching from Base44? Get started in 60 seconds.