The free-tier reality table
| Builder | Build a working app? | Preview on your phone? | Export code? | Publish to stores? | Real catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShipNative | ✅ Plan and design (free); build from $29/mo | ✅ Live device preview | Pro plan ($29/mo) | Pro plan | Building and exporting start at $29/month |
| Lovable | ✅ Web app | ❌ (web only) | ✅ | ❌ N/A (web) | Message caps hit fast |
| Bolt.new | ✅ If technical | ⚠️ Manual Expo setup | ✅ | ❌ DIY | Token limits mid-feature |
| Replit | ✅ Web app | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ DIY | Agent runs eat free credits |
| Figma Make | ✅ Prototype | ❌ | ⚠️ Partial | ❌ | Prototype, not product |
| Base44 | ✅ Web tool | ❌ | ⚠️ Limited | ❌ | Locked into their hosting |
| Glide | ✅ Internal tool | ⚠️ PWA link | ❌ None | ❌ PWA only | No code, ever |
| Jotform Apps | ✅ Form-style app | ⚠️ Wrapper | ❌ | ⚠️ Branded | It's forms in a shell |
Three patterns worth noticing:
- Most “free apps” are web apps. Lovable, Replit, Base44 build browser software. Fine, unless what you wanted was an app on a phone.
- Free previews ≠ free products. Figma Make and most prototype tools are demo machines on the free tier.
- Code export is the real dividing line.A free tier with full code export (Bolt, Lovable) means your work is never hostage. A free tier without it (Glide, Jotform) means “free” is the top of a funnel you can’t leave.
What a genuinely useful free tier looks like
For a mobile app, the free plan needs to carry you through the validation stage: build the app, put it on your own phone, show five potential users, decide whether to invest more. Judged against that bar:
ShipNative is free to try, no card needed. The free plan covers the describe-and-see part of validation: describe your app (or upload a screenshot), and see every screen designed before you pay. Building the app, running it on your device, code export and store publishing start at $29/month, which is when the project has proven it deserves the $99 Apple fee anyway.
Bolt.new freeis the best pick if you’re technical and want a browser IDE, but you’ll spend part of your free tokens on Expo configuration that specialized tools do automatically.
Glide free is genuinely good for a team-internal tool that never needs a store listing.
The “free” costs nobody mentions
Whatever builder you pick, shipping a real app has fixed costs no free tier removes:
- Apple Developer Program: $99/year, mandatory for the App Store.
- Google Play: $25 one-time.
- Your time: the biggest one. A builder that generates a broken app for free is more expensive than one that generates a working app on a paid plan.
When you do get to publishing, the App Store submission checklist covers everything the free tiers leave out.
Try it yourself
Try it free at shipnative.dev: describe it in one sentence, see it running on your phone in minutes.