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The Stack / Coding
Bubble
03 CreationYes for genuinely complex no-code apps — marketplaces, SaaS, internal platforms with roles and workflows — where prompt-based builders hit ceilings. Bubble's 2026 workload-unit pricing (Starter $29/175K WUs) makes cost tracking a discipline, not an afterthought.
The job in the stack
The complex-app seat: multi-user web apps with real business logic, built visually and priced by workload.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Build/trial only — cannot publish |
| Starter | $29/mo | 175K workload units |
| Growth | $119/mo | 250K WUs |
| Team | $349/mo | 500K WUs; Enterprise custom |
Pricing verified 2026-08-24. Plans change — the source of truth is Bubble's own pricing page.
Models & versions
- Bubble engineVisual logic + database + API workflows; WUs meter every query and workflow run
The honest read
What works
- +Handles app complexity that breaks prompt-built tools
- +Mature ecosystem: plugins, templates, freelancers
- +Workload pricing scales with usage, not seats
What breaks
- −Workload-unit math requires monitoring — runaway workflows cost real money
- −Steeper learning curve than the vibe-coding wave
- −Performance tuning is on you at scale
Use it for
- →Marketplaces and multi-sided platforms
- →SaaS MVPs with roles, payments, and workflows
- →Internal platforms beyond simple CRUD
Skip it if
- ×A prompt-built app covers it — Lovable/Bolt are faster to first version
- ×You have engineers — code wins at this complexity tier
Questions operators ask
?Bubble or Lovable?
Lovable gets you a working product fastest; Bubble handles the complexity Lovable can't — roles, marketplaces, intricate workflows. Many builders start Lovable, graduate to Bubble or code.
What changed
- Freshness sweep: no changes. Starter $29 (175K WUs), Growth $119 (250K), Team $349 (500K), Enterprise custom all hold; free tier still can't publish.
- Freshness sweep: no changes. Starter $29 (175K WUs), Growth $119 (250K), Team $349 (500K), Enterprise custom all hold; free tier still can't publish.
- Released to the live stack. Re-verified pre-release: Starter $29 (175K WUs), Growth $119 (250K), Team $349 (500K), Enterprise custom unchanged; overage runs $0.30/1,000 WUs beyond plan allocation.
- Added to the stack (complex-app seat). Verified: Starter $29 (175K WUs), Growth $119, Team $349, Enterprise custom; free tier cannot publish.
Give Bubble a job
The complex-app seat: multi-user web apps with real business logic, built visually and priced by workload.
Try Bubble →Alternatives with different jobs
Lovable
03 CreationThe vibe-coding seat: full web apps with auth, database, and hosting from conversation, aimed at founders who don't code.
Replit
03 CreationThe build-and-ship seat: prototyping internal tools and small apps with an AI agent, hosted the moment they exist.
Bolt
03 CreationThe rapid-prototype seat: spinning up working web app drafts from a prompt, in minutes, in the browser.