Compare

Orbit vs Lovable

Both turn a description into a working app with a backend. The difference is underneath: Lovable writes the code, and on Orbit you compose parts that already run. Everything else on this page follows from that one choice.

Free on both. The difference shows up when you ask for a change.

At a glance

Where Orbit and Lovable diverge

Both can take an app a long way. Here is where each is stronger, from the first demo to the day you leave. Every Lovable claim links its own documentation.

Even

The demo

Both turn a prompt into a working app with a backend.

Orbit

When it gets it wrong

Lovable writes code, so a wrong answer is code to fix. On Orbit you arrange parts that already run, so a wrong answer is a thing to move.

Even

Data and auth

Both ship a backend (Orbit Postgres; Lovable Cloud on Supabase).

Even

Your domain

Both launch on a custom domain with HTTPS.

Orbit

What iteration costs

Orbit: $1 a credit, credits never expire, and your own AI key costs nothing. Lovable: messages that plan, generate, edit or update spend credits.

Lovable

Take the code

Lovable: GitHub sync and code download. Orbit: API access, no source download yet.

Side by side

The four differences, in detail

Checked against Lovable's own docs. Every Lovable claim links its source.

What a correction costs

Orbit

Nothing is generated, so a change is a change rather than a repair. One credit is one dollar, credits never expire, and bringing your own Claude or ChatGPT key costs nothing at all.

Lovable

Lovable's credit doc says messages that "plan, generate, edit, or update your app" spend credits, that hosting and the app's own AI calls draw from the same balance, and that monthly credits expire two months after issue.

Lovable plans and credits docs

How pricing works

Orbit

1 credit = 1 dollar, the same rate for everyone, credits never expire, and you can bring your own provider account.

Lovable

Lovable spends credits per message, from small edits to larger prompts. Unused monthly credits roll over while you subscribe, then expire two months after issue.

Lovable pricing docs

The backend

Orbit

A native Postgres database, created with the app, plus built-in sign-in and a REST API.

Lovable

Lovable Cloud gives you a database and auth built on Supabase, whichever supported Lovable surface you start from.

Lovable Cloud docs

Your code, and leaving

Orbit

Your app runs on Orbit. You build and operate it on the platform and reach it through the REST API. There is no source-code download in the product.

Lovable

View and edit the source, download the codebase as a ZIP, or connect GitHub for two-way sync and hosting elsewhere.

Lovable GitHub sync docs

Fair is fair

When Lovable is the better pick

Lovable generates React you can read, edit, download and sync with GitHub, and it is built for people who want that. Choose Lovable if owning the code and working in a repo matter most, or if you want a developer to take it over later.

The short answer

Pick Lovable

if you want standard React code, GitHub sync, and a repo developers can take over.

Pick Orbit

if you would rather nothing was generated, want the app run for you, and want credits that hold their value.

Try both

both are free to build in, so make the same thing twice and see which one you would rather change.

Questions, answered

Does Lovable have a backend?

Yes. Lovable Cloud ships a database and auth on Supabase. Both tools give you a backend, so the comparison is about everything around it.

Which one is cheaper?

It depends on how you work, and they price differently. Orbit is a flat dollar per credit that never expires, and your own AI subscription costs nothing on top. Lovable spends credits per message, from small edits to larger prompts, and monthly credits expire two months after issue.

Can I move my app off Orbit?

You reach your app and its data through the REST API, and there is no source-code download in the product. If you need the code or a repository for a client, ask and we set it up by hand. If exporting standard code on your own is a hard requirement, Lovable is built for that with code download and GitHub sync.

Can I just try both?

Yes, and it is the best way to decide. Build the same idea in both, then ask for a change and see whether you get a change or a repair.

Ask both for a change

Generated code and composed parts look the same on the first build. Build the same small thing in Lovable and in Orbit, then change it, and they stop looking the same.

Free to build. Your first live app is free on your own domain.

Créé avec Orbit