Best for
Best for founders and teams that want to build and launch a full web or mobile app without engineers.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
AI App Builders Comparison
Bubble vs. Budibase
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for operations teams automating forms, approvals and internal requests, self-hosted or in the cloud.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Bubble | Budibase |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $32 / month Starter, web only, billed monthly; $29 per month billed annually. Mobile only starts at $49 and web plus mobile at $69 monthly. A free plan covers building and testing. | lower value Free self-hosted; cloud from $19 / month Cloud on annual billing: Pro $19, Premium $49 and Business $299 per month. On monthly billing that becomes $22.80, $58.80 and $358.80. Extra creators $50 and end users $5 per month. Enterprise on request. |
| Free trial | Free plan | Free self-hosted open-source edition |
| Commercial use | Yes | Not stated |
| Output | Web apps and native mobile apps built in one visual editor, with a managed database and user accounts | Internal apps, forms, automations and AI agents |
| Hosting | Not stated | Budibase cloud or self-hosted (Docker, Kubernetes, DigitalOcean, Portainer) |
| What it generates | Web apps and native mobile apps built in one editor; the AI app builder can generate a complete app from a single prompt | Internal operations: forms, approvals, task routing and admin tools, plus automations and AI agents that act across connected systems |
| Stack and frameworks | No-code visual programming: you build by pointing and clicking instead of writing code | Visual builder with automations; AI generates JavaScript bindings, cron expressions and table schemas from a written description rather than building a whole app from a prompt |
| Auth and database | Managed database with separate development and live environments, plus built-in user management for signup and login | Internal BudibaseDB built on CouchDB, plus external SQL databases such as PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server, REST APIs and custom datasource plugins; app users sign in with OpenID Connect or Google |
| Hosting and deploy | Apps run in the browser or install from the app stores as native apps, hosted on Bubble's infrastructure | Budibase cloud, or self-hosted with Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, DigitalOcean or Portainer |
| Payments | Payments run through Bubble's official Stripe plugin: one-time charges and recurring subscriptions, with billing and plan management handled by Stripe | No built-in payments; a payment provider is reached through a REST datasource like any other API |
| Access to the code | No-code visual editor, extended through community-made plugins | Open source: GPL v3 core, MPL client and component libraries so apps built with it can carry their own licence, and a Business Source Licence on the paid features |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | more entries Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise |
| Support | Community forum | more entries Email helpdesk, Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base | Documentation and knowledge base |
| Company size | more entries Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | Not stated | PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, REST API, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, OpenRouter, Groq |
Add a tool
Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price Bubble From $32 / month Budibase Free self-hosted; cloud from $19 / month
- Free trial Bubble Free plan Budibase Free self-hosted open-source edition
- Deployment Bubble Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based Budibase Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise
- Company size Bubble Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise Budibase Small and mid-sized, Enterprise
- Support Bubble Community forum Budibase Email helpdesk, Community forum
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Bubble
Strengths
- Builds web and native mobile apps in a single editor
- Generates a complete app from one prompt with the AI app builder, then lets you refine it
- Large ecosystem of community-made plugins and connectors
Limitations
- Priced in monthly workload units, so a busy app's running cost rises with usage instead of staying fixed
- The free plan cannot run a live app on a custom domain
Budibase
Strengths
- Free self-hosted edition with unlimited actions, apps, agents and users, SSO included
- AI agents deploy into Slack, Microsoft Teams and Discord
- Choice of AI provider: Budibase AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, OpenRouter or Groq
Limitations
- Cloud plans below Business include only one creator, with extra creators at $50 a month
- Cloud usage is metered in actions and AI credits, so cost tracks volume
- AI assists with parts of an app rather than generating one from a prompt
Plans
Pricing
Bubble
- Free $0 Build and test for free; launching an app requires a paid plan.
- Starter $32 Per month for web only ($29 billed annually). Mobile only $49, web plus mobile $69.
- Growth $134 Per month for web only ($119 billed annually). Mobile only $199, web plus mobile $249.
- Team $399 Per month for web only ($349 billed annually). Mobile only $529, web plus mobile $649.
- Enterprise Not stated Quoted by Bubble; handled through an account manager.
Budibase
- Pro $19 Per month on annual billing ($22.80 monthly). 5,000 actions and 2,000 AI credits a month, 1 creator, 1 workspace.
- Premium $49 Per month on annual billing ($58.80 monthly). 20,000 actions, 10,000 AI credits, 10 workspaces, custom branding, backups and SSO.
- Business $299 Per month on annual billing ($358.80 monthly). 250,000 actions, 50,000 AI credits, 3 creators, unlimited workspaces, 30-day log retention, email support.
- Enterprise Custom Quoted by the vendor. Unlimited actions, Active Directory and SCIM, audit logs, 365-day log retention and priority support with SLAs.
- Open source (self-hosted) $0 Unlimited actions, apps, automations, agents and users on one workspace, SSO included, community support.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Bubble
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Budibase
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Bubble https://bubble.io · no check date recorded yet
Budibase https://budibase.com · no check date recorded yet
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.