Discontinued
Orchids was shut down on July 18, 2026
Lovable vs Orchids
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings
At a glance
| Dimension | Lovable | Orchids |
|---|---|---|
| Status (Sep 2026) | Active | Discontinued: shut down July 18, 2026 |
| Pricing | Freemium (1 credit per Plan Mode message) | Free (uses your existing AI subscriptions) |
| Status | Actively developed (2026 updates) | Sunset (July 18, 2026) |
| Key Output | Full-stack web apps, deploy to cloud | Web, mobile, Slack, Chrome extensions |
| Model Integration | Works inside ChatGPT, Claude (own engine) | ChatGPT, Claude Code, Gemini, GitHub Copilot |
| Best For | MVPs, internal tools, prototype iterations | Hackathon multi-format prototyping |
| Enterprise Readiness | AIUC-1 certified, security scanning, publishing controls | No (no CI/CD, role management) |
Pick Lovable. Orchids is discontinued: the app builder, later renamed Bud, shut down on July 18, 2026 after Figma hired its team, and users had to export their code and redeploy elsewhere. Lovable is an active prompt-to-app builder with its own hosting. The comparison below is kept as a historical record.
Lovable is an AI app builder that turns a plain-language prompt into a full-stack web app you can host and publish immediately.
Visit Website
Orchids AI app builder is sunset — export your projects before July 18 support ends
Visit WebsiteWhat real users say: Lovable vs Orchids
Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.
Lovable
93 mentions across 7 sources · 74% positive (averaged across 7 sources)
Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt, App Store, Stack Overflow, GitHub, Lemmy
What users praise
- • Fastest way to go from idea to a live, deployed app; minutes not days.
- • Incredibly intuitive for non-coders; natural language prompts do the heavy lifting.
- • Full-stack capabilities out of the box: database, backend, hosting, custom domains.
- • Strong integrations: Supabase, GitHub, Notion, Slack, PostHog, and more.
What frustrates them
- • Credit system is confusing and easy to burn through, especially with chatbot overrides.
- • A security incident exposed users' sensitive data; initial response was dismissive.
- • Requires a GitHub account, which can be a hurdle for non-technical users.
- • Not suitable for complex backend architecture; you'll hit limits.
Researched Aug 18, 2026
Orchids
74 mentions across 4 sources · 45% positive — mixed (averaged across 4 sources)
Hacker News, YouTube, App Store, Lemmy
What users praise
- • Leverages existing AI subscriptions (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) for free
- • Outperformed Claude Code, v0, and Bolt on App Bench (76%) and UI Bench (30.08%)
- • Generates responsive designs with minimal prompting, praised by users
- • Supports web, mobile, Slack bots, Chrome extensions, and AI agents
What frustrates them
- • Easily hacked according to a security researcher, raising data risks
- • Sunset as of July 18, 2026, so no further development or support
- • Credit tracking bug reports: credits fill up incorrectly after first prompt
- • Limited to users with existing AI subscriptions; no value without them
Researched Aug 6, 2026
Feature-by-feature
Orchids and Lovable both turn natural language into applications, but their scopes differ sharply. Orchids was designed for multi-format output: web, mobile (iOS/Android), Slack bots, Chrome extensions, and AI agents—all by leveraging your existing ChatGPT, Claude Code, Gemini, or GitHub Copilot subscriptions. It ranked high on App Bench (76%) and UI Bench (30.08%), suggesting strong generation quality for its era. However, with the sunset, those advantages are frozen; you can only export via ZIP, Vercel, or Supabase migration.
Lovable, by contrast, is alive and expanding. It focuses on full-stack web apps with real-time prototype building, and its recent updates add depth: Plan Mode (1 credit per message) gives predictable costs, subagents handle parallel research, Skills are reusable markdown, and the Vent agent self-improves from production friction. For deployment, Lovable Cloud offers one-click hosting with TanStack Start SSR. A standout in 2026 news: apps now work inside ChatGPT and Claude, plus Notion OAuth for app users—this shifts Lovable from a prototype tool to an integration node in your workflow. Orchids lacks any such active development, so feature parity is moot; for new builds, Lovable's speed of iteration and production-readiness win.
Pricing compared
Orchids' core pitch was zero extra cost—it piggybacked on your existing ChatGPT, Claude Code, Gemini, or GitHub Copilot subscription. That made it attractive for hackathons and indie makers who already paid for those tools. But there's no free standalone model; without an existing AI subscription, Orchids was useless. Moreover, the product is sunset, so any 'free' access is legacy-only with no support or updates.
Lovable uses a freemium model. You can start free, but to get predictable costs you'll use Plan Mode, which consumes 1 credit per message—so pricing scales with how many prompts you send. This is ideal for hobbyists and small MVPs, but high-traffic production apps may need upgrade for extra Cloud credits and enterprise features like AIUC-1 certification, security scanning, and publishing controls. In contrast to Orchids' 'bring your own AI' approach, Lovable bundles its engine and hosting, making per-message costs transparent but not zero. For a one-off test, free tier works; for a serious build, budget for credits.
Who should pick which
- Hackathon participant with existing ChatGPT subscriptionPick: Lovable
Orchids is discontinued (shut down July 18, 2026). Lovable is the active tool for this job.
- Product manager prototyping internal toolsPick: Lovable
Lovable's real-time prototype building and Plan Mode (1 credit per message) give predictable iteration costs, and recent enterprise features (AIUC-1, security scanning) make it safe for internal use.
- Founder launching an MVPPick: Lovable
One-click deploy to Lovable Cloud with TanStack Start SSR gets you live fast, and the self-improving Vent agent helps address production issues you'd otherwise catch late.
- Developer needing multi-format outputs (web + Slack bot + Chrome ext)Pick: Lovable
Orchids is discontinued (shut down July 18, 2026). Lovable is the active tool for this job.
- Marketer creating landing pages and lead capturePick: Lovable
Lovable's dropping screenshots as input and its Calendly connector simplify building and integrating lead-gen apps, with no code required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lovable vs Orchids: which should you choose?
Pick Lovable. Orchids is discontinued: the app builder, later renamed Bud, shut down on July 18, 2026 after Figma hired its team, and users had to export their code and redeploy elsewhere. Lovable is an active prompt-to-app builder with its own hosting. The comparison below is kept as a historical record.
Is Orchids still available?
No. Orchids (later called Bud) shut down on July 18, 2026 after Figma hired the team behind it. Lovable is an active alternative for building apps from prompts.
Can I still use Orchids after the sunset?
Officially, Orchids was sunset as of July 18, 2026. If you have a legacy instance, you can migrate projects by downloading ZIP archives, claiming Vercel deployments, or transferring Supabase databases—but there's no active support.
Does Lovable require me to have an existing AI subscription?
No, Lovable is freemium with its own AI engine. You don't need ChatGPT or Claude separately, though recent news says your built apps can be used inside those tools.
How does Plan Mode pricing work on Lovable?
Plan Mode costs 1 credit per message, giving you predictable spending. The free tier is limited, so for heavy iteration you'll need to purchase credits or upgrade.
Can either tool build a mobile app?
Orchids explicitly supports mobile (iOS/Android) app generation. Lovable's documented features focus on web apps; it doesn't mention native mobile output, so treat for web-only.
Which tool has better security for enterprise?
Lovable is the clear choice: it earned AIUC-1 certification (first coding agent platform), and its July 2026 roundup includes security scanning, reusable auth, and publishing controls. Orchids has none of these.
Can I run Lovable apps inside ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes, recent news confirms your Lovable apps work directly inside ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools—a unique integration not offered by Orchids.
More Lovable or Orchids comparisons
If you want to go from idea to working prototype in a single conversation, Lovable's chat-first approach is unmatched — you literally type and watch the app assemble. But if you need fine-grained visu
If you're a founder or PM who wants to turn an idea into a deployable app by chatting, Lovable is the fastest path — no code, one-click deploy, and connectors to data warehouses. If you're an engineer
If you're a founder or PM who needs a working web app today, pick Lovable—it turns chats into deployable full-stack apps with warehouse connectors, and its AIUC-1 certification adds trust. If your wor
If you want a transparent, credit-based builder with deep third-party connectors and a heavy-duty security cert (AIUC-1), Lovable is the safer bet. Emergent's pitch is broader—web + mobile with voice
If you're building data-heavy internal tools or need to query warehouses like Redshift, Lovable's new connectors and AIUC-1 security cert make it the safer bet. But if you want to talk your app into e
If you need a native mobile app with full code export and deep Firebase/Supabase control, FlutterFlow is your pick — it's a visual builder for Flutter that gets you to store-ready apps without lock-in
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Last reviewed: September 28, 2026