Is Base44 Free? Where The Free Tier Stops For E-commerce

Is Base44 free? If you’re taking a closer look at its pricing, there are two things you should know. First, yes: Base44 offers a free plan that lets you build, preview, and even publish a storefront without paying a cent.

Second, there’s a catch: payment processing isn’t available on the free tier, so your store might look ready for customers, but you’ll need to upgrade to the Builder plan before you can actually start selling, which allows you to connect Stripe or enable Base44 Payments.

In this guide, I’ll break down what Base44’s free plan includes, how its credit limits work, and which features require an upgrade. I’ll also look at what it actually costs to launch a working e-commerce store, so you know what you’re getting into before spending a dime.

What Base44’s Free Plan Includes (and What Needs A Paid Plan)

As you can see, Base44’s free plan gives you enough to build and test a basic storefront, including hosting, a database, and user logins. That said, you’re limited in how much you can build with AI each day, and most importantly, you won’t be able to accept payments, which is a clear struggle for sellers.

Upgrading to Starter ($20/month billed monthly) gives you more credits, unlimited apps, and a custom domain, but it still doesn’t unlock payment processing, so it isn’t really a solution.

Now, if you’re looking to use Base44 for e-commerce, Builder is the real starting point: at $50/month (billed monthly), it’s the first plan that lets you connect Stripe or use Base44 Payments, along with more advanced store features.

Check out our full Base44 review for a closer look at what the tool can (and can’t) do for e-commerce.

How Far Do 25 Free Message Credits Go?

Base44’s free plan gives you 25 message credits per month, which you use whenever you ask the AI to build, edit, or improve your app. But there’s another limit to keep in mind: you can only use 5 credits per day. Once you hit that daily cap, you’ll have to wait until midnight to keep building, even if you have monthly credits left.

Now, here’s the tricky part (and suddenly this feels like Monopoly, but with AI credits): one message doesn’t necessarily equal one credit. Base44 calculates credit usage based on how much work the AI needs to do.

According to its official Credits documentation, here’s roughly what different tasks cost:

• Simple visual or text change: ~0.5 credits.
• Improving a small feature: ~1 credit.
• Adding a complex module: ~2 credits.
• Large-scale or app-wide changes: ~3–4 credits.
• Asking a question in Discuss mode: ~0.3 credits.

These are estimates, not fixed prices. The actual cost is calculated after each action, so you won’t know exactly how many credits you’ve spent until the AI finishes working. On the bright side, manual changes in the visual editor don’t use credits, so you can adjust text, layouts, and other visual elements without draining your allowance. 

One last thing that might catch you off guard: fixing errors with AI also costs credits on the Free plan. Both the “Resolve with AI” option and automatic error fixes count toward your allowance, even when you’re fixing something that went wrong during the building process. On paid plans, automatic AI fixes are free.

The bottom line? Spend your credits wisely, plan your prompts carefully, and ✨may the credits be ever in your favor✨.

Can You Accept Payments On Base44’s Free Plan?

No, you can’t accept payments on Base44’s free plan. While you can build and preview your storefront, design product pages, add product information, and set up a database, you’ll need to upgrade before you can process any transactions.

Here’s where the limitation kicks in. Base44 offers two built-in payment processing options: Stripe and Base44 Payments (powered by Wix and limited to eligible businesses in only 12 countries, including the US, but it’s not really a universal feature). Both alternatives are only available on the Builder plan and above. 

And how much does that cost? Well, Base44’s Builder plan starts at $40/month billed annually, or $50/month if you prefer monthly billing. 

Keep in mind that this doesn’t include payment processing fees. Both Stripe and Base44 Payments charge 2.9% + $0.30 for standard US domestic card transactions, although rates vary by country and payment method.

Note: You can install Stripe on a Free account, but that doesn’t mean you can start accepting real payments. Base44 lets you set up Stripe in a test environment before connecting your live account, but you’ll need Builder to activate payment processing for your store.

So, you can build your e-commerce store for free, but selling is another story. Once you’re ready to move beyond designing and testing your storefront and start collecting money from customers, upgrading is unavoidable. 

What Integration Credits Mean For A Store

While message credits cover building your store, integration credits cover what happens when people actually use it. Think of them as the fuel that keeps certain features running, from sending emails to uploading files or generating images with AI. 

According to official documentation, here’s what those actions cost (again, these are just estimates):

• Sending an email: 1 credit.
• Sending an email from a custom domain: 2 credits.
• Uploading a file: 1 credit.
• Reading or updating your database: Free!

Let’s see how that translates to a practical case. On the Free plan, you get 100 free integration credits, meaning you could theoretically send around 100 order confirmation emails or upload 100 product images in a month, assuming nothing else uses those credits. Of course, actual order emails require a working checkout, which isn’t available on Free. 

This is just an example to illustrate how quickly credits can add up. To put it into perspective, the Builder plan offers 250/month message credits and 10,000/month integration credits.

And here’s why that matters: when you run out of integration credits, the features that depend on them stop working. To make matters worse, customers may see a generic error message without any explanation that you’ve run out of credits (which, to be fair, would be a little embarrassing to explain 😅).

Does The Free Plan Expire Or Reset Each Month?

No, Base44’s free plan doesn’t expire. You can keep using it for as long as you like without entering your credit card details. However, your credits aren’t unlimited, and they follow a regular reset schedule (just like they do on every plan).

Here’s how it works:

• Daily credits: Your 5-credit daily allowance resets at midnight. Once you’ve used all 25 monthly credits, you’ll have to wait for the monthly reset to keep building. 
• Monthly credits: Your 25 message credits and 100 integration credits (included with the Free plan) renew each month. Any unused credits expire rather than rolling over, and this applies to paid plans as well. So, there’s no point saving them up for a future building marathon. 
• Paid plans: Credits reset on the same day each month that you subscribed. For example, if you signed up on October 10, your next reset would be November 10.

There’s also one detail worth keeping in mind: credits are shared across all apps in the same workspace. So, if you’re experimenting with three different storefronts, they’re all drawing from the same allowance.

And what if you upgrade? Normally, unused credits don’t roll over, but Base44 makes one exception: when you move to a higher monthly plan, unused credits can carry over for one additional billing cycle, up to the equivalent of one month’s allowance. This doesn’t apply to upgrades involving annual plans or bonus credits.

So, there’s no ticking clock on your free account. You can take your time building and experimenting, as long as you’re willing to work within the credit limits.

When A Store Has To Leave The Free Tier

For sellers working on Base44 on the free plan, the real question is when to upgrade. Here are four signs that you’ve outgrown Base44’s free plan:

1. You want to accept real payments. There’s no workaround for this: you’ll need the Builder plan or higher to process transactions through Stripe or Base44 Payments.
   
2. You want your own domain and no Base44 branding. The Starter plan is enough to connect a custom domain and remove the Base44 badge, giving your store a more professional look.
3. You’re expecting real customers. Actions like sending order confirmation emails and uploading files consume integration credits, and the Free plan’s 100 monthly credits won’t get you very far as your store grows.
4. You need backend functions or want to export your code. These features, including GitHub integration, require Builder or higher and give you more control over your store.

The bottom line? Base44’s free plan is enough to build a storefront, play around with your ideas, and decide whether the tool is right for you. But the moment you’re ready to charge your first customer, you’ll need to upgrade to Builder, starting at $40/month when billed annually. 

What A Live Store Costs After The Free Tier

Let’s put it all together: how much does it actually cost to run an e-commerce store on Base44? You have the Builder plan, the payment processing fees, and a custom domain to account for. 

Say you’re running a US-based store, make 100 sales at $30 each during your first year, and purchase a .com domain separately. In that case, expect around $600-$700/year. Here’s how your costs break down:

Here’s where those extra costs come from:

• Payment processing fees: As mentioned above, for standard US domestic card payments, Stripe and Base44 Payments charge 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. On a $30 order, that’s $1.17 in fees, or $117 across 100 orders. Just keep in mind that rates vary by country and payment method, so always double-check.
• Custom domain: I used Cloudflare’s listed .com registration price, which is around $10, with the same annual renewal rate.

Note: Base44 offers a free domain for the first year with eligible paid plans, which could remove this expense during the first year. After that, renewal costs depend on your domain provider. 

Of course, this is just an illustrative example. It doesn’t include inventory, shipping, marketing, taxes, or additional services you might need. 

Shopify, A Base44 Alternative For Lower Costs

If keeping costs down is your main priority, a dedicated e-commerce builder may be cheaper to launch. For example, Shopify offers a three-day free trial, followed by just $1/month for the first three months. That’s a pretty affordable way to get started. After that, Shopify Basic costs $39/month (billed monthly) or $29/month (billed annually). 

Using our earlier example of 100 orders at $30 each, that’s $132 less per year than Base44 Builder, including standard US payment processing fees on both platforms and excluding the introductory offer.

Of course, Shopify isn’t completely free of extra costs. Shopify Payments still charges 2.9% + $0.30 per standard US online card transaction. Still, when you compare the subscription costs and built-in e-commerce features, getting started on Shopify can be a more affordable option.

The trick is to compare the total cost of getting a working store online, including checkout, payment fees, domains, apps, and any additional tools, rather than looking at the subscription price alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Base44 completely free to use?

Yes, Base44 offers a free plan that never expires and doesn’t require a credit card. However, how far you can go without paying depends on what you want to build. You can create, customize, and publish apps for free, but certain features, like accepting payments through an e-commerce store, require a paid plan.

What do you get on Base44’s free plan?

Base44’s free plan includes 25 monthly message credits, 100 integration credits, and up to five apps. You also get built-in hosting, a database, user authentication, analytics, and a free Base44 subdomain. That’s enough to build and test a basic storefront, but not to start selling.

Can you accept payments on Base44’s free plan?

No, you can’t accept payments on Base44’s free plan. While you can design your storefront and configure its features, accepting real payments through Stripe or Base44 Payments requires the Builder plan or higher. The Free plan is better suited for prototyping than running a live e-commerce business.

How many message credits does the free plan include?

Base44 gives you 25 message credits per month, with a maximum of 5 per day. Keep in mind that different AI requests consume different amounts of credits depending on their complexity, so 25 credits don’t necessarily mean 25 prompts.

At what point do you need to upgrade to sell on Base44?

You’ll need to upgrade to Builder ($40/month billed annually or $50/month billed monthly) when you’re ready to accept your first customer payment. If you only want a custom domain or more building credits, the cheaper Starter plan may be enough, but it doesn’t unlock payment processing.

Does the free plan expire or reset each month?

Base44’s free plan never expires, but its credit allowances reset regularly. The daily message credit limit resets at midnight in the workspace owner’s time zone (or UTC if no time zone is recorded), while monthly message and integration credits refresh each month. Unused credits don’t roll over to the next month.

Final Verdict: Base44 Is Free to Build, But Not to Sell

So, is Base44 free? Yes, but only up to a point. The Free plan is great for building and testing your e-commerce store, but Builder is where actual selling begins. And don’t forget about those credit limits, which can sneak up on you even after upgrading. 

If you’d rather skip the credit-counting game altogether and launch with a free, quick, beginner-friendly store builder, meet BuildYourStore: it generates a ready-to-sell Shopify store in minutes, including a template, product pages, 10 winning products from your niche, and a free .store domain. You can build your store for free to check it out.

Here are a few articles you might find useful:

• Shopify Trial: What’s Free And What Costs Extra
• Framer AI Review: Can It Run an Ecommerce Store?
• How to Find Dropshipping Suppliers You Can Trust

Written by:

Lola Rainero

Lola has focused on crafting high-impact content for B2B SaaS companies in the e-commerce and dropshipping space since 2019. With a strong background in digital marketing, she creates strategic content that helps dropshippers and business owners thrive at every stage of the funnel—from generating awareness to driving conversions. She translates complex software features into clear, actionable insights, helping online retail brands connect with their audience and stand out in competitive markets.

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