Ample vs Lovable: where to host an app when you outgrow the builder | Ample

The short version

Lovable is the better choice when you want to describe an app in plain language and let Lovable build and host it on its fixed stack. Ample is the better choice when the code is in your own repository, written in any common framework, and a coding agent should deploy it with its own database, workers and storage.

Before you choose

Lovable builds every app on one stack (TanStack Start and a Supabase-based backend) and hosts it for you. Ample hosts whatever your repository contains. Many people build the first version in Lovable and later move the code to a repository their own agent works on.

Ample and Lovable side by side

Ample Lovable
Free plan $0 with no card. 2 apps running at once, 2 vCPU, 2 GB memory, 3 GB volumes, 1 GB bucket storage, 2 buckets. Free plan with daily build credits and a small monthly Cloud grant; no code download or custom domains.
Paid plans Custom plans priced on volume (number of apps, limits, spending caps). No public list price; see pricing. Pro from $25 a month for 100 credits; one credit balance pays for building and for running the app.
Spending limit Free has a hard budget ($5 a month, $2 a day). At the cap, apps stop serving until the account is back under budget; nothing is deleted and nothing is billed. Usage limits can block building or pause Cloud features; out of credits, data features pause until someone clicks "Wake up".
How apps run Each app runs as a normal long-running process in its own microVM with its own kernel. Front-end hosting with server rendering plus a built-in backend of Postgres and Deno edge functions.
Long-running servers and workers Yes. Web services and background workers (--kind worker) run as ordinary processes. No general long-running process; background work runs as scheduled jobs.
Languages Node, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Elixir, Rust and static sites, detected from the repository. One stack: TanStack Start (React) with TypeScript edge functions. Other frameworks are not offered.
Docker images No. Ample builds from source; Dockerfile build steps are not run. No.
Databases Managed Postgres, MySQL, Redis and MongoDB, each in its own microVM, created automatically when the code needs one. Managed Postgres per project; no MySQL, Redis or MongoDB.
Object storage S3-compatible buckets, optionally published through Ample's CDN. Cloud Storage buckets.
Persistent disk Persistent volumes attached to the app. None.
Custom domains and TLS Custom domains with automatic TLS. Custom domains on paid plans, with automatic HTTPS.
Regions No region choice. Backend region chosen once from Americas, Europe or Asia Pacific.
Scheduled jobs Scheduled jobs: a command or HTTP request on a cron schedule (any time zone) or interval, with retries and run history (ample job create). Scheduled jobs.
Agent access CLI, remote MCP server (OAuth), A2A endpoint and agent skills. Deploys are synchronous and return JSON with an exit code: 0 live, 1 failed, 2 needs input. MCP server and a Claude Code plugin that work through prompts to Lovable's agent; an existing repository cannot be imported.
Agent signup without a person Yes. ample auth signup creates an account with no browser, card or CAPTCHA; a person claims it by email within 48 hours. No documented agent signup.

Which one fits

Choose Ample when

Choose Lovable when

Run a Lovable app on Ample

  1. Get the code
    Connect Git sync (any plan) so Lovable pushes the project to a repository, or download the codebase on a paid plan.

  2. Decide where the backend lives
    The front end can move while the backend stays on Lovable Cloud: keep its Supabase URL and publishable key as environment variables. A full move means a Supabase project or rewriting auth, storage and edge functions for your own server.

  3. Deploy the front end
    Ample detects the build. TanStack Start apps run as a Node server; older React and Vite apps deploy as a static site.

    ample plan --write && ample up

  4. Point your domain
    Add the domain to the app, update DNS to the target Ample prints, and keep the old app running until the new one answers on the domain.

    ample domain add <app-name> www.example.com

Frequently asked questions

Can I host a Lovable app outside Lovable?

Yes. Sync it to Git, then deploy the repository to Ample. The front end runs unchanged if you keep the Lovable Cloud backend; leaving that backend too takes more work, described in Lovable's own export guide.

Does Ample build apps from a prompt like Lovable?

No. Ample hosts code; your coding agent writes it. Paste Ample's setup snippet into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor and it deploys what it built.

What does Ample cost for a Lovable app?

The Free plan runs 2 apps at once with a managed database and no card. It stops at a hard budget instead of billing.

Where these facts come from