Wix, the global website giant with over 200 million active users, is now officially in the vibe coding game. In June 2025, it acquired Base44 for $80 million in cash — a move that puts it head‑to‑head with Lovable in the race to dominate this new way of building apps. With Base44’s unusual backstory, technical strengths, and profit‑first mindset, Wix isn’t just entering the market — it’s aiming to lead it.
The Unusual Rise of Base44
Base44’s story is anything but typical in the startup world. Founded in early 2025 (!!!) by solo founder Maor Shlomo, it was self-funded (bootstrapped) from day one — no venture capital, no angel investors, no debt. In just six months, it went from launch to acquisition by Wix.
Before the sale, Shlomo owned essentially all of the company. The team was tiny — fewer than ten people — but the product was already pulling in $189,000 in monthly profit. That’s rare for an AI startup, especially one with heavy model costs.
Base44 vs. Lovable: Technical Advantages
Both Base44 and Lovable let you describe an app in plain English and get a working product — frontend, backend, hosting — without writing code. But Base44’s platform has some clear edges:
- Integrated backend: Role‑based permissions, authentication, and database are built in. Lovable uses Supabase, which is powerful but can require more manual setup.
- One‑shot generation: Base44 often delivers a near‑complete app from the first prompt, needing fewer AI calls to get to production. Lovable’s workflow is more iterative, which can mean more AI usage (and cost).
- Production‑ready focus: Base44 markets itself as ready for long‑term use, while Lovable leans toward rapid MVPs — Minimum Viable Products — for quick testing.
Different Revenue Models
Here’s where the business models diverge:
- Base44 uses a freemium model with a usage‑based credit system. Every plan includes a set number of AI generation credits. Heavy users either upgrade or buy more credits. This ties revenue directly to AI usage.
- Lovable uses tiered subscriptions, but its free tier can allow a lot of AI calls before monetization kicks in. That’s great for growth, but it can hurt margins and even lead to huge losses.
The Core Problem: AI Inference Costs
AI inference is the process of running a trained model to generate an output — every prompt you send to the AI costs money in compute power. For large models, those costs can add up fast.
If you give away too much free usage, you risk spending more on inference than you make back in revenue. That’s the trap many AI startups in the vibe coding area fall into.
How Base44 Stayed Profitable (and Why Lovable Isn’t)
Base44 avoided the trap by:
- Keeping the team lean.
- Using smaller, cheaper models where possible.
- Caching results to avoid repeat inference costs.
- Charging heavy users more through its credit system.
- Implementing “one‑shot” generation: first prompt often produces a complete app (=fewer AI calls per project).
On the other hand, Lovable’s conversational, step‑by‑step build process is more flexible but can rack up more inference cost. However, Lovable, is heavily VC‑backed (venture capital investors) and focused on growth. That means it can afford to run at a loss for now, even if inference costs are high.
The Wix Factor
Now that Base44 is part of Wix, it has access to a massive built‑in audience — over 200 million active users worldwide. That’s a huge distribution advantage. Imagine how many of those users might try vibe coding if it’s just a click away in their Wix dashboard.
In this way, Base44/Wix doesn’t need to chase new customers, like Lovable must do, to grow.
Could Wix Lead the Vibe Coding World?
It’s not hard to picture. Base44 already had the tech, the profitability, and the speed. Wix brings the reach, the brand, and the resources. Lovable is still a strong player, but it’s facing a competitor that can scale instantly without burning cash.
If vibe coding really is the future of app development, Wix just bought itself a front‑row seat — and maybe even the driver’s seat. The question is, will Lovable keep up?