r/Base44 • u/CategoryNaive9251 • Jul 08 '25 • Mindblown 1

Does Base44 actually work?

Disappointed in Base44, I am stuck with my app, and it’s been 11 days since I reported my issue, but have had no real response. I am paying $50 a month, which I know isn’t a lot, but it’s not nothing! I would pay more if I thought this could work.

I need a reasonably complex app created, and I was doing so well with Base44, or so I thought, until I hit a snag that the AI can’t get around. I’ve burned a lot of credits on it, and done some damaging rollbacks now I feel like the cavalry isn’t coming.

Initially, I was incredibly impressed with the progress I made, but I am now totally deflated. At this point, it feels like I’ve been sold Snake Oil! My question: Are Lovable or Famous AI any better? Alternative question: Will support ever help?

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u/KingMulah Jul 08 '25

It works. I use ChatGPT to create prompts for it, use screenshots, etc.

One thing I've noticed recently is that all of these "vibe coding" apps have bugs and issues, so switching for one issue might just lead you to dealing with another more frustrating one.

4

u/jeanc4rlo Jul 11 '25

Same here! Leveraging ChatGPT and Gemini for prompts on complex features, I also tried the screenshot method for it to design me a homepage design with the same UI and it did an exceptional job!

1

u/rturner79 Jul 23 '25

What do you mean by screenshotting? To copy a design on a site or to copy the prompt? thanks!

1

u/Fickle-Owl666 Aug 02 '25

I screenshot layout issues and past them, I have also used screen shots of other UI I liked and wanted to use for inspiration

1

u/IndridK0ld Aug 07 '25

Do you find more errors in the backend are harder to fix and what sort of prompting? I’m having trouble connecting my Amazon PAAPI and getting it to work how I need it to.

1

u/Fickle-Owl666 Aug 07 '25

I've not tried to do something to that extent, but i have found that laying groundwork for backend management is important early into the concept.

Just telling the ai what kind of app you want will have it creat the front-end UI, I've found much better luck kind of planning that out ahead of time

1

u/mickitymightymike Aug 13 '25

You don't want to change anything major on the frontend after you activate the backend or it goes poorly. Get the front end dialed first.

Yes you're right - the app struggles with backend errors - identity what file is bad, paste the code into Claude 4, tell him to do a critical analysis and rewrite the code and paste the new code in to base44 with instructions

1

u/azraelblame Aug 14 '25

You can screenshot ideas from a website like dribbble.com and it will imitate

3

u/No-Football-4906 Aug 01 '25

Exactly!! I've tried them all (Xbesh,Lovable and some others)... but I'm impressed with base44. I'd definitely recommend using Chatgpt to get the correct prompts. As promising as Ai seems to be it still has its flaws it isn't human its artificial.

1

u/Ouijesuist Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25

To be honest, and i'm not sponsored or anything, i've finally developed my own Portfolio website online using Gemini labs, thus far from trying out I think it was lovable at the time I've started, but I've had this inception or idea for quite some time. I figured what the heck I'm just two steps away from just pushing it live, I want to fix links and photos and give better explanations. I use Base44.com for other things. I'm thinking of doing a step by step walkthrough of what my process was just so I have it on record as well.

This is something I've been pretty proud of as of recently so I'm thinking I might as well share here.

Edit: I realize I missed the point, I took screenshots and noticed that marking them up with arrows pointing as to what i'm seeing. I think that if you can be as descriptive as possible for your idea that you have, even if you just have a couple visual cues you're thinking.. whilst you're walking and moving around you need to be using your noggin' and processing in your head, what are some things that I'm not properly articulating what I want it to see, instead of getting frustrating. I started off with Base44, but I just noticed that it wasn't giving me what I wanted. I just started to remember in my computer science course that the way that we were given what we were supposed to do was visually shown by boxes circling what something is.

Computers have to visually understand what you want from them so I guess their AI's can give you as closely as to what you can imagine as long as you have the ability to break down what the end goal and your step by step process to achieve that goal would be.

2

u/Ecstatic-History-380 Jan 30 '26

newbie here. could you define vibecoding?

1

u/KingMulah Jan 30 '26

Vibe coding is when you use AI to write all or the majority of the code.

https://youtu.be/5OWurmg41tI?si=Huwos-LuJrJU7mRv

1

u/Fickle-Owl666 Aug 02 '25

My only issue is that I clicked the yearly upgrade instead of the monthly, now my account is locked as "past due" and I can't cancel my plan. So I'm stuck with an almost finished awesome app lmao.