# StackPilot

> StackPilot is a free AI tool picker for non-coders building their first app with AI ("vibe coding"). A user describes their app idea and answers three questions (budget, timeline, comfort with code); StackPilot recommends a builder, database, auth, payments and hosting, each with a one-line reason, plus an estimated monthly launch cost, a copy-paste starter prompt and a 7-step build plan. Recommendations are rule-based over a database of 25 real tools with prices checked on official pricing pages on 2026-10-15.

## Core pages
- [Stack picker](https://usestackpilot.app/#picker): interactive recommendation tool (free)
- [FAQ](https://usestackpilot.app/#faq): common questions about AI app builders and costs
- [Tool database (JSON)](https://usestackpilot.app/tools.json): every tool with category, pricing, free tier, difficulty, tags, official URL and verification note

## Guides and comparisons
- [Best AI stack for a booking app](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/booking-app/): A booking app for a yoga studio, salon, tutor or consultant where clients pick a time slot and pay online.
- [Best AI stack for a online store](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/online-store/): A small online shop selling physical or digital products, with a product catalogue, cart and checkout.
- [Best AI stack for a saas](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/saas/): A subscription web app (e.g. an AI writing tool, client portal or tracker) that charges a monthly plan.
- [Best AI stack for a mobile app](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/mobile-app/): An iPhone/Android app, such as a habit tracker, community or fitness app.
- [Best AI stack for a internal tool](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/internal-tool/): An app for your team: inventory, CRM, job tracker or staff directory, often starting from a spreadsheet.
- [Best AI stack for a marketplace](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/marketplace/): A two-sided marketplace (buyers and sellers, clients and freelancers) built without code.
- [Best AI stack for an AI chatbot app](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/ai-chatbot-app/): An AI assistant that answers questions about your documents, products or knowledge base.
- [Best AI stack for a membership site](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/membership-site/): A paid community, course or members-only content site with monthly plans.
- [Best AI stack for a directory site](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/directory-site/): A searchable listing site (local businesses, tools, jobs) that can earn from featured listings.
- [Best AI stack for a waitlist landing page](https://usestackpilot.app/best-ai-stack-for/waitlist-landing-page/): A one-page site that explains your idea and collects emails before you build.
- [Lovable vs Bolt: which AI app builder for beginners?](https://usestackpilot.app/compare/lovable-vs-bolt/): Lovable and Bolt.new both turn a chat prompt into a working app. Here's how they differ for a first-time, non-technical builder.
- [Cursor vs Replit for beginners](https://usestackpilot.app/compare/cursor-vs-replit/): Cursor is an AI code editor; Replit is a browser workspace where an AI agent builds and hosts your app. Which suits a beginner?
- [The cheapest stack to launch an app in 2026](https://usestackpilot.app/guides/cheapest-stack-to-launch-an-app/): Launch for about $1/month on verified free tiers.
- [All guides](https://usestackpilot.app/guides/)

## Newsletter & sponsors
- [The StackPilot Weekly archive](https://usestackpilot.app/newsletter/): weekly AI app builder news and price changes
- [Sponsor StackPilot](https://usestackpilot.app/sponsor/): sponsorship options; contact hello@usestackpilot.app

## Quick answers
- **What is StackPilot?** StackPilot is a free AI tool picker for non-coders building their first app with AI. Describe your idea, answer three questions (budget, timeline, comfort with code) and it recommends a builder, database, login, payments and hosting, with reasons, a monthly cost estimate, a starter prompt and a 7-step build plan.
- **What is the best AI app builder for complete beginners?** For most non-coders, Lovable is the easiest start for a full web app with a database and logins (free tier, Pro from $25/mo). Bolt.new is a good pick for mobile apps, v0 for landing pages, Glide for internal tools from a spreadsheet, and Bubble for complex marketplaces.
- **How much does it cost to launch a vibe-coded app?** Many first apps launch for $0 to $35 a month: one builder subscription (about $20 to $32/mo), free tiers of Supabase or Firebase, free hosting, and per-transaction payment fees only when you make sales. Plus about $12 a year for a domain.
- **Do I need to know how to code?** No. StackPilot recommends chat-based builders like Lovable, Bolt, v0, Glide and Bubble if you've never coded. It only suggests code editors like Cursor or Windsurf if you say you're comfortable with code.
- **Should I use Stripe or Lemon Squeezy?** Use Stripe (2.9% + 30c per US card charge) for bookings, physical goods and services. Use Lemon Squeezy or Paddle (5% + 50c) for digital products and SaaS subscriptions sold worldwide, because they act as merchant of record and handle sales tax for you.
- **How up to date are the prices?** Tool prices were checked against official pricing pages on 15 October 2026. Prices change often, so always confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.
- **Does StackPilot use affiliate links?** Some tool links may become affiliate links. That never changes which tool we recommend: the picks come from transparent rules based on your answers.

## Tools covered
- Lovable (builder): Free (5 build credits/day, up to 30/mo); Pro from $25/mo (100 credits), $21/mo billed annually. https://lovable.dev
- Bolt.new (builder): Free (1M tokens/mo, 300K/day); Pro $25/mo (10M tokens); Teams $30/member. https://bolt.new
- Replit Agent (builder): Free Starter; Core $20/mo ($18/mo billed annually); Pro $100/mo. https://replit.com
- v0 by Vercel (builder): Free ($0, 7 messages/day); paid team plan $30/user/mo incl. $30 credits; Business $100/user/mo. https://v0.dev
- Bubble (builder): Free plan; Starter Web $32/mo billed monthly or $29/mo annually (rising to $39 monthly / $32 annually from 20 Oct 2026). https://bubble.io
- Cursor (builder): Free (limited agent); Plus $8/mo (Grok models only); Premium $30/mo; third-party models billed at API price. https://cursor.com
- Windsurf (builder): Free; Pro $20/mo (up from $15 since 19 Mar 2026); Max $200/mo. https://windsurf.com
- Glide (builder): Free; Basic $25/mo (100 credits); Plus from $50/mo; Pro from $125/mo. https://www.glideapps.com
- Supabase (backend): Free (500 MB DB, 2 projects, pauses after 1 week idle, 50k MAU); Pro from $25/mo. https://supabase.com
- Firebase (backend): Free Spark plan; Blaze pay-as-you-go with free quotas (Firestore 1 GiB, 50K reads/day). https://firebase.google.com
- Convex (backend): Free & Starter (pay-as-you-go beyond free); Professional $25/developer/mo. https://www.convex.dev
- Neon (backend): Free (100 CU-hours/project, 0.5-1 GB/project); Launch pay-as-you-go, no monthly minimum. https://neon.tech
- Clerk (auth): Free Hobby up to 50,000 monthly retained users/app; Pro $25/mo ($20 annually). https://clerk.com
- Supabase Auth (auth): Included with Supabase: 50,000 MAU free; 100,000 on Pro. https://supabase.com/auth
- Firebase Authentication (auth): Free for email/social sign-in; 50K MAU free with Identity Platform; SMS billed per message. https://firebase.google.com/products/auth
- Stripe (payments): No monthly fee; 2.9% + 30c per successful domestic card charge (US). https://stripe.com
- Lemon Squeezy (payments): No monthly fee; 5% + 50c per transaction (merchant of record). https://www.lemonsqueezy.com
- Paddle (payments): No monthly fee; 5% + 50c per transaction (merchant of record). https://www.paddle.com
- Vercel (hosting): Free Hobby (personal, non-commercial only); Pro $20/mo. https://vercel.com
- Netlify (hosting): Free (300 credits/mo); Personal $9/mo; Pro $20/mo. https://www.netlify.com
- Cloudflare Pages (hosting): Free (static assets; Workers 100K requests/day); Workers Paid from $5/mo. https://pages.cloudflare.com
- Railway (hosting): Free ($1/mo usage credit); Hobby $5/mo incl. $5 usage; Pro $20/mo. https://railway.com
- Render (hosting): Free Hobby workspace + free web service (512 MB, sleeps when idle); paid compute from $7/mo. https://render.com
- Resend (extras): Free 3,000 emails/mo (100/day); Pro $20/mo for 50,000. https://resend.com
- PostHog (extras): Free 1M analytics events + 5K session replays per month, forever. https://posthog.com