The short answer
Lovable gives every account 5 free credits per day. On the free plan those daily credits are capped at 30 per month. New users who sign up through an eligible invite link receive 10 bonus credits.
Subject to Lovable's referral terms. Existing accounts cannot claim the signup bonus retroactively. I receive 100 bonus credits if you purchase your first Pro or Business subscription through this referral. Plan mode costs and credit grants come from Lovable credits and usage.
That is enough to go from an empty screen to a published app with a shareable URL. It is not enough to build a full SaaS product in one sitting, which is why the section below on spending fewer credits matters more than the bonus itself.
How Lovable credits actually work
Credits are the single currency for everything: building, planning, backend usage, and AI calls.
Nobody can promise you an exact credit number for a project. Cost depends on scope, complexity, and how many times you iterate. Anyone quoting you a fixed figure for "building a SaaS" is guessing. You can watch your own balance by hovering the credit bar next to your workspace name.
How to claim the 10 bonus credits
Open the invite link
Use the invite link on this page. The bonus 10 credits attach to accounts created through an invite, so open it before you register.
Create your account
Sign up with email or Google. No payment details are needed for the free plan.
Check your balance
Click your workspace name in the top left, then hover the credit bar. You should see your daily credits plus the bonus.
Spend them on one real thing
Do not scatter credits across five half ideas. Pick one small app, build it, publish it. A finished tiny app teaches more than four abandoned ones.
Six ways to spend fewer credits
The bonus credits help. Prompting well helps more. These are the habits that stretch a free plan the furthest.
Write one detailed prompt instead of six vague ones
Every follow up costs credits. Describe the page, the sections, the data, and the style in a single prompt. Vague prompts create rework, and rework is where free plan users burn out.
Use plan mode for thinking, build mode for building
Plan mode costs 1 credit per message, plus any additional subagent research costs, so it is the cheap place to argue with yourself about structure. Switch to build mode once you know what you want.
Batch related changes together
Ask for the header, footer, and nav in one message rather than three. Three separate small builds cost more than one grouped one.
Never use build mode to review
Reading, checking, and asking what happened are questions, not builds. Keep them out of expensive build sessions.
Use the try to fix button for errors
It does not consume credits. Reach for it before you start manually describing a bug.
Add the backend only when you need it
Database, auth, and AI calls draw from the same credit pool. Prototype the interface first, then wire up data once the shape is settled.
If prompting is the part you want to get better at, the vibe coding prompt library has copy paste prompts that are already specific enough to avoid most rework.
What you can realistically build with your first credits
A landing page with a hero, features, pricing table, and FAQ is comfortable. A habit tracker with local storage is comfortable. A link in bio page, a small portfolio, a calculator, a recipe list, a booking request form that stores submissions: all of these fit inside a free plan month if you prompt tightly.
What does not fit is a multi role marketplace with payments, messaging, and an admin dashboard. That is not a criticism of the free plan, it is just scope. Start small, publish something real, then decide whether a paid plan is worth it based on your own experience rather than a review.
When it is worth upgrading
Upgrade when you hit the same wall three days in a row. Usually that means you have a project with real users, you need a custom domain, or you are stopping mid feature every afternoon because the daily allowance ran out. If you want the full breakdown of tiers before deciding, read Lovable pricing explained, and if you are still comparing builders, the Lovable alternatives comparison covers where each tool wins.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lovable free to use?+
Yes, there is a free plan. You get 5 free credits per day, capped at 30 credits per month on the free plan. That is enough to build and publish a small working app, test an idea, or follow a tutorial from start to finish. You do not need a card to start.
How do I get free Lovable credits?+
Two ways. First, the free plan gives you daily credits automatically. Second, signing up through an invite link gives you a one time bonus of 10 extra credits on top of your daily allowance. The invite link on this page is mine, so I earn usage credits if you later subscribe, and you get the bonus either way.
What is a credit in Lovable?+
A credit measures the AI work done for you, and there is no fixed rule that one prompt equals one credit. Plan mode costs 1 credit per message, plus any additional subagent research costs. In build mode, cost is usage based and depends on how complex the change is and how much of the app it touches. A tiny copy tweak costs far less than generating a full dashboard with a database.
Do unused credits roll over?+
Daily build credits do not roll over. Unused monthly subscription credits on paid plans do roll over while your subscription remains active, subject to their expiry date: two months after issue on monthly subscriptions, and one month after the annual billing period ends on annual subscriptions. Usage specific grants follow their own rules. So on the free plan the smart move is building in short daily sessions rather than saving up for one big push.
Can I buy more credits?+
Paid plan users can buy extra credits at any time from Settings, then Plans and credits. Free plan users need to upgrade to a paid plan first before buying credits.
Does the free plan include hosting?+
Yes. Free projects get a live public URL you can share immediately. Custom domains and hiding the Lovable badge require the Pro plan.
Are there refunds on credits?+
Lovable's terms generally make subscription fees non refundable, except where applicable law requires otherwise. Paid-plan users can contact Lovable through its support form for a billing issue or refund review, but a request does not guarantee a refund. Statutory consumer rights still apply.
Is there a student discount?+
Yes, Lovable runs a student program with discounted access. Check lovable.dev/students with your school email to see if you qualify.