Jig vs Base44
Base44 is an all-in-one builder with a backend, hosting and native mobile apps, billed in message and integration credits. Jig is a free desktop app that builds on your computer with your own AI and keeps every project in your git.
Facts about Base44 checked against its own pricing and documentation, as of November 2026. Last updated .
Choose Base44 if
- You want an app with a database and sign-in without setting up any backend
- You want to build from your phone with Base44’s iOS and Android apps
- You want hosting and a custom domain included
- You do not already have an AI plan or API key
Choose Jig if
- You already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want to use it instead of message credits
- You want apps that run anywhere, not tied to one vendor’s backend
- You want every project as a folder and git repository on your machine
- Your company needs AI it already approved and code in its own git
Base44 and Jig, side by side
As of November 2026. Prices in US dollars.
| Base44 | Jig | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | In the browser and in Base44’s native apps, on Base44’s servers. | A desktop app on your own computer: macOS, Windows or Linux. Projects, preview and history stay on your machine. |
| Whose AI does the work | Base44’s AI, metered in message credits. On Builder and above, “bring your own agent” connects Claude Code, Cursor or Codex to the app’s cloud sandbox. | The AI coding assistant you already have: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or opencode for other models. Companies can use Claude through Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI or Microsoft Foundry. Claude Code has the deepest integration today. |
| Pricing model | Message and integration credits. Billed annually: Starter $16, Builder $40, Pro $80 and Elite $160 a month. Enterprise is custom. | The builder is free. Optional Pro and Enterprise plans add backups and organization features. Jig never charges for AI; your provider bills usage directly. |
| Free plan | Yes: 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month, up to 5 apps. | Yes, the full builder. How much you can build depends on your AI plan or API key, not on Jig. |
| Use an AI plan or key you already pay for | Partly: “bring your own agent” on Builder and above works inside Base44’s sandbox. The docs do not say how that usage is billed. | Yes. A Claude plan or Anthropic key through Claude Code, a ChatGPT plan or OpenAI key through Codex, or Gemini, OpenRouter, Groq or local Ollama models through opencode. Gemini works with an API key, not a Gemini app subscription. |
| Your code | Standard React and Vite apps using the Base44 SDK. Two-way GitHub sync on Builder and above. | A plain folder and git repository on your disk from the first minute, with a checkpoint commit for every change. Push to GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Gitea or any git server. |
| Hosting | Built in, with custom domains on Starter and above. | Not included. Publish to your own Netlify account, download a zip of the built site, or use a Dockerfile. Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages and Azure Static Web Apps are coming. |
| Database and sign-in for your app | Built-in database, sign-in, functions and analytics on every plan. | No hosted backend. Your app can use services you choose, such as your own Supabase project, with keys kept in your OS keychain. |
| Working together | Comments, branches and a canvas view. | Through git: push to a shared repository and a teammate continues in Jig with the full history. No real-time co-editing. |
| Devices | Browser, plus native iOS, Android and Mac apps. | Desktop only. The preview can show phone and tablet sizes, but Jig itself does not run on phones or in a browser tab. |
| Company controls | Enterprise plan with SSO and advanced security. | A machine-wide policy file deployed with MDM (allowed AI, git hosts, publish targets, private-only repositories), a local audit log, proxy and certificate support. Single sign-on and an admin dashboard are coming. |
Sources for Base44, checked November 2026. Plans and limits change often; check the vendor’s site before you buy.
How Jig is different
Base44 bundles everything, including the backend your app runs on. Jig bundles nothing you do not already own.
- Your AI, billed onceJig drives Claude Code, OpenAI Codex or opencode on your computer with your own plan or key. No message credits.
- No vendor backend inside your appBase44 apps use the Base44 SDK and backend. Jig apps are plain projects that use the services you choose, such as your own Supabase.
- Your folders and your gitEach project lives on your disk with a checkpoint for every change and pushes to the git server you already use.
- Controls for ITA machine-wide policy file, a local audit log, keys in the OS keychain and Claude through Bedrock, Vertex AI or Foundry.
- What Jig does not haveA built-in backend, hosting and native mobile apps for building. Setting up a database is up to you and your AI.
Questions people ask
Does Base44 let me use Claude Code or Codex?
Base44’s “bring your own agent” connects Claude Code, Cursor or Codex to an app’s cloud sandbox on Builder plans and above. Jig instead runs those assistants on your own computer, with your project as a local folder.
Will a Base44 app run outside Base44?
Base44 apps are React and Vite projects that use the Base44 SDK and backend, so running them elsewhere means replacing those parts. Check Base44’s docs for your case.
Is Jig easier than Base44?
Base44 is easier to start: nothing to install and the backend is ready. Jig asks for a desktop app and an AI assistant, and in return the project and the AI bill are yours.
Can I build from my phone with Jig?
No. Jig is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux. The preview can show phone sizes.
Try Jig next to Base44. It's free.
Jig is free for macOS, Windows and Linux. Describe the app, approve the plan, watch it appear in the preview.
Free for macOS, Windows and Linux.
- A desktop computer. macOS, Windows or Linux. Jig is not a phone or browser app.
- An AI coding assistant or an API key. Claude Code with a Claude plan, OpenAI Codex with a ChatGPT plan, or opencode with a Gemini, OpenRouter or Groq key, or local models through Ollama.
- Nothing else to pay Jig for AI. Your AI provider bills your usage directly, the way it already does.
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Further reading
All postsStop paying twice for AI: build apps with the subscription you already have
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How to build internal tools with AI as a team: keep every app in company git, use your approved AI, review before production, and stop building alone.
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Why IT keeps saying no to AI app builders, and what would make them say yes
AI app builder security, from IT’s side: shadow IT, data on vendor servers, keys in chat and no visibility. What an approvable tool looks like, point by point.
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