No-code apps · checked 2026-10-13

Can I vibecode Bubble?

KINDA· weekend project

Nobody needs a second Bubble: its whole point is building an app without writing code, and a coding agent now writes that code for you. So the realistic replacement is your app as ordinary code on a server you control, and the prompt below gives an agent the pieces Bubble hands you: data types, generated pages, sign-up for your users, workflows on events and on a schedule, and an API. Expect a weekend for that base and more sessions to port a real app, because Bubble lets you export the data but not the pages or workflows. You give up the visual editor, the plugin marketplace and hosting that scales without you.

$32/moprice

$384you'd save a year

weekendbuild time

—people replaced it

Before you start

What you need on hand.

DifficultyAdvanced · Real infrastructure or OAuth work.

TimeA weekend for the base; porting a real app takes more sessions

Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt; porting works best in many small sessions.
Node.js 22better-sqlite3 and argon2 compile native modules, so build tools must be installed.
A VPS and a domainFor the live app; a $5–10 server handles a small one.
Exports of every data typeCSV or JSON from Data > App data, one file per type.
Screenshots of your pages and workflowsThe agent rebuilds the logic from these, because Bubble has no code export.

Before you buildBubble's free plan can't host a live app, so plan the move: export, rebuild, run both side by side, then cancel.

1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.

The prompt

Build me a small app platform to replace Bubble for my own projects, where data
types in a schema file become pages, an API and workflows. Requirements:

- Node.js 22 + TypeScript: Fastify with server-rendered EJS pages, htmx for partial
  updates and Pico CSS for styling. `npm start` serves the app on port 4900.
- schema.yaml declares data types and fields (text, number, yes/no, date, option
  set, file, reference, list of references). On start, create or migrate tables in
  better-sqlite3 at ./data/app.db. Never drop a column; print a warning instead.
- For every type: a list page with search and pagination, a detail page, a
  create/edit form validated from the schema, and REST endpoints under /api/:type.
- Users: sign-up, login and password reset by email (argon2 hashes, sessions in
  SQLite, nodemailer with SMTP from .env). Privacy rules per type in schema.yaml:
  who may view, create, edit and delete (anyone, logged in, owner, admin).
- Workflows in workflows.yaml: triggers (record created, field changed, daily at a
  set time) and actions (set a field, create a record, send an email, POST to a
  webhook). Log every run to a table shown at /admin/runs.
- Files: uploads go to ./data/files/ with size and type limits from the schema.
- Importer: load a Bubble CSV or JSON export per type, keep Bubble's unique IDs so
  references between types survive, and print a report of skipped rows.
- No telemetry and no outside services except SMTP. Out of scope: a visual page
  editor, plugins and native mobile apps.
- README: how to add a type, how to deploy behind Caddy, and a nightly SQLite backup.

Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.

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Then keep going

Next prompts, same folder.

The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Bubble.

Add a Bubble Data API importer to the app platform in this folder. Requirements:

- Read BUBBLE_APP_URL and BUBBLE_API_TOKEN (an admin token) from .env.
- For every type in schema.yaml, page through /api/1.1/obj/<type> with the
  cursor parameter, 100 records at a time, and upsert by Bubble's unique ID.
- Download every file field into ./data/files/ and rewrite the URLs, so nothing
  points at Bubble's storage after I cancel.
- Dry-run mode prints counts per type without writing.
- Update the README with how to enable the Data API in Bubble (Settings > API).

Help me port Bubble workflows into the app platform in this folder. Requirements:

- Read my notes and screenshots from ./bubble-notes/, one folder per workflow.
- For each, write the equivalent in workflows.yaml, or a TypeScript handler in
  ./workflows/ when YAML can't express it, and list any step you had to guess.
- Add a test per workflow that creates sample records and checks the result.
- Never change schema.yaml without asking first.
- Keep a PORTING.md checklist of done and remaining workflows.

Add Stripe payments to the app platform in this folder. Requirements:

- Read STRIPE_SECRET_KEY and STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET from .env; start with test-mode keys.
- A /billing page sends a logged-in user to Stripe Checkout for a subscription
  price set in .env.
- A webhook endpoint verifies the signature and sets the user's plan field on
  checkout completion and subscription cancellation.
- Privacy rules can require plan = paid.
- Update the README with the Stripe CLI command for testing webhooks locally.

What you lose

The visual editor: every change goes through the agent or the code
The plugin marketplace and ready-made API connectors
Native iOS and Android builds from the same project
Managed hosting, scaling and restore points
Bubble's AI page generation, templates and community answers

Why people still pay

Founders who don't code pay because Bubble lets them build, change and host a real product without hiring anyone. Leaving means a rebuild, since only the data comes out, so the more logic an app holds, the cheaper the monthly bill looks next to a rewrite, even as workload units make it harder to predict.

Moatswitching costs execution polish integrations

Do the math

Bubble or your own copy?

Over

Your usage

Count my time12h ×$/h

Bubble, 1 yr$384

Your own copy, 1 yr$83running + build session

You keep$302pays for itself in the first month

Estimate · A $5–10 VPS hosts a small app, or nothing extra on a server you have. Transactional email fits in free SMTP tiers at low volume. Building the base and porting a real app are several agent sessions, so expect more token usage than a one-sitting build.

Leaving Bubble

Take your data, then cancel.

1 · Take your data out of Bubble

1In the editor, open Data > App data, pick a data type, set the view to show every record and field, click Export and choose CSV, JSON or NDJSON. Bubble emails a download link when it's done.
2Repeat for every data type: each exports separately, and references come out as Bubble unique IDs.
3For a scripted copy, enable the Data API under Settings > API, expose each type, and page through /api/1.1/obj/<type>.
4Paid plans can also download the app as a .bubble JSON file from Settings > General. It only imports back into Bubble, so it's a backup, not code.

2 · Cancel Bubble

1Open the app in the editor and go to Settings > App plan.
2Click Cancel plan, or Change plan and select Free, then fill in the cancellation form and confirm.
3Alternatively, open the chat icon on any bubble.io page while logged in and ask the support bot to cancel.

Plans belong to apps, not accounts: cancel each app's plan separately.
Untick Enable overages under Settings > App plan first. A cancelled app can stay live until the period ends, and overages in that time are billed.
Downgrading to Free drops the live version and the custom-domain connection, so point DNS at the new app before you cancel.
Bubble's help articles disagree on whether cancelling takes effect at once or at the end of the period; read the summary in the cancellation form before confirming.

Checked 2026-10-13 against Bubble's docs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These are already free.

SaltcornOpen sourceMIT-licensed no-code builder for database apps with views, forms, user roles and public pages, on your own server.★ 2.1k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗BudibaseOpen sourceApps, forms and automations on its own database or yours; GPLv3, aimed mostly at internal tools.★ 28k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗AppsmithOpen sourceDrag-and-drop admin panels and dashboards over databases and APIs, under Apache 2.0.★ 41k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗

All 5 free alternatives to Bubble ›

The numbers

Bubble pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual, per month	What you get
Free	$0	$0	Development version only (no live site or custom domain), 50K workload units a month, 1 editor, 6 hours of server logs, 500 AI credits.
Starter	$32	$29	Live site on a custom domain, 175K workload units a month, 2 days of logs, basic version control, 1,000 AI credits.
Growth	$134	$119	250K workload units, 2 editors, 14 days of logs, premium version control, two-factor login, 2,000 AI credits.
Team	$399	$349	500K workload units, 5 editors, 20 days of logs, 25 branches, sub-apps, scheduled deployments, 4,000 AI credits.
Enterprise	custom	—	Custom workload units, choice of hosting region, SSO, dedicated support.

Free tier: 50K workload units a month and 1 editor; the app stays in development mode with no live version, and overages can't be enabled.
Billing: Monthly or yearly (up to 20% off). Every plan covers one app, so two live apps need two plans.
Hidden costs: Server work is metered in workload units. Past the plan's allowance you either buy a workload tier in advance or pay overages, which can be switched off; the pricing page sends you to a separate table for the rates, and 2026 guides report $0.30 per 1,000 units. Extra file storage is $3 per 100 GB a month, and many marketplace plugins carry their own subscriptions.
Source: bubble.io

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Questions

Bubble, briefly

Not answered here? Tell us and we'll add it.

Ask a question ›

Free lets you build and test with 50K workload units a month, but the app can't go live.

Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: The visual editor: every change goes through the agent or the code, The plugin marketplace and ready-made API connectors.

About $32 a month on the Starter (web) plan, $384 a year (checked 2026-10-13).

The visual editor: every change goes through the agent or the code; The plugin marketplace and ready-made API connectors; Native iOS and Android builds from the same project; Managed hosting, scaling and restore points; Bubble's AI page generation, templates and community answers. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.