NanoCorp vs Lovable (2026): Build an App or Run a Business?

Verdict: pick Lovable to build a specific app and stay in control of it; pick NanoCorp if you want an agent to keep working on the business after the build.

Start with a free founding interview to see what NanoCorp makes of your idea, then decide.

Pick NanoCorp if...

• You care more about the business than the software, and running it is the part you want to hand off.
• You want a site, a checkout, an email address and an agent ready together, without setting up separate accounts for each.
• You want to test several ideas. The Founder plan covers unlimited businesses, and they share one credit balance.
• You want to look at real businesses before you decide. The live feed shows them working, though what one business does is no promise about yours.

Pick Lovable if...

Lovable is the better choice in more cases than a page like this usually admits:

• You have a specific app in mind. Its docs list SaaS, internal tools, dashboards, marketplaces, consumer apps and simple games. If the result is not meant to be a business, NanoCorp is the wrong tool.
• You want to approve each step. Lovable says it does not create or change a campaign without your approval.
• You want the code on a small budget. Editing and full download start at $25 a month, against $120 a month for repository access on NanoCorp (as of November 4, 2026). You can also host the app elsewhere.
• Your sales are already meaningful. Lovable adds no fee to them. NanoCorp keeps 20% of what you withdraw, and that gap grows with your revenue.
• You want a free plan. Lovable has one, and NanoCorp does not.
• You work as a team. Lovable has shared workspaces with no per-seat price, plus SSO and role-based access on Business.
• You already sell on Shopify. Lovable builds stores connected to Shopify, and orders and inventory stay in Shopify's dashboard.
• You are a student. Lovable offers up to 50% off Pro for up to 12 months.

The real difference: what happens after launch

Lovable's own getting started guide describes a loop: you describe the app, review it, refine it in chat and publish. Later changes go live when you publish again. You are the one driving.

Lovable does more than building, and it would be unfair to call it only a builder. Its Growth tools help with search visibility, marketing content, outreach and ads. A goal run can work for up to 10 hours from one message, and scheduled jobs can run recurring tasks in your app. But the Growth tools page says Lovable prepares posts and messages for you to send, asks before publishing through a connected account, and "does not continually change campaigns on its own". We found no page describing an agent that decides on its next business task by itself, as of November 4, 2026.

NanoCorp starts from the other end. A short interview shapes your idea into a brief, and the business starts from there. Its agent then works in turns: when you message it, on its regular check-ins, and when a recurring task is due. It can work on the site, sell through the checkout, send and receive email, look for prospects, post from social accounts you connect and run an ad. You steer it by chat.

That comes with real trade-offs. You have less control over each step than in Lovable. The agent asks before its first public post from a connected account and asks you to confirm an ad budget raise, but it does not wait for approval on everything. No tool removes the owner either: you still choose the offer and judge the results. Our guide to what an AI-run business can and cannot do covers what stays with you.

Price and credits

All prices below are as of November 4, 2026. Check the price shown to you before paying.

Lovable. Free, Pro from $25 a month or $250 a year, Business from $50 a month or $500 a year, and Enterprise by contract. Pro and Business both start at 100 credits and go up to 10,000 by tier. Paid plans also get 5 daily build credits. Hosting and AI features inside your app draw on separate monthly grants, and then on your balance. Lovable says most small or new apps cost nothing to host, while apps with significant traffic may cost more than the grant. Monthly plan credits expire two months after they are issued.

NanoCorp. The Founder plan runs from $30 a month for 30 credits to $2,000 a month for 2,000 credits, and unused credits roll over. It includes unlimited businesses and custom domains.

A Lovable credit and a NanoCorp credit do not buy the same thing, so 100 against 30 is not a fair comparison. Lovable lists changing a button's color at 0.50 credits and a landing page with generated images at 2. On NanoCorp, every chat message and every scheduled run starts an agent turn that costs several credits, because the agent does more in one turn. So 30 credits will not last long if the agent runs many times a day. You can lower the runs a day or switch them off. If all you want is to build and edit, Lovable will likely cost you less.

Both bill work whether or not you like the result. Lovable's Terms say credits are used "regardless of the outcome", and on NanoCorp completed work is billed.

If you stop paying. Lovable moves you to its Free plan at the end of the billing period. On NanoCorp, your site stays up with a NanoCorp badge and nothing is deleted, but checkout closes, your custom domain is released and the agents stop until you subscribe again.

Getting paid

This is the row that costs NanoCorp the most in a fair comparison.

Lovable's payments page says it adds no extra fees, so you pay what the provider charges. Paddle is listed at 5.0% plus 50 cents per transaction, or a flat 10% under $10, and Stripe at its standard rates (as of November 4, 2026). Twenty sales of $50 through Paddle come to $1,000, with $60 in provider fees and nothing to Lovable.

NanoCorp keeps 20% of every withdrawal, so a $1,000 withdrawal sends you $800. Outside the US, currency and cross-border fees can also come out of that $800.

What you get in exchange is less setup. On Lovable, you go through a readiness check that asks for a privacy policy, terms and a refund policy, plus onboarding with the provider. With Paddle, the provider is the legal seller and handles the tax. With your own Stripe account, verification, payouts, taxes and disputes are yours to manage. On NanoCorp, the checkout comes with the business, and you only give your payout details the first time you withdraw. That is worth a lot to some founders and little to others, so run the numbers on the revenue you expect.

Ads and email

Lovable can research your market, prepare ads and set up tracking across more channels than NanoCorp. The ad account, its history and its billing stay yours with Google or Meta. If you already advertise, or want to keep that history, this is the better setup.

NanoCorp runs one traffic ad per business on Facebook and Instagram from its own ad account, so you never open one. You set a daily budget and ask the agent for changes in chat. It is simpler and narrower.

For email, each NanoCorp business has its own address, inbound and outbound. Lovable's built-in email covers login and app messages such as receipts, and says marketing email is not supported there. For campaigns, Lovable lists connectors such as Brevo.

FAQ

Is NanoCorp better than Lovable?

For building a specific app you control, no: Lovable is the more direct tool, with a lower entry price and easier access to the code. For having an agent keep working on a business after launch, we think NanoCorp fits better. We are biased, so try the same idea on both.

Is Lovable free?

Lovable has a Free plan with 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, as of November 4, 2026. It does not include code editing or new custom domains. NanoCorp has no free plan: the founding interview is free, and running the business takes the Founder plan.

How much does Lovable cost compared to NanoCorp?

As of November 4, 2026, Lovable Pro starts at $25 a month for 100 credits and Business at $50. NanoCorp Founder starts at $30 a month for 30 credits, up to $2,000 for 2,000. The credits measure different work, so compare what each one produces for your idea. Our SaaS without coding guide also compares Lovable with a no-code route.

Does Lovable take a cut of my sales?

Its payments page says no extra fees are added on top of Paddle or Stripe. NanoCorp takes 20% when you withdraw.

Can Lovable market my business?

It can help, on request. Growth tools cover search visibility, content, outreach drafts and ads, available on all plans, with your approval before publishing or changing campaigns. They do not run email campaigns or referral programs. On NanoCorp, marketing is part of what the agent works on during its regular runs.

Can I move a Lovable project to NanoCorp?

There is no one-click transfer, but you can go through GitHub. Lovable lets you sync your code to a repository, and you can then start a NanoCorp business from that repository, as a one-time copy of the code. Your database data does not come with it, so plan that move separately. A project on your computer can become a business with NanoCorp's command line tool.

Can I try both on the same idea?

Yes, and it is the best test. Build the idea on Lovable's Free plan, start the interview on NanoCorp, and compare what you get against what is left for you to do. New to the idea of a business run by agents? Start with what an autonomous AI company is.

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To evaluate NanoCorp for your idea, watch real businesses on the live feed, read current pricing or start a business.