I Spent a Month Building Real Apps with Lovable - Here's What Actually Happened

I started with something simple: a customer relationship management system for a friend's consulting business. "Build me a CRM with client profiles, notes, and deal tracking," I told Lovable.

Holy shit, it actually worked. In about 2 hours, I had a working React app with:

• Clean user interface with Tailwind CSS styling that actually looked professional
• Supabase backend automatically configured with proper database schemas
• Client profile forms that actually saved data using Supabase's client library
• Basic authentication that didn't immediately break
• React components that followed decent UI patterns
• Form validation that handled basic input errors
• Database relationships properly configured

The first day was magical. I felt like I'd found the holy grail of development. My friend was impressed. I was already planning to ditch VS Code forever.

Week 2-ish: Reality Sets In

Then I needed to add CSV export functionality. This is where Lovable started showing its true colors. Any real CRM system needs data export capabilities.

Attempt 1: "Add CSV export for client data"
Result: It created a button that downloaded an empty file

Attempt 2: "Fix the CSV export - it should include all client data"
Result: Broke the entire client listing page with some bullshit React key error

Attempt... I think it was 4 or 5: "Please just make CSV export work with the client data we have"
Result: It worked, but removed all the filtering I'd built earlier

By the end of that second week, maybe day 10, I'd blown like 50-70 credits just trying to export some fucking data to CSV. I stopped counting precisely because it was depressing. The pattern was clear: every fix broke something else. This is a common problem with AI code generation and automated debugging.

The Authentication Nightmare

The real fun started when I tried to add role-based permissions. My friend needed his assistant to access client info but not financial data.

Lovable's solution? Remove all access controls entirely.

I asked it to fix user permissions and it literally deleted every security check in the codebase. Any logged-in user could now see everyone's data. When I asked why, the AI was basically like "this fixes the authentication error you were getting."

That's when I realized: this thing has no concept of security implications. It's optimizing for "make the error go away" not "keep the data safe." Maybe I was doing something wrong with the permissions setup, but fuck if I could figure out what. The React authentication patterns I knew weren't being followed at all.

Who This Actually Works For

After a month of testing, here's the honest breakdown:

Works great if you're:

• A developer who can debug AI mistakes quickly
• Building throwaway prototypes for demos
• Happy with 80% functionality and willing to code the rest yourself

Totally fucked if you're:

• A non-developer expecting it to "just work"
• Building anything that handles sensitive data
• Trying to ship something to actual paying customers

The marketing promises "anyone can build apps." That's bullshit. You need to understand React, databases, and authentication flows to have any chance of success.

After a month of testing three different project types, here's what actually works versus what will make you want to throw your laptop out the window.

After the CRM experience, I figured I'd try something harder: a simple e-commerce site for selling custom merchandise. This is where Lovable completely lost its shit.

The Stripe Integration from Hell

"Add Stripe payment processing to the product pages," I told it.

What I expected: A working checkout flow
What I got: 3 weeks of debugging nightmare

The AI confidently added Stripe, but:

• Checkout flow worked in development, died in production (classic dev vs prod environment issue)
• Order confirmation emails went to spam (when they sent at all) - no email delivery setup
• Inventory tracking broke every time someone made a purchase - basic database transactions were missing
• The AI kept "fixing" issues by removing error handling
• PCI compliance was completely ignored
• Payment intent handling was completely fucked

I spent way too much money trying to get payments working - probably 150-200 credits? Could've been more, the bills blur together when you're debugging Stripe webhooks at midnight. Each fix introduced new bugs. The AI was like "fixed the webhook!" and I'm thinking, what webhook? We didn't have proper webhook endpoints set up at all.

The Context Amnesia Problem

Here's the most frustrating thing: Lovable forgets what it built yesterday.

I'd spend like 40-60 credits getting user reviews working perfectly. Next day, I'd ask it to add a simple search filter, and it would just... forget. I'd ask for something simple and boom, half the site stops working. Then it would act like reviews never existed, rebuild everything from scratch, and the new shit would be totally different and break existing data.

Thing forgets what it built yesterday, like goldfish-level memory problems. And you're paying for its fuckups.

Performance Issues Nobody Talks About

The generated React code is... not great. My simple 10-product store was loading slower than Amazon. This is a known problem with AI-generated code and React performance.

Problems I found (I think):

• Unnecessary re-renders everywhere - Every state change triggered full page reloads
• No image optimization - The site was slow as shit, I think because it was loading huge images? Maybe 3-5MB product photos at full resolution?
• Database queries from hell - Fetching all users when displaying one order, or something equally stupid. Basic query optimization was completely ignored
• Zero caching strategy - Every page visit hits the database hard. Or maybe the database was fucked? Both?

When I asked Lovable to fix performance, it suggested adding loading spinners. That's like fixing your car's engine by turning up the radio. Proper React performance optimization was nowhere to be found.

The "Just Hire a Developer" Moment

Around day 18, maybe week 3 of this e-commerce nightmare, I finally had something working-ish:

• Took orders (sometimes)
• Charged cards (usually the right amount)
• Looked professional (until you clicked anything)
• Crashed under any real load

Showed it to my React dev friend. His response: "Dude, I could rebuild this properly in 2 days for what you've spent on credits."

That stung. I'd burned through $140-160, maybe more if you count that extra credit pack I bought in desperation, plus countless hours debugging to get 70% of a working store. By this point I was too tired to be properly angry.

Project 3: Task Manager - The Final Test

I gave Lovable one last chance with something dead simple: a team task manager. Just tasks, assignments, and due dates.

This one actually worked... until I needed team collaboration features. The moment I asked for real-time updates and notifications, the AI shit the bed completely. It tried to implement WebSockets, broke the entire app, then suggested I "just refresh the page manually."

The Brutal Truth About Lovable

After three real projects, here's what I learned:

It's amazing for the first few hours. You'll genuinely think you've found the future of development. The UI generation is impressive, the database setup is smooth, and you'll ship a working prototype faster than ever.

It falls apart when things get real. Security, performance, edge cases, complex business logic - this is where Lovable shows it's still just an AI that doesn't understand the implications of its code.

You're paying for AI mistakes. The credit system means every time the AI fucks up (which is often), you pay to fix its mistakes. It's like hiring a contractor who charges you for their screwups.

Non-developers will have a terrible time. The marketing says "anyone can build apps." That's horseshit. You need real development skills to debug the mess it creates.

Based on all this testing, here are the questions I kept asking myself - and the honest answers I wish someone had given me before I started.

The Real Cost of Using Lovable (Spoiler:

It's Not $25)

What They Tell You vs What You'll Actually Pay

Their marketing: "Build apps for just $25/month!"
Reality: That's just the entry fee to a very expensive casino.

The SaaS pricing model is classic freemium bait and switch.

Here's what happened to my credit card during a month of "cheap" development:

My Actual Spending Breakdown

**Week 1, maybe the first few days:

The Honeymoon**

• Pro Plan: $25/month

• Used like 70-90 credits building a CRM prototype, wasn't counting precisely

• Thought: "This is incredible value!"

**Week 2-ish:

Reality Bites**

• Needed more credits for bug fixes: I think +$25 for credit pack

• Hit daily limits during crunch time:

Frustration level = maximum

• Total so far: around $50

**Week 3, or maybe day 15:

The Spiral**

• E-commerce site eating credits like candy: +$40-60 more credits?

• Stripe integration breaking everything: +$20-30 more credits, could've been different amounts

• Starting to question my life choices:

Priceless

• Total so far: somewhere around $120-140

**Week 4, actually might've been earlier:

Acceptance**

• Gave up on the e-commerce site

• Built a simple task manager instead

• Still needed extra credits for basic features: +$20-25, who knows

• Final damage: between $140-170 for one month, I stopped tracking exactly

The Credit System Is Designed to Fuck You

Here's how they get you with classic dark UX patterns and predatory pricing:

The Bait: 100 credits sounds like a lot
The Reality: 100 credits disappears faster than free beer at a developer conference

Real credit consumption:

• Add a login form: sometimes 5 credits, sometimes 12, made no fucking sense

• Fix the login form when it breaks: like 10-20 credits (getting expensive)

• Fix the thing that broke when you fixed the login: anywhere from 15-30 credits (now we're talking real money)

• Restore the original login after the "fix" made everything worse: 20-35 credits depending on how badly it fucked up (this is where I started drinking)

What The Plans Actually Mean

The Free Plan gives you 5 messages per day

• enough to get frustrated, not enough to get anything done.

Plus unlimited public projects so everyone can see your failures.

The Pro Plan costs $25/month and gives you 100 credits. Sounds like a lot until you realize it disappears in 2-4 days of real development. At least you get unlimited private projects to hide your shame.

The Teams Plan is like $30-35/month and gives you a shared credit pool. So now your whole team can watch you burn through credits together. Misery loves company, I guess.

Then there's the Enterprise Plan

• "Call for pricing." Translation: if you have to ask, you can't afford it, and you probably shouldn't want it anyway.

Hidden Costs They Don't Mention

The Subscription Trap

Try canceling your subscription when you realize this isn't working.

Their cancellation process is more complex than filing taxes. I've heard of people getting billed for months after trying to quit.

The Upgrade Pressure
Hit your credit limit on a deadline? Too bad. Either upgrade your entire plan or wait until next month. No "just buy 20 more credits" option when you need it most.

The Debugging Tax
Every time the AI fucks up (constantly), you pay to fix its mistakes. It's like having a contractor who charges you every time they swing the hammer wrong.

What This Actually Costs vs Real Options

For a simple landing page, I spent around $40 with Lovable. A decent freelancer would charge $200-500 (more for good design), but you'd actually get something that works. Or spend 1-2 weekends with tutorials if you're feeling ambitious. Check freelancer rates and tutorial options.

Basic business app?

Plan on $70-220 depending on how much Lovable hates you that particular week. A freelancer wants $800-3500 but delivers working software. Learning to code yourself takes 2-4 months, assuming you don't give up and become a bartender. See app development costs and learning paths.

E-commerce site gets expensive fast

• $150-300+ and that's IF it even works (big if).

Freelancers charge $1500-6000 but understand Stripe webhooks.

My advice? Learn for 6+ months or just use Shopify and save yourself the pain.

The Real Value Proposition

Lovable is worth it if:

• You need a demo for investors next week

• You're a developer who can debug AI bullshit quickly

• You enjoy expensive, frustrating puzzles

• You have money to burn and patience to match

Just hire a fucking developer if:

• You need something that actually works

• You value your sanity

• You want to ship to real customers

• You do basic math and realize $500 for working code beats $200 for broken code

Bottom Line

The $25/month price is marketing bullshit.

Plan on spending $80-350 minimum for anything more complex than a landing page, and that's assuming you don't value your time or sanity at all.

For the cost of 4-6 months of Lovable subscriptions and the inevitable therapy bills, you could hire a decent freelancer to build something that actually works.

If you're still determined to try this yourself, here are the only resources that actually matter.