JOYLO VS BUBBLE
Joylo or Bubble.
Which AI app builder is right for you?
Pick Bubble if you'd rather build by hand, with 8,000 plugins ready to drop in. Pick Joylo whether you're a founder launching your first app or a growing team with a busy roadmap. Bubble hands you the tools, with 24/7 support and experts for hire. Joylo hands you an engineer working inside your project. Buy the hours Joylo recommends, and its written Production Guarantee covers getting you live, even if the work runs over. Conditions and exclusions apply.
THE SHORT ANSWER. FOUR DIFFERENCES THAT MATTER.
What's the difference between Joylo and Bubble?
- A stuck app on Joylo gets its own engineer.Through Expert Assist, a certified, in-house engineer works in your project, and the first response comes within 24 hours. Help costs $500 for 10 hours. Bubble's own team answers by email and chat 24/7 on every plan, with an AI bot replying first. For hands-on help, you hire an agency or freelancer from Bubble's Experts directory.
- Buy the recommended hours, and your launch becomes Joylo's job.We agree what needs fixing with you, then recommend the hours for it. Once you buy those hours, the written Production Guarantee puts Joylo in charge of getting and keeping that agreed scope live. Joylo pays any overrun itself. Conditions and exclusions apply. Bubble doesn't publish a launch promise or an uptime figure, and its subscriptions can't be refunded.
- Every part of a Bubble app is yours to drag and drop.Screens, layouts and the rules behind them are edited visually, no code in sight. So when the AI hits its limits, you step in and keep going. Joylo works the other way round. You build by chatting, and when a detail needs a nudge, you click it in the preview and adjust it in a side panel.
- 8,000 plugins add features to a Bubble app.Bubble and independent developers build them, from Stripe and PayPal to OpenAI, Anthropic's Claude, GitHub and Figma. If a service isn't covered, the API Connector links to it. On Joylo, AI comes built in. Its Universal AI Key lets your app call AI models without an AI provider account. Nine connectors come ready, and anything else takes your own API key.
TWO BUILDERS. TWO DIFFERENT JOBS.
What is each builder made for?
Bubble suits people who like to build by hand. You switch between AI prompts and visual editing, and shape every screen and rule yourself. Joylo suits non-technical founders and small businesses who want a real working app, and a person to turn to when the AI gets stuck.
Joylo
Joylo starts with a plain-English description and turns it into a working web app, complete with sign-in, a database and payments. The code is yours, so with your permission, a developer can connect VS Code or Cursor to the project and keep building. And if users suddenly can't log in and another prompt won't fix it, choose "Engage an Expert" inside your project. Approve access, and one of Joylo's in-house engineers replies within 24 hours and gets to work on the fix. Want the launch itself guaranteed? Agree the scope, buy the hours Joylo recommends, and Joylo puts that promise in writing. Conditions and exclusions apply.
Bubble
Start with a prompt and Bubble builds a web app or a phone app, with the database and hosting included. Before it builds, its AI suggests a list of features you can change. After that, you can keep asking its AI Agent, still in beta, or open any screen or rule and drag it into shape. Phone apps go to the App Store and Google Play straight from the editor. A paid plan is needed to go live, because Free is for building and testing.
How does Joylo pricing compare to Bubble?
Going live costs less on Joylo. Solo Builder is $25 a month, while Bubble's cheapest live plan, Starter, is $32 for web apps or $69 with phone apps, billed monthly. Bubble's Free plan is for building and testing only. Joylo has a Free plan too, plus a $1 Trial for the first month. Further up, the two sell different things. Bubble's Growth and Team plans add server use and app editors, at $134 and $399 a month for web apps, billed monthly. Joylo's Starter adds a team workspace for $50 a month, and Co-Build buys 40 to 160 engineer hours for $3,000 to $6,000 a month.
What does each Joylo plan include?
You own the app on every Joylo plan, and every paid plan lets you push its code to your own GitHub and use your own domain. Free, the Trial, Solo Builder and Starter are plans you manage on your own, and Starter adds a team workspace. With Co-Build, the building is done by a named Joylo engineer, for 40, 80 or 160 hours a month. Credits, apps and storage for each plan are in the table below.
| Free | Trial | Solo Builder | Starter | Co-Build 40 | Co-Build 80 | Co-Build 160 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $0 | $1 first month, then $25 | $25 | $50 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| AI credits | 30 first month, then 10 / month | 100 (first month) | 100 / month | 250 / month | 400 / month | 800 / month | 1,600 / month |
| Apps | 3 public | 10 private | 10 private | Unlimited private | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Storage | 1 GB | 5 GB | 5 GB | 10 GB | As Starter | As Starter | As Starter |
| Custom domains | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Team workspace | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Team members | Just you | Just you | Just you | Unlimited, no seat fee | Unlimited, no seat fee | Unlimited, no seat fee | Unlimited, no seat fee |
| Roles and basic analytics | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Engineering hours | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | 40 / month | 80 / month | 160 / month |
| Engineer response | 24 hours (Expert Assist) | 24 hours (Expert Assist) | 24 hours (Expert Assist) | 24 hours (Expert Assist) | 4 business hours | 4 business hours | 2 business hours |
| Production Support | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Advanced included | Advanced included | Advanced included |
If you build on your own, start with Solo Builder at $25 a month. Move to Starter at $50 once other people need to work in the app with you. Co-Build is a different purchase, because a named engineer builds the app for you.
- Team members. Unlimited and free, with no per-seat charge, in a team workspace. A team workspace comes with Starter ($50 a month) and the Co-Build plans. Free, Trial and Solo Builder are single-user plans.
- Every plan includes app ownership and the AI Confidence Score. Every paid plan, from the $1 Trial up, adds export to GitHub, version control, credit top-ups, removing the Joylo badge and free standard migration.
- The Free plan has no expiry date. The $1 Trial gives you Solo Builder for your first month, then renews at $25. There is no annual billing. All plans are monthly.
- Co-Build 160 adds a dedicated developer, a part-time business analyst, executive reporting and custom integrations.
What do the engineer plans cost, and what do you get?
Expert Assist puts a Joylo engineer on your app for $500 for 10 hours, on any plan, with a first response within 24 hours. For bigger jobs, a named engineer builds the app on Co-Build. It costs $3,000 for 40 hours, $4,000 for 80 or $6,000 for 160 each month. Bubble doesn't publish an engineer service of its own. Its Experts directory lists agencies, freelancers and coaches, and each one handles their own scheduling and payments. That's why the table below lists Joylo alone.
| Expert Assist | Co-Build 40 | Co-Build 80 | Co-Build 160 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $500 for 10 architect hours | $3,000 | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| Engineering hours | Hours are bought in blocks of 10. Self-serve plans can use up to 20 hours a month | 40 / month | 80 / month | 160 / month |
| How it works | Choose "Engage an Expert" inside your project. A Joylo engineer works in your project to fix an issue, finish a feature or help you launch | A named Joylo engineer builds the app for you. You meet 30 minutes, three times a week | ||
| First response | Within 24 hours | 4 business hours | 4 business hours | 2 business hours |
| AI credits included | Your plan's credits | 400 / month | 800 / month | 1,600 / month |
| Production Support | $299 or $999 a month | Advanced included | Advanced included | Advanced included |
| Extra engineering | $500 for 10 architect hours | Fixed $500 blocks | ||
| Also included | Chat with the engineer inside the project, follow tasks on a board and see the hours logged | No extras listed | No extras listed | A dedicated developer, a part-time business analyst, executive reporting and custom integrations |
| Written guarantee | Buy the engineering hours Joylo recommends for an agreed scope, and Joylo guarantees that scope goes live. Joylo pays for any overrun. Conditions and exclusions apply | |||
Work out how many hours your app needs before you pick. Expert Assist is capped at 20 hours a month on the self-serve plans. If you need more, Co-Build gives you 40, 80 or 160 hours a month, a faster first response and three 30-minute meetings a week.
What does each Bubble plan include?
Every Bubble plan, Free included, has a built-in database, 24/7 support and Bubble Academy. Billed monthly, Starter, Growth and Team cost $32, $134 and $399 a month for web apps, or $69, $249 and $649 with phone apps. A phone app on its own starts at $49 a month on Starter, billed monthly. Enterprise is priced on request. The table below shows what each plan adds.
| Free | Starter | Growth | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price, web apps | $0 | $32 | $134 | $399 |
| Monthly price, web and phone apps | $0 | $69 | $249 | $649 |
| Yearly price | Not applicable | $29 a month for web apps, $59 with phone apps, billed yearly | $119 a month for web apps, $209 with phone apps, billed yearly | $349 a month for web apps, $549 with phone apps, billed yearly |
| AI credits | 500 / month | 1,000 / month | 2,000 / month | 4,000 / month |
| Workload units (server use) | 50K / month | 175K / month | 250K / month | 500K / month |
| Extra server use | Not available | $0.30 per 1,000 units | $0.30 per 1,000 units | $0.30 per 1,000 units |
| App editors | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Database records | 200 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| File storage | 0.5 GB | 50 GB | 100 GB | 1 TB |
| Live app and custom domain | No. Build and test only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remove Bubble branding | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phone app builds for the app stores | None | 5 / month | 10 / month | 20 / month |
| Two-factor login for your app's users | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Human engineer | Not available | Not available | Not available | Not available. Agencies and freelancers from Bubble's Experts directory are hired separately |
| Refund | Not applicable | Subscriptions are non-refundable. Cancelling a yearly plan early doesn't end what you owe for the year | ||
Bubble's plans grow with server use, app editors and phone app builds, the things a busy app and a growing team use up. Joylo's higher plans add engineer hours. That shows who each one is built for.
What do the add-ons and services cost?
Extra capacity is what Bubble sells on top of its plans. On Starter, Growth and Team, more server use costs $0.30 per 1,000 units and more file storage $3 per 100 GB a month. AI credits you buy last up to 6 months. Joylo's add-ons buy engineer time instead, through Expert Assist, a $2,000 fixed-price complex migration or Production Support from $299 a month. The table puts them side by side.
| Service | Joylo | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Expert Assist | $500 for 10 architect hours. First response within 24 hours. | Not available |
| Standard migration | Free on every paid plan, from the $1 Trial up. | Import a Figma design for free. Bubble doesn't publish a way to bring in an app from another builder |
| Complex migration | $2,000 fixed price. You buy it, our engineers do the work. No charge if it doesn't work. | Not available |
| Production Support, Essential | $299 a month. 24/7 automated monitoring, next-business-day engineer response. | Not published. Bubble's support team answers 24/7 on every plan |
| Production Support, Advanced | $999 a month. Adds security patching, monthly restore tests and 4-hour engineer response. | Not published |
| Extra live apps on Production Support | $199 per app per month, beyond 3 apps. | Not applicable |
| Extra Co-Build engineering | Fixed $500 blocks. | Not available |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing. | Custom, contact sales. A choice of hosting location, single sign-on, a dedicated support team and a SOC 2 report |
Most of Joylo's add-ons buy an engineer's time, while Bubble's extras buy more server use, storage and AI credits. If you want someone watching your app after launch, read the Production Support rows.
How do Joylo and Bubble compare at a glance?
Engineer help and keeping your code are Joylo's strong points. It has its own engineers and export to your own GitHub, with changes flowing both ways. For an agreed scope, a written launch promise also gets you live once you buy the hours it recommends. Bubble's strengths are different. It offers yearly billing that saves up to 20%, 8,000 plugins and a support team 24/7. Each of the 20 rows below gives both answers.
| Feature | Joylo | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Access to a human engineer | Yes. Joylo's own engineers, from inside your project | No. 24/7 support, plus agencies and freelancers from Bubble's Experts directory you hire separately |
| Written guarantee | Production Guarantee: buy the hours Joylo recommends for an agreed scope and Joylo gets it live, paying any overrun. Conditions and exclusions apply | Not published. Subscriptions are non-refundable, and no uptime figure is published |
| Starting price | Free at $0, or $1 for the first month on the Trial. Paid plans from $25 a month. | Free at $0, or Starter at $32 a month for web apps, billed monthly |
| Paid plans | Solo Builder $25, Starter $50, Co-Build $3,000 / $4,000 / $6,000 a month | Starter $32, Growth $134, Team $399 a month for web apps, or $69, $249 and $649 with phone apps, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Yes, $0, with 30 AI credits in the first month, then 10 a month, and 3 public apps | Yes, $0 with no time limit, for building and testing. Going live needs a paid plan |
| Billing | Monthly, fixed price, no long-term contract, 30-day money-back on paid plans | Monthly or yearly (yearly saves up to 20%), cancel any time. Subscriptions are non-refundable |
| How usage is charged | AI credits for building, changing and publishing. Hosting for live apps is covered by your monthly renewal. No separate hosting bill. | Workload units for server use, then $0.30 per 1,000 units on paid plans. AI credits for Bubble's AI features. Hosting included |
| Builds | Full-stack web apps; design-only screens; mobile apps built with Expo, published to the App Store and Google Play | Web apps and native phone apps from one project, published to the App Store and Google Play |
| Built in | Sign-in, Postgres database, Stripe payments, file storage, AI key for your app | Database, file storage, a security dashboard and 8,000 plugins, including Stripe and OpenAI |
| Hosting and domains | No separate hosting bill. Published apps always on and a custom domain on all paid plans. Free-plan apps sleep when idle | Bubble hosting only, on AWS, included. Custom domain on paid plans |
| Team members | Unlimited, no seat fee, on Starter and Co-Build | 1 app editor on Free and Starter, 2 on Growth, 5 on Team |
| Code ownership | You own the full app on every plan | Bubble's terms say you keep the rights to your content. The app runs only on Bubble |
| Code export | Export to your own GitHub on every paid plan, from the $1 Trial up, with two-way sync | No. Bubble doesn't export your app as code. You can export your data at any time |
| Tech stack | React, Node, Postgres. No proprietary runtime. | Bubble's own visual platform, with no code to see or edit. Hosted on AWS |
| Who the engineers are | HST Solutions, Dublin, since 2007. HST is certified to ISO 27001 and ISO 22301. | Not applicable. Bubble is made by Bubble Group, Inc., based in New York |
| Engineer price | $500 for 10 hours (Expert Assist), or 40–160 hours a month on Co-Build | Not applicable |
| Engineer response | Within 24 hours (Expert Assist); 4 or 2 business hours (Co-Build) | Not applicable. No reply time is published for support |
| Engineer hours | 9am to 5pm GMT, Monday to Friday | Support team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Migration in | Free standard migration on paid plans; $2,000 fixed price for complex moves, done by our engineers | Import a Figma design. Bringing in an app from another builder isn't published |
| App check | AI Confidence Score on every plan | A security dashboard flags exposed API keys and missing privacy rules before you put the app live |
Want help when something breaks? Read the engineer lines first. If you want to build and test for free with no time limit, look at the free plan line, because that's where Bubble wins.
STUCK? BRING IN AN ENGINEER.
What happens when your app gets stuck?
An app your revenue depends on cannot run on a prompt box alone. APIs change. Payment gateways break at 2am. Every fix the AI makes can add new bugs. That is the moment most builders leave you to find a freelancer. Joylo's answer is a certified in-house engineer, inside your project within 24 hours, backed by a written Production Guarantee: buy the hours Joylo recommends for an agreed scope, and Joylo takes responsibility for getting it live. If the estimate runs over, Joylo pays the difference. Conditions and exclusions apply. To start, choose "Engage an Expert" inside your project.
- Launch is guaranteed, in writing.Buy the engineering hours Joylo recommends for an agreed scope, and Joylo guarantees that scope goes live. Joylo pays for any overrun. Conditions and exclusions apply.
- Who they are.Joylo's engineers are its own in-house team, not freelancers. Joylo's engineers come from a team that builds software for regulated businesses, such as fund groups, banks and insurers.
- You stay in control.Engineers see your code only after you approve access. Nothing merges without your approval. Chat with the engineer inside the project, follow tasks on a board and see the hours logged.
- What it costs.$500 for 10 architect hours. Hours are bought in blocks of 10. Self-serve plans can use up to 20 hours a month.
- Rather not build it yourself?A named Joylo engineer builds the app for you: 40, 80 or 160 hours a month. You meet 30 minutes, three times a week.
CODE YOU OWN. TAKE IT ANYWHERE.
Who owns the code you build?
Of the two, only Joylo lets you take your app's code with you. You own the full application on every Joylo plan and, on paid plans, can push it to your own GitHub, where changes flow both ways. Bubble's terms say you keep the rights to your content, and your data exports at any time. The app itself stays on Bubble, though, because Bubble doesn't export it as code.
Joylo
- Ownership. You own the full application on every plan. No lock-in.
- The code. React front end, Node API and a Postgres database. No proprietary runtime or client SDK. Any developer can pick it up.
- Hosting. It runs on AWS, Azure, GCP or your own servers.
- Export. On paid plans, from the $1 Trial up, push the project to a new or existing GitHub repository, private or public. After export, changes sync both ways, with help resolving conflicts.
- Moving in. Import from Lovable, Replit, Bolt or your own GitHub repository. Standard migration is free on paid plans. Complex migration: $2,000 fixed price. You buy it, our engineers do the work. No charge if it doesn't work.
Bubble
- Ownership. Bubble's terms say you keep the rights to your content, and Bubble keeps the rights to the platform it runs on.
- The code. There's no code to see or edit. You build and change everything in Bubble's visual editor.
- Hosting. Bubble hosts your app on AWS, and Enterprise lets you choose the location. Bubble doesn't publish a way to host it anywhere else.
- Export. Bubble doesn't export your app as code, but you can export your data at any time. If the company ever closes, Bubble has committed to release its platform's code as open source.
- Moving in. Import a Figma design and Bubble turns it into screens you can edit. Bubble doesn't publish a way to bring in an app from another builder.
How do Joylo and Bubble compare feature by feature?
Plenty is shared. Both turn a description into an app, and both can show you a plan before they build. Each comes with a database, sign-in, Stripe payments, Figma import and publishing to the App Store and Google Play. From there, they head in different directions. Joylo opens up the code, with a built-in editor and terminal, VS Code or Cursor access and two-way GitHub sync. When you need a person, Joylo's own engineers step in. And once you buy the hours Joylo recommends, its Production Guarantee covers an agreed scope. Conditions and exclusions apply. Bubble stays visual, with drag and drop for every part of the app. It adds 8,000 plugins, and its Team plan runs security tests on a schedule. Every feature is in the rows below, grouped by task.
| Feature | What Joylo does | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Build with AI | ||
| Describe it in plain English | Type or speak what you want. You can attach images or files as a reference. | Yes. Describe your idea and Bubble's AI builds the screens, the rules and the database |
| Plan first, or build straight away | In Plan mode Joylo shows its plan and waits for your approval. In Build mode it goes ahead. | Yes. Bubble's AI suggests a list of features you can change before it builds |
| Three kinds of project | App: a full working web app. Design: screens only, which can be turned into an app later. Mobile: a phone app. | Web apps and native phone apps, sharing one database in one project |
| Choice of AI model | Pick which AI model does the work. | Not published for Bubble's own AI. Your app can connect to OpenAI, Anthropic and others through plugins |
| Power mode | The AI reviews its own code, runs visual tests and fixes what it finds. | Not published |
| Built-in backend | ||
| Database | Each app gets its own Postgres database, set up automatically. | Built-in database: 200 records on Free, unlimited on paid plans |
| Sign-in | Joylo Sign-in adds Google and GitHub login to your app without you setting up a login provider. | Email and password sign-up and Apple login built in. Google, Facebook and LinkedIn login through Bubble's own plugins |
| Payments | Connect your own Stripe account to a project. Joylo then builds the payment flows. | Stripe and PayPal through plugins |
| Storage | Space for your apps' files: 1 GB on Free, 5 GB on Trial and Solo Builder, 10 GB on Starter. | 0.5 GB (Free), 50 GB (Starter), 100 GB (Growth), 1 TB (Team). Extra space is $3 per 100 GB a month |
| AI inside your app | A Universal AI Key lets the apps you build call AI models without your own AI provider account. | Connect OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI services through plugins or the API Connector |
| Your own keys | Add your own API keys and settings to a project. | Yes, entered in each plugin or in the API Connector |
| Preview and mobile | ||
| Live preview | See the app running in your browser as it is built. | Yes. Phone apps preview inside the editor, sized to the phone you pick |
| Mobile app preview | Mobile projects are built with Expo. Scan a QR code with the Expo Go app to open the app on your phone. | Open the app on your phone with the BubbleGo app |
| Publish to the App Store or Google Play | Mobile apps are published to the App Store and Google Play through Expo. | Yes, submitted from the Bubble editor. Paid plans include 5 to 20 builds a month |
| Sleep when idle | While you are building, an unused preview goes to sleep. Published apps on paid plans stay on. Free-plan apps sleep when idle. | Not published |
| Editing | ||
| Change it by chat | Ask for changes in plain English, one message at a time. | Yes, the AI Agent, in beta, adds features and helps fix problems |
| Visual editor | Click an element in the preview and edit it in a side panel. | Yes. Drag and drop every part, from the screens to the rules behind them |
| Code editor and terminal | Browse and edit the files, and use a terminal, in the browser. | No. Bubble is visual only, with no code to edit |
| Use your own editor | Connect VS Code or Cursor to the project over SSH. | No. There's no code to open in another editor |
| Figma import | Paste a Figma link, or use the Joylo plugin, and Joylo builds from the design. | Yes, a free Figma converter, up to 1,000 elements per file |
| App check (AI Confidence Score) | Scores the app out of 100 across security, reliability, integrations, scalability and code quality, and lists what to review. | A security dashboard flags exposed API keys and missing privacy rules before you put the app live |
| SEO and AI search check | Reviews your pages for search and AI-search issues, then fixes them with AI. | SEO settings you fill in yourself, like a sitemap, social share previews and redirects. An automatic check isn't published |
| Publish and hosting | ||
| Publish to a live web address | Publish in a few clicks to a Joylo web address. | Yes, on a paid plan, at a bubbleapps.io address. Free is for building and testing |
| Custom domain | On paid plans, point your own domain at a published app. You buy the domain from a registrar. | Starter and up |
| Hosting included | Hosting is included in your plan, not a separate bill. Publishing uses credits upfront, from about 58 credits, and your monthly renewal covers hosting for apps already live. Published apps on paid plans are always on. | Included, on Bubble's servers on AWS. Server use is counted in workload units: 50K a month on Free, up to 500K on Team |
| Live apps stay live | Hosting for a live app is covered by your monthly renewal. If you run out of credits mid-month, new builds pause until your reset or an optional top-up, but live apps keep running. | Bubble emails you at 75% and 100% of your server use. Past that, extra use costs $0.30 per 1,000 units on paid plans |
| Remove the Joylo badge | Hide the Joylo badge on your app, on paid plans. | Remove Bubble branding on Starter and up |
| Team workspace | ||
| Team workspace | A shared space for projects, members, billing and credits. Starter and Co-Build | Each app has its own editors. Growth and Team add branches, so people can work side by side |
| Unlimited members, no seat fee | Invite people by email. There is no member limit and no per-seat charge. Starter and Co-Build | No. 1 app editor on Free and Starter, 2 on Growth, 5 on Team, custom on Enterprise |
| Roles | Owner, Admin, Editor or Viewer for each member. Starter and Co-Build | Not published |
| Require two-step login | The workspace owner can require two-factor authentication for every member. Starter and Co-Build | Not published |
| Share a project | Share a link to a project or its preview. | Add app editors, up to your plan's limit |
| Code ownership and export | ||
| You own the app | You own the full application on every plan. | Bubble's terms say you keep the rights to your content. Bubble keeps the rights to the platform |
| Standard stack | React front end, Node API and a Postgres database. No proprietary runtime or client SDK. | No. Bubble's own visual platform, with no code to take with you |
| Export to GitHub | On paid plans, push the project to a new or existing GitHub repository, private or public. | No. Your data exports at any time, but your app doesn't export as code |
| Two-way GitHub sync | After export, changes sync both ways, with help resolving conflicts. | Not available |
| Bring an app from elsewhere | Import from Lovable, Replit, Bolt or your own GitHub repository. Standard migration is free on paid plans. | Figma designs only. Bringing in an app from another builder isn't published |
| Integrations (connectors) | ||
| Connectors | Stripe (payments), Joylo Sign-in (login), Universal AI Key (AI in your app), GitHub, Figma, Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, email by SMTP. | 8,000 plugins, including Stripe, PayPal, OpenAI, Anthropic's Claude, Google tools, GitHub and Figma, plus the API Connector for other services |
| Human engineers | ||
| Expert Assist | Choose "Engage an Expert" inside your project. A Joylo engineer works in your project to fix an issue, finish a feature or help you launch. Add-on on any plan | Not available. Bubble's Experts directory lists agencies and freelancers you hire yourself |
| Fixed price | $500 for 10 architect hours. Hours are bought in blocks of 10. Self-serve plans can use up to 20 hours a month. | Not available |
| Response time and hours | First response within 24 hours. Engineers work 9am to 5pm GMT, Monday to Friday. | Support by email and chat, 24/7, with an AI helper answering first. No reply time is published |
| Work you can see | Chat with the engineer inside the project, follow tasks on a board and see the hours logged. | Not applicable |
| Approval before access | Engineers see your code only after you approve access. Nothing merges without your approval. Published policy | Not applicable |
| Co-Build | A named Joylo engineer builds the app for you: 40, 80 or 160 hours a month. You meet 30 minutes, three times a week. | Not available. Agencies and freelancers in the Experts directory can build it, hired and paid separately |
| Production Support | 24/7 automated monitoring, with engineers acting during business hours. $299 or $999 a month. Add-on | Not published. A dedicated support team on Enterprise |
| Production Guarantee | Buy the engineering hours Joylo recommends for an agreed scope, and Joylo guarantees that scope goes live. Joylo pays for any overrun. Conditions and exclusions apply. Written terms | Not available |
| Billing and credits | ||
| Fixed monthly price | Each plan has a fixed monthly price. Billing is monthly only. No long-term contract. | Monthly or yearly, and yearly saves up to 20% |
| AI credits | Credits pay for building, changing and publishing. The monthly allowance resets each month. Unused monthly credits do not roll over. | 500 to 4,000 a month for Bubble's AI features. Building the first version of an app uses none. Monthly credits don't roll over |
| Top-ups | Buy more credits at any time on a paid plan. | Buy extra AI credits. They roll over until they expire, 6 months after you buy them |
| Free plan and Trial | Free plan at $0, with 30 AI credits in the first month and 10 a month after that. Or the Trial: $1 for the first month with 100 credits, then it renews as Solo Builder at $25 a month. | No priced trial. Starter starts with a free trial, and the Free plan has no time limit |
| Promo codes | Enter a promo code at checkout. | No promo codes published. Students and nonprofits get a discount on all plans |
| Money-back guarantee | Paid plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee. | No. Subscriptions are non-refundable |
| Security | ||
| Two-factor login | Add an authenticator app to your Joylo account. | Not published for your Bubble login. Growth and up can add two-factor login to the app you build |
| Sign in with Google, GitHub or Microsoft | Use an existing account to log in to Joylo. | Google, or email and password. Single sign-on on Enterprise |
| Role-based access | Roles control what each team member can do. Starter and Co-Build | Not published |
| GDPR | GDPR-ready. A data processing agreement is available on request. EU-only hosting is available on request. | GDPR, with a data processing agreement, on every plan |
| Certifications | GDPR-ready. Engineering by HST Solutions, which holds ISO 27001 and ISO 22301. | SOC 2 Type II compliance on every plan (Bubble's stated claim). A SOC 2 report on Enterprise |
| What Bubble offers that Joylo doesn't | ||
| Drag and drop for every part of the app | Not published | Yes, from the screens to the rules behind them |
| Plugin library | Not published | 8,000 plugins, made by Bubble and independent developers |
| Human support around the clock | 9am to 5pm GMT, Monday to Friday | Yes, a support team 24/7 on every plan |
| Security tests that run on a schedule | Not published | Team and Enterprise |
| Annual billing | All plans are monthly | Yes, and it saves up to 20% |
Bubble comes out ahead on drag and drop, its plugin library and support around the clock. Joylo wins on the human engineer rows and leaving with your code. You're choosing between a visual builder you run yourself and an engineer you can reach when your app breaks.
Which one is
right for you?
Both will get you to a working demo. The real question is what happens after that. If you'd rather make every change yourself, and Bubble's plugins cover what you need, Bubble is the better pick. Its help comes as 24/7 support and a directory of experts you hire on your own. Choose Joylo when the app has to keep working, for your users and for your team. Its own engineers can step into your project. And once you buy the hours Joylo recommends for an agreed scope, the written Production Guarantee covers getting it live. Conditions and exclusions apply.
Joylo
Choose Joylo if
- Your revenue will depend on this app. APIs change and payment gateways break. When the prompt box starts adding bugs instead of fixing them, a certified Joylo engineer steps into your repo within 24 hours. No freelancer marketplace, no agency quote.
- You want someone accountable for launch, in writing. Buy the hours Joylo recommends for an agreed scope and Joylo guarantees that scope goes live. If the estimate runs over, Joylo pays the difference. Conditions and exclusions apply.
- You are a non-technical founder who wants a real app with logins, data and payments, not a prototype.
- You want to own your code: a standard React, Node and Postgres app you can export to your GitHub and host anywhere.
- You are stuck on another builder and want the app moved across and finished.
- You would rather not build it yourself and want a named engineer doing the work (Co-Build).
Not the best fit for
- Round-the-clock human support. Engineers work UK business hours. Out of hours there is automated monitoring only, unless you agree an Enterprise arrangement.
- Long-term hobby use. Paid plans start at $25 a month.
- A team on the $25 plan. Team workspaces start at Starter, $50 a month.
- Annual billing. All plans are monthly.
- Building mainly by drag and drop. Joylo is chat-first. The visual editor is for small changes.
Start with the page written for you:First-time foundersFixing a half-finished appSmall teams
Bubble
Bubble is right for you if:
- You want your hands on every part of the app. Every screen, and every rule behind it, can be dragged into shape, with no code to read.
- You'd rather add features than build them. Bubble's library holds 8,000 plugins, from Stripe and PayPal to OpenAI and Google tools.
- Your security team asks for SOC 2. Every Bubble plan, Free included, is SOC 2 Type II compliant, and Enterprise adds single sign-on and a SOC 2 report.
Bubble is not for you if:
- You want the code in your own hands. Bubble doesn't export apps as code, so yours runs only on Bubble's servers.
- You want an engineer to step in when the app gets stuck. Bubble's help is 24/7 support, plus a directory of agencies and freelancers you hire and pay yourself.
- You want the whole team editing without a big bill. Starter comes with 1 app editor, and 5 editors means the Team plan, at $399 a month for web apps, billed monthly. On Joylo, team workspaces start at Starter, $50 a month.
Each builder suits a different job. Pick the one whose list sounds most like you.
Fair questions.
Straight answers.
The practical details before you choose.
What do Bubble's plans cost each month?
Starter, Bubble's first paid plan, costs $32 a month for web apps, billed monthly, or $69 with phone apps. Growth is $134 and Team is $399 a month for web apps, or $249 and $649 with phone apps, also billed monthly. If you pay yearly, Starter drops to $29 a month for web apps. The Free plan is for building and testing, and Enterprise is priced on request. Joylo's Solo Builder is $25 a month, billed monthly only.
Can Bubble take my app all the way to launch?
It can, on a paid plan. Bubble's homepage headline is about launching real apps rather than prototypes, and Starter and up include a live website and a custom domain. The Free plan builds and tests a full app with no time limit, but can't put it live. If you get stuck on the way, Bubble's answer is 24/7 support and agencies you hire. On Joylo, you can bring one of Joylo's own engineers into your project.
What kind of builder does Bubble suit best?
Hands-on builders who want to shape every screen and rule themselves. Bubble aims Starter at projects ready to launch, Growth at projects gaining traction and Team at teams working together. Its Free plan lets you build and test with no time limit. Joylo fits non-technical founders, and small businesses that need a client portal, booking app or internal tool. When the AI gets stuck, a Joylo engineer can step in.
Can I edit a Bubble app by drag and drop?
Yes. Everything from the look of each screen to the rules behind it can be dragged into place, and Bubble calls this editing 100% visually. With no code view, every change happens inside Bubble's own editor. Joylo is chat-first. You ask for changes in plain English. For small visual changes, click an element in the preview and edit it in a side panel.
Does Bubble have engineers who work on your app?
No. Bubble's support team answers by email and chat 24/7, with an AI bot replying first, and Enterprise adds a dedicated account manager. For build or fix work, Bubble's Experts directory lists agencies and freelancers, and each one handles their own scheduling and payments. On Joylo, Expert Assist brings a certified, in-house engineer into your project. You get a first response within 24 hours, and help costs $500 for 10 hours.
Does Joylo put my launch in writing?
Yes, once two things happen. We agree what needs fixing with you and assess your project scope. Then you buy the engineering hours we recommend. From that point, the written Production Guarantee makes Joylo responsible for getting and keeping the agreed scope live. If Joylo's estimate runs short, Joylo carries the extra engineering costs itself. Conditions and exclusions apply. Bubble lists no uptime figure on any plan, and it doesn't refund subscriptions.
Is there a way to move a Bubble app into Joylo?
Not as a direct import. Joylo imports apps from Lovable, Replit, Bolt or your own GitHub, and Bubble doesn't export your app as code. Your Bubble data exports at any time, though. On Joylo, you can describe the app and Joylo builds it as a working web app with sign-in, a database and payments. If the AI gets stuck, a Joylo engineer can join your project.
Do I keep the rights to my Bubble app?
Your content stays yours. Bubble's terms say so, and they're just as clear that the platform belongs to Bubble. The app is another matter. It can't leave, because Bubble doesn't export it as code. What Bubble offers instead is a promise: if it ever closes, it will release its platform code as open source. On Joylo, ownership goes all the way down. You own the full application on every plan, and on paid plans you can push it to your own GitHub.
Start building.
With a guarantee it goes live.
Describe your app and see what you can build. Guarantee conditions and exclusions apply.
Prices in USD, excluding VAT. Engineers work 9am to 5pm GMT, Monday to Friday. Prices can change, so check each pricing page before you buy.