Base44 Alternatives

Dyad as a Base44 alternative: free, local and open source

The strongest answer to "Base44 alternative, open source". Everything stays on your machine, and so does all the responsibility.

By The editors · Updated · 2 min read

Contents
  1. What Dyad offers teams leaving Base44
  2. Published evidence
  3. Strengths and limits
  4. Pricing
  5. Questions to answer before choosing Dyad
  6. Sources
TypeLocal, open-source app builder
PricingPublished
Websitedyad.sh

Dyad presents itself as "the open-source AI app builder on your desktop", and the claim is literal. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, needs no sign-up for its free plan and keeps project files on the user's own disk⁠1.

Best for: Builders searching for a free or open-source Base44 alternative who are comfortable keeping the project on their own computer and bringing their own AI keys.

Not the right fit for: Teams that want hosting, logins and maintenance handled for them, or several non-technical people editing one app.

What Dyad offers teams leaving Base44

Dyad works with the user's own API keys for providers including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, or with local models through Ollama or LM Studio⁠1. It connects to Supabase or Neon for schemas, migrations and authentication, can import existing repositories, and deploys to GitHub, Vercel or a cloud provider of the user's choice⁠1.

The licence is the reason it answers the open-source question. Dyad's repository states that all code outside its src/pro folder is licensed Apache 2.0, while the code inside that folder is under the Functional Source License 1.1⁠2. For a Base44 team, that means the tool itself cannot be withdrawn from under the project, and nothing is hosted by Dyad unless the team chooses to.

A related option is bolt.diy, an MIT-licensed community fork of Bolt that runs locally or in Docker with more than 22 model providers. Its README says it now receives bug fixes and dependency updates, with no new features planned⁠3.

Published evidence

No case studies with named customers are published.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

  • No lock-in by construction: the project files sit on your disk and the output is standard, runnable code.
  • Free to use with your own API keys, including local models, so the AI bill goes straight to the model provider.
  • Deploys wherever you choose, which suits companies that already have a cloud account.

Limits

  • You assemble the backend yourself (Supabase or Neon), including authentication and access rules.
  • Code under its `src/pro` folder is under a fair-source licence (FSL 1.1), not Apache 2.0.
  • A single-user desktop tool: collaboration, hosting and maintenance are yours to arrange.

Choose another option if: Nobody on the team wants to manage keys, a database and deployments. Lovable or Softr handle those for you.

Pricing

Published: no charge when you supply your own keys; Pro is $20 a month for 200 AI credits and Max $79 a month for 900.

Questions to answer before choosing Dyad

  • Who will hold the AI keys, and who pays the model provider's bill?
  • Which database (Supabase or Neon) will hold the records exported from Base44, and in whose account?
  • Who will configure authentication and access rules, and test them?
  • Where will the app be deployed, and who will maintain it?

The full comparison sets Dyad against the other eight builders on the same seven criteria.

Sources

  1. Dyad: the open-source AI app builder on your desktop. Dyad. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
  2. dyad (README and licence). GitHub, dyad-sh. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
  3. bolt.diy (README). GitHub, stackblitz-labs. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.

Further reading