Lovable builds a working booking app, but anyone who signs up is an owner
Verdict
Lovable generated a working version of SlotKeeper, a booking and waitlist app for a demo yoga studio (Maple Yoga Studio), on its free plan for $0. Active generation took about 18 minutes across two days; the free plan ran out of credits mid-build on Oct 21, and the build finished after we resumed on Oct 22 once daily free credits refreshed. Zero fix prompts. It passed all 10 checklist items and published free in-tool to https://slotkeeper.lovable.app. We found 1 critical bug: open owner sign-up exposes all bookings' PII (anyone who signs up becomes an owner; Lovable flagged this). Two minor bugs: a forgeable confirmation via query parameters, and the free-plan "Edit with Lovable" badge. Score: 87.25/100. Free-tier badge: YES. Leaderboard on the same app: Bolt 94.75, Base44 93.5, v0 90.875, Lovable 87.25.
| Score box | |
|---|---|
| Overall | 87.25/100 |
| Works end to end | 30/30 (10/10 pass) |
| Time to first working version | 12/15 (~18 min active generation across 2 days; overnight free-credit stall) |
| Bugs | 9/15 (1 critical −4, 2 minor) |
| Deploy ease | 15/15 (in-app Publish → lovable.app URL) |
| Cost | 10/10 ($0 after waiting for daily free credits) |
| Design / UX | 11.25/15 (polish 4, mobile 4, clarity 4; raw 12; one reviewer) |
| Tier used | Free |
What we tested
SlotKeeper: customers book slots and join a waitlist, and an owner manages slots and bookings. We tested it on Oct 21–22, 2026, on Lovable's free plan. Our method: one fixed prompt, at most 5 fix prompts, no hand-editing of code, a 90-minute cap, a 10-item checklist and a fixed rubric. Full method
Live app: https://slotkeeper.lovable.app
How it went
On Oct 21 about 10:38 PM ET the free run paused out of credits; one Resume, then paused again. On Oct 22 at 8:06 PM ET we resumed; the build finished in under a minute and published about 8:09 PM. Fix prompts: 0. Spend: $0. Free-tier badge: YES.
Checklist: all 10 items PASS on the public URL after the Oct 22 resume.
What broke
1 critical and 2 minor bugs: 1. Open owner sign-up exposes all bookings' PII (critical, −4). Anyone who signs up becomes an owner and can see booking PII. Lovable flagged this itself. 2. Confirmation page forgeable via query parameters (minor, −1). 3. Free-plan "Edit with Lovable" badge (minor, −1).
Caveats
- Design is scored by one reviewer. 11.25/15 (raw 12 mapped with (raw − 3) / 12 × 15), same method as Base44, Bolt and v0.
- Free-tier timing includes an overnight wait. Active generation ~18 min (12/15). Wall clock spanned Oct 21–22 because of the free-credit stall.
- Oct 22 item/resume/mobile screenshots were wiped in an overnight box restore (Oct 23 AM). Live URL still up. Screenshots to be re-captured before any site build.
- Data persistence across a redeploy wasn't tested.
How Lovable compares
| Tool | Score | Time to first working version | Deploy | Critical bugs | Minor bugs | Tier / badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt | 94.75/100 | ~7 min | In-tool, free | 0 (1 major) | 2 | Free YES (+1M-token survey bonus) |
| Base44 | 93.5/100 | 8–9 min | In-tool, free | 0 | 4 | Free YES |
| v0 | 90.875/100 | ~20 min | In-tool → Vercel Hobby | 0 | 3 | Free YES |
| Lovable | 87.25/100 | ~18 min active (overnight credit stall) | In-tool, free | 1 | 2 | Free YES |
| Cursor (reference) | 13 (partial) | free tier couldn't finish (usage limit ~33 min) | None | — | — | Free badge NO |
| Replit Agent | BLOCKED | — | — | — | — | Phone verify wall; Agent not started |
Pros and cons
Pros
- All 10 checklist items passed on the live URL
- Zero fix prompts; finished free after credit wait
- Lovable flagged the open-owner issue itself
Cons
- Critical: open owner sign-up exposes booking PII
- Overnight free-credit stall mid-build
- Two minor bugs (forgeable confirmation; free-plan badge)
Who it's for
Non-developers who want a working booking site on Lovable's free plan and can wait if free credits run out. Before real bookings, lock down owner sign-up so random signups cannot see booking PII.
Build your booking app with Lovable →
FAQ
Can Lovable build a booking app? Yes. In BenchCoded's SlotKeeper test, Lovable built a booking and waitlist app that passed all 10 checklist items on https://slotkeeper.lovable.app. The critical issue is security: open owner sign-up exposes all bookings' PII.
How long does it take Lovable to build a booking app? Active generation took about 18 minutes across two days (12/15 for time). Wall clock spanned Oct 21–22 because the free plan ran out of credits mid-build. Zero fix prompts.
What bugs did Lovable's booking app have? 1 critical and 2 minor. Critical (−4): open owner sign-up exposes all bookings' PII (Lovable flagged this). Minor: forgeable confirmation via query parameters, and the free-plan "Edit with Lovable" badge.
What score did Lovable get? Lovable scored 87.25/100: 30/30 works end to end, 12/15 time, 9/15 bugs, 11.25/15 design (one reviewer), 15/15 deploy and 10/10 cost. Free-tier badge: YES.
Is Lovable free for building a booking app? Yes, in our test: $0 after waiting for daily free credits, published to a free lovable.app URL.
Do I need to code to use Lovable? Not for our SlotKeeper build. Our method bans hand-editing code, and Lovable produced a working app from one prompt with zero fix prompts.