Buildy vs a0.dev
Buildy vs a0.dev
a0.dev and Buildy are close cousins: both turn a prompt into a real mobile app with a live preview, and both are commonly described as building on React Native / Expo. Where they diverge is direction. a0.dev's site leads with "Build mobile apps. Make money.", it's a YC-backed, all-in-one platform that also handles payments, subscriptions, analytics and one-click publishing (to the App Store, Play Store, APK and web from one codebase). Buildy stays a focused prompt-to-owned-code generator that spans more native targets and keeps your backend and billing under your own control. Third-party reviews say a0.dev also lets you export your project on a paid plan; we cover that below, including where a0.dev is the better pick.
| Buildy | a0.dev | |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | Full, standard Expo project, export as zip or sync to your own GitHub. No proprietary runtime. | Third-party reviews report a downloadable standard Expo / React Native project (pushable to GitHub) on the paid plan; a0.dev's own site emphasizes hosted publishing over export, so confirm current export terms with them. |
| Native targets | Expo/React Native (default) plus true-native Android (Kotlin/Compose) and native iOS (SwiftUI). | One codebase to App Store, Play Store, APK and web (a0.dev's own wording); widely described as React Native / Expo-based. |
| Free tier | Build + live preview + install on your phone, no card required. | Has a free tier, reviewers report a single project and an in-browser preview, but exact limits vary; check a0.dev's current plans. |
| Export | Zip export and GitHub sync on paid plans; thin surface, easy to walk away with your project. | Reportedly exports your project on a paid plan, but the platform is built around hosted publishing and monetization (payments, analytics, one-click deploy). |
| Pricing | Pro €25/mo (~6M tokens), Max €50/mo (~12M). Token-metered; Paddle = merchant of record (EU VAT handled). | Free tier plus paid plans. Third-party reviews cite a ~$20/mo Pro (metered by messages/day) with higher tiers above, but confirm current numbers on a0.dev's pricing page. |
| App Store 2.5.2 | Live preview runs on Buildy's servers and is not packaged in the binary, so the shipped app is self-contained. | Publishes to the App Store from one codebase; we found no public reports of 2.5.2 issues, check its OTA / live-preview behavior yourself if that matters to you. |
| Backend | Wire your own via chat, Supabase auto-detect, your own keys and services. | Backend via Convex or Supabase, with integrated payments, subscriptions and analytics baked into the platform. |
| Learning curve | Focused prompt-to-owned-code generator; less bundled surface to learn. | Broader all-in-one build + deploy + monetize suite; more capability, more platform to learn. |
Where Buildy is the better pick
More native targets: beyond React Native / Expo (the default), Buildy also generates true-native Android (Kotlin/Compose) and native iOS (SwiftUI), a0.dev centers on a single React Native / Expo codebase.
Thin, exportable surface: export as a standard Expo zip or sync to your own GitHub, bring your own backend (Supabase auto-detect, your own keys). Nothing extra to stay tied to.
Self-contained shipping by design: Buildy's live preview runs on Buildy's servers and is not packaged inside the final binary, so the app you submit stands on its own.
EU-friendly billing and localization: Paddle is the merchant of record and handles EU VAT/OSS, and the product ships in 7 UI languages.
Predictable token metering (Pro ~6M tokens, Max ~12M) instead of a per-day message cap (a0.dev's widely reported model) that a heavy build session can exhaust.
Where a0.dev may be the better pick
No tool wins everything. Here's where a0.dev is genuinely the stronger choice.
Cheaper at entry and well established: a0.dev Pro is reportedly around $20/mo versus Buildy's Pro at €25/mo, and a0.dev is a YC-backed tool (founded 2025) with a polished in-browser simulator and a strong prompt-to-app reputation.
Built-in monetization: if you want payments, subscriptions and analytics bundled into the same platform (a0.dev's own 'make money' direction), that's included out of the box, Buildy expects you to wire Stripe/RevenueCat yourself via chat.
Code ownership isn't unique to Buildy: multiple third-party reviews say a0.dev also exports a standard Expo / React Native project (pushable to GitHub) on its paid plan, so if React Native is all you need, a0.dev already covers the export story.
The verdict
Pick by direction, not by feature checkboxes, the two overlap a lot. If you want an all-in-one platform that builds AND monetizes, with payments, subscriptions and analytics bundled in, React Native is enough for you, and a lower entry price matters (a0.dev's Pro is reportedly cheaper than Buildy's), a0.dev is a strong choice. If you'd rather own a thin, exportable codebase across more native targets (React Native plus native Kotlin and SwiftUI), keep your backend and billing under your own control, and prefer EU-friendly, VAT-handled pricing, Buildy is the better fit. Both are reported to let you leave with your code, the real question is how much platform you want to build on.
Build your first app free →a0.dev is a YC-backed company (founded 2025). Its landing page emphasizes a hosted "build + monetize" platform (payments, subscriptions, analytics, one-click publishing to App Store / Play / APK / web) but does not itself spell out per-plan message limits or code-export terms in a machine-readable way. The specific figures here, a ~$20/mo Pro, roughly 100 messages/day, higher tiers reported up to ~$800/mo, a single-project free tier, and paid-plan code export, come from third-party review/aggregator sites and should be confirmed on a0.dev's current pricing page before relying on them. We found no public evidence about a0.dev's App Store Guideline 2.5.2 status and make no claim there.