How to build in Lovable for free
Lovable only charges credits when its AI edits code. Syncing with GitHub is free in both directions. The secret to saving hundreds of credits is using Lovable to scaffold the initial UI, and doing the heavy iteration logic locally using Cursor or Claude Code.
Step 1: Scaffold & Connect
Use Lovable once to scaffold the project structure. Inside Lovable, connect the project to a GitHub repository.
Step 2: Clone Locally
Pull the code to your local machine to edit with Cursor, VS Code, or Claude Code.
git clone https://github.com/your-username/lovable-repo.git
Step 3: Iterate Locally (For Free)
Use your local IDE's AI tools to debug, add Supabase logic, and tweak features. Because Lovable isn't generating the code, this costs 0 Lovable credits.
Step 4: Push to Lovable
Lovable treats your commits as the source of truth. When you push, Lovable syncs and updates the visual preview automatically without spending a single credit.
git add .
git commit -m "feat: updated logic locally"
git push origin main