Zeltro › A Lovable alternative that runs on your own machine
Zeltro as a Lovable alternative
Lovable builds and hosts React apps in its cloud with its own AI and credits. Zeltro builds on your own computer with the AI you already pay for, in PHP, Python or JavaScript. What differs, what Lovable's own docs say about local development, and why people switch.
Lovable is one of the best-known prompt-to-app builders. You describe an app in chat and it builds a React front end, wires up a backend, and hosts the result. For a first prototype it is hard to beat.
People start looking for an alternative for a handful of reasons: credits that run out faster than expected, an app that needs PHP or Python, a backend they cannot get at, or simply wanting the whole thing on their own computer. This page is about those reasons.
Lovable and Zeltro side by side#
As of September 2026:
| Lovable | Zeltro | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Lovable's cloud | Your own computer, or servers you control |
| Whose AI builds it | Lovable's, bundled into credits | Yours: Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, Qwen Code, Aider, OpenCode, Hermes Agent, or a local model |
| What you pay | From $25/month for 100 credits; credits expire | Free for personal use; US$99.99 once per business (lifetime). Plus your AI provider, or nothing with a local model |
| Languages | TypeScript and React | PHP, Python and JavaScript: Laravel, WordPress, Django, FastAPI, Next.js and 16 more |
| Backend | Lovable Cloud by default (runs on Supabase, managed by Lovable) | Real databases on your machine: MariaDB, Postgres, MongoDB, Redis |
| Your code | Git sync on all plans; zip download on paid plans | Plain folders on your disk from the first command |
| Local development | Clone and run the front end; the backend stays in Lovable's cloud | Everything is local |
| Live URL | Yes, one click | No. It runs locally; hosting is up to you |
| Your content used for training | Free and Pro: yes unless you opt out (since 9 Sept 2026) | Up to the AI provider you choose; your code and prompts never go to Zeltro |
Can you run a Lovable app on your own computer?#
Partly, and Lovable's own documentation is clear about which part.
The builder does not run locally
"The Lovable agent requires an internet connection to run." Lovable's desktop app for macOS and Windows is a client for the cloud service, not a local version of it.
The code does
Connect the project to GitHub (available on every plan), clone the repository, and run it with npm install and npm run dev. Lovable keeps syncing in both directions, so you can edit locally on a branch and keep using its AI in the browser.
The backend mostly does not
By default a Lovable project uses Lovable Cloud: a database, sign-in and file storage that Lovable runs for you. In Lovable's words, "A clone gives you the code, not the services the app calls." The cloned project's .env points at the same cloud backend as your published app, so "records you create or delete locally change real data."
In projects created since 13 May 2026, "connector and AI calls fail locally", because "the credentials behind app + chat connectors and Lovable AI are managed by Lovable and cannot be copied out."
Leaving the backend behind is manual
A Lovable Cloud database does not appear in your own Supabase dashboard, and you do not get its service keys or a direct database URL. Lovable states that "there is no automatic migration" between Lovable Cloud and your own Supabase project.
None of this is hidden. Lovable is a hosted platform and says so. It only matters if you want the whole application, backend included, under your own control.
Prices and terms are Lovable's to change#
For one small app, Lovable's cheapest plan is hard to beat today. But what you pay, and what you get for it, is Lovable's to set. Its terms say plan limits "may change from time to time," that it "may discontinue or modify the Services, in whole or in part, at any time on reasonable advance notice where practicable," and that the rate at which credits are used "depend[s] on your subscription plan and the feature used."
Terms in this market do move:
What matters is whether you can leave when a change doesn't suit you, and with the backend in Lovable Cloud that is a migration project (see above). With Zeltro, the prices that affect you are your AI provider's, which you can switch in a minute, and your host's.
What Zeltro does differently#
Zeltro is a do-it-yourself dev platform for your own machine. You describe what you want and it suggests how to build it: a ready-made app if one already does the job, or a framework and a database if it needs building from scratch. Then your AI agent builds it in a real project on your disk.
The backend is local tooProjects use real MariaDB, Postgres, MongoDB and Redis databases running on your computer, shared across all your projects.
It is not only JavaScriptBuild in Laravel, WordPress, Django, FastAPI, Next.js, Express and more, or install one of 214 ready-made apps.
You choose the AI and who pays for itUse a subscription you already have, a low-cost model through OpenRouter, a local model, or a client's API key for client work.
Your code stays yoursYour code, prompts and keys never go to Zeltro, and there is no account. The app is free for personal use (businesses pay US$99.99 once) and its command line tool is open source.
Bringing a Lovable project over#
Import the Lovable repository into Zeltro and it runs like any other Node project:
zeltro clone work-directly https://github.com/you/your-lovable-app
The front end works straight away. The backend is the real job: point the app at your own Supabase project, or have your AI agent move the data and sign-in to a database Zeltro runs for you. Lovable's docs note that data, sign-in providers and secrets have to be moved by hand when you leave Lovable Cloud, so plan for that part. The full walkthrough is in moving your Lovable app to Zeltro.
Before you switch#
Lovable hands you a public link in one clickZeltro runs your app on your own computer, so nobody else sees it until you put it on a server. If you would rather not deal with that part, I will take it live for you: your domain, your server, kept running.
Zeltro runs Docker underneathYou do not have to touch it. The desktop app starts, stops and manages every project. Windows gets a normal installer, and Mac installs with one command.
A single small React page may fit inside Lovable's free creditsThe moment you want a real database, PHP or Python, or a second project, Zeltro is the better home for it.
Why people switch to Zeltro#
The app and its data
They live on your own computer or your own server, so there is nothing to migrate out of later.
PHP or Python
You can build in PHP or Python, or use a database Lovable does not offer.
The AI you already pay for
You already pay for Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, and Zeltro uses that instead of adding a second AI bill with credits that expire.
Many projects
You run many projects and want them in one place.
It is free for personal use, with no account. Install it and your first project is a few minutes away.
Sources#
Checked on 28 September 2026: Lovable's plans, credits, desktop app, Git sync, Supabase and training opt-out pages, and Supabase's note on Lovable Cloud backends. On 30 September 2026: Lovable's terms, Base44's changelog, and Framer's October 2025 and June 2026 plan changes. Plans and terms change, so check them before you commit.
Questions
Is there a Lovable alternative that runs locally?
Yes. Zeltro runs entirely on your own computer: the builder, your app, and its databases. Lovable itself needs an internet connection for its AI agent, and its default backend runs in Lovable's cloud.
Can I use my own AI model or API key instead of Lovable credits?
Not with Lovable: building always uses Lovable's credits. Zeltro works the other way round. It sells no AI credits: you can try it on our key for a first project, and after that it uses the agent and key you choose, including a local model through Ollama.
Can I run a Lovable app on my own computer?
The front end, yes: sync to GitHub, clone it, then npm install and npm run dev.
But the app still talks to its Lovable Cloud backend, so local changes affect
real data, and some server features only work inside Lovable.
Does Zeltro build PHP or Python apps?
Yes. Laravel, WordPress, Drupal, October CMS, Django, FastAPI and Flask are all built in, alongside the JavaScript frameworks.
What does Zeltro cost?
The Zeltro app is free for personal use, hobby projects and learning, with no account.
A business using it, including for paid client work, buys a
lifetime commercial license once, for US$99.99. The zeltro command line
tool is open source (MIT). Separately, you pay for your AI: a subscription you
already have, an API key billed per use, or nothing with a local model.
Try Zeltro on your own computer
Free for personal use, with no account. Build with the AI you already pay for, and keep the app, its data and its code on your own machine.
Install Zeltro Why bring your own key
Rather not set it up yourself? I’ll do it for you.
Checked 2026-09-28. Other products change often — if something here is out of date, tell us and it gets fixed.