Hamish vs Lovable

Lovable and Hamish both turn plain-language ideas into working web applications. Both generate real, exportable code. Both are used by founders and teams who want to ship without hiring developers on day one. The honest difference is not who generates code faster. It is what surrounds the build: how you plan it, how you control what you spend, and who is there when the app is live and something breaks. This page sets out where each platform is strong so you can choose well.

At a glance

Scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen.

Where Lovable is strong

Credit where it is due. Lovable is one of the most mature AI app builders available and a benchmark for the category. Generation is fast, the Supabase integration is deep, GitHub sync keeps the codebase portable, and the community around it is large. If you are a developer-adjacent founder who is comfortable owning a codebase and its infrastructure, Lovable is a strong choice and we would not tell you otherwise.

Where Hamish is different

You plan before you spend. Most AI builders start with a blank prompt box. Hamish Compass starts with a conversation: it asks what you are building, for whom, and why, and turns the answers into a structured plan your build follows. Talking is free. You only pay when you commit to a plan or a build, and you can see the cost before you do. Free to talk, pay to build.

Images that fit the spot they fill. Hamish generates images slot-first: you pick the position in your app, and the image arrives at the right size and shape for it. Before anything is generated you review exactly what will be created, so tokens are never spent on a surprise. Then fine-tune in the built-in editor and assign the result straight into your app.

Support that stays. Every Hamish account, including free, gets Hamish Assist and a route to a human being. Not a community forum, not a documentation search: a support function staffed by people whose job is your app working. AI that builds. Support that stays.

Someone to run it when it matters. This is the difference that grows with your app. When a vibe-coded app starts carrying real users and real revenue, the work shifts from building to running: uptime, backups, security, scaling. Hamish Production takes that on: your app on managed infrastructure, looked after by people, so you keep shipping instead of becoming an accidental operations team. Apps built elsewhere can be brought across too.

No lock-in, in practice. Export your complete project as a zip whenever you like. Your app, your code, your call.

How to choose

Choose Lovable if you want the largest ecosystem around an AI builder.

Choose Hamish if you want guidance from idea to plan to build, visibility of every cost before you commit, and a platform that stays with you after launch, up to and including running the app for you.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hamish free to try?

Yes. Creating an account is free and talking to Hamish is always free. You receive a one-off grant of tokens to build with, and you only pay when you choose to build more.

Can I move an app from Lovable to Hamish?

Yes. Hamish Production replatforms apps built on other AI builders onto managed infrastructure, with humans looking after the running of it. Get in touch and we will look at your app together.

Do I own the code Hamish generates?

Yes. You can export your complete project as a zip at any time and take it anywhere.

What AI does Hamish use?

Hamish runs a multi-model stack: leading frontier models, routed so each task goes to the model that does it best, wrapped in our own tooling, safeguards and tuning. We call the whole thing Hamish LLM. The stack includes our own model, Hamish Code One, which is constantly improving. No single model is best at everything, and we would rather route well than pretend otherwise.

Does Hamish generate images?

Yes. Pick a position in your app and Hamish generates an image sized for it, with the prompt shown before any tokens are spent. You can also upload your own images, and fine-tune everything in the built-in editor.