Open Code vs. Hosted Platform
Looking for a Base44 Alternative?
Base44 is the closest competitor to NorthernGo in ambition: a full-stack generator with a managed database, authentication, payments and a real eject-to-local-code path. It has been owned by Wix since June 2025. The two differences that matter are the database model — Base44 is MongoDB-compatible NoSQL, NorthernGo is PostgreSQL — and where the data sits: Base44 defaults to the US and puts EU residency on its top plan, while NorthernGo starts in the EU on the free tier.
NorthernGo vs Base44, feature by feature
| Core feature | Base44 | NorthernGo |
|---|---|---|
| Where the AI runs | Cloud. A local dev server exists but AI calls are forwarded to production | Local on your GPU via WebGPU, your own Ollama, or cloud |
| Free tier | 25 message credits and 100 integration credits per month, up to 5 apps | 5 cloud generations per month plus unlimited local generation |
| What consumes quota | Two currencies: message credits to build, integration credits at runtime | One: cloud generations. Local generation is not metered |
| Database | MongoDB-compatible NoSQL, managed | Supabase PostgreSQL — relational, with SQL |
| Data residency | US by default. EU or UK storage for new apps on Elite and Enterprise only | EU by default on every plan, including free |
| Source code export | base44 eject via CLI, plus two-way GitHub sync from the Builder plan | Full ZIP export from Premium |
| Generated tech stack | React, Vue, Svelte or plain HTML; TypeScript backend functions on Deno | Vanilla HTML, JavaScript and Tailwind — no build step |
| Custom domain | Starter and above, $16–20/month, with a free domain for one year via Wix | Pro plan, 299 SEK / $29 per month |
| App becomes installable | Web app with CDN hosting and automatic HTTPS | Compiles to an installable PWA automatically |
| Unused quota | Expires at the end of the cycle, no carry-over | Cloud generations reset monthly; local generation has no cap |
| Ownership | Owned by Wix since June 2025 | Independent, based in Lycksele, Sweden |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | None held — GDPR-first architecture, no formal audit |
What Base44 and NorthernGo cost
Base44 splits the meter into build-time message credits and runtime integration credits, which is a genuinely good idea — it makes the cost of a live app visible separately from the cost of building it. The thing to watch is the residency ladder: EU or UK data storage is an Elite feature at $160 a month billed annually, so a European business gets it at the fifth price point rather than the first.
| Plan | Base44 | NorthernGo |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0 — 25 message credits, 100 integration credits, up to 5 apps, no custom domain | 0 SEK — 5 cloud generations/month plus unlimited local generation |
| Entry paid plan | Starter $20/month, or $16 billed annually — 100 message credits | Premium 179 SEK / $19 per month for 25 cloud generations |
| Plan with GitHub sync | Builder $50/month, or $40 annually — 250 message credits | Premium — ZIP export included, no higher tier needed |
| Plan with EU data residency | Elite $200/month, or $160 annually — EU or UK storage for new apps | Free plan — the EU is the default |
| Billing unit | Message credits per prompt (0.5–4 by scope) and integration credits per runtime action | Per cloud generation. Runtime actions are not metered |
| Unused quota | Expires monthly, no carry-over on either credit type | Resets monthly; local generation has no cap |
Prices and plan limits were read from each vendor's own pricing and documentation pages on 20 August 2026. Vendors change them without notice — check the source before making a decision on a number alone.
Sources: base44.com/pricing, Base44 credits documentation, Base44 privacy and security
Why Builders choose NorthernGo over Base44
Leave Whenever You Want
Convenience should never cost you your exit. NorthernGo generates standard JavaScript and Tailwind you can export as a ZIP and run on any host — the platform is optional, your code is not.
European Data Sovereignty
Built and operated from Sweden with GDPR as an architectural principle — including the option of 100% local AI generation where nothing ever leaves your browser.
Standard Tech, Not Proprietary
Your data lives in Supabase — real PostgreSQL you can query, migrate and back up with industry-standard tools, independent of NorthernGo.
NoSQL or PostgreSQL: the choice you make once and live with
Base44’s database is MongoDB-compatible NoSQL, with data models called Entities and MongoDB operators available through the SDK. NorthernGo gives every app a Supabase PostgreSQL database — relational, with SQL, foreign keys and constraints. Neither is better in the abstract, but they suit different shapes of problem and the decision is expensive to reverse.
Document databases are forgiving early: the shape of a record can change without a migration, which suits a product still finding itself. Relational databases are forgiving late: when you need to ask a question nobody planned for, joins and constraints are what make the answer trustworthy. If the app is a booking system, an invoicing tool or anything where two records must agree, PostgreSQL is the safer default.
There is also a portability angle. PostgreSQL is the most widely supported database in existence, so a Supabase project can be dumped and restored almost anywhere. Base44’s managed NoSQL is more tightly held — the docs do not address connecting an external database at all, which is worth confirming with them if it matters to you.
Base44 has a real escape hatch, and it deserves credit for it
The base44 eject command downloads a project’s source to your machine, links it to a duplicated project and writes a local environment file. Add two-way GitHub sync from the Builder plan, a public REST API, an SDK and a CLI, and what you have is a normal React and TypeScript codebase you can keep developing outside the platform. That is a materially better position than Bubble, and comparable to what NorthernGo offers.
The distinction is what the exported thing needs to run. A Base44 project ejects with a Deno backend and a managed database it expects to talk to. A NorthernGo export is vanilla HTML, JavaScript and Tailwind with no build step — a folder that opens in a browser. The Base44 export is more capable; the NorthernGo export has fewer things that can stop working.
EU residency at the fifth price point versus at the first
Since April 2026 Base44 lets Elite and Enterprise customers choose EU or UK storage for newly created apps. Base44 is careful and correct about the limit of that promise: data residency controls where your data is stored, not where it is processed. Everything below Elite defaults to US servers and US storage.
Elite is $200 a month, or $160 billed annually. For a European business that treats EU storage as a requirement rather than a preference, that is the entry price. In NorthernGo the EU is where every generated app’s database starts, on the free plan, with no setting involved — and generated apps ship with GDPR Article 17 account deletion already wired in.
The counterweight is real and should be said: Base44 holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, publishes a security trust centre, and offers an audit logs API and a built-in security scanner. NorthernGo holds no certifications. If your buyer asks for an audit report rather than a map, Base44 answers and NorthernGo does not.
When Base44 is the better choice
Base44 is the strongest all-round full-stack generator in this comparison. Choose it if:
- You need SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001. Base44 holds both and publishes a trust centre; NorthernGo holds neither.
- You want React, Vue or Svelte with a real TypeScript backend. Base44 runs server-side code as TypeScript functions on Deno; NorthernGo emits vanilla JavaScript with no server functions of your own.
- Your data is naturally document-shaped and you would rather not design a relational schema. Base44’s MongoDB-compatible entities suit that; PostgreSQL asks more of you up front.
- You want built-in Stripe payments, transactional email and image generation as platform primitives rather than something you wire up.
- You value being part of Wix. Ownership by a large public company means a support organisation, domain purchasing and an implied longevity an independent Swedish company cannot match.
Speed without the golden cage.
Build fast, own everything, and keep your data in Europe — or entirely on your own machine.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Base44?
Wix. Wix acquired Base44 for $80 million in cash in June 2025, and Base44 continues to operate as its own branded product with Wix domain purchasing integrated into it. NorthernGo is independent and based in Lycksele, Sweden.
Can you export code from Base44?
Yes, genuinely. The base44 eject CLI command downloads a project’s source to your machine, and two-way GitHub sync is available from the Builder plan at $40–50 a month. There is also a public REST API and an SDK. This is one of Base44’s real strengths. NorthernGo exports the full source as a ZIP from the Premium plan.
Does Base44 store data in the EU?
On the Elite and Enterprise plans, for newly created apps, since April 2026. Base44 notes correctly that data residency controls where data is stored, not where it is processed. Everything below Elite defaults to US servers and US storage, and Elite is $200 a month or $160 billed annually. NorthernGo places app databases in the EU by default on every plan including the free one.
What is the difference between Base44’s two credit types?
Message credits are spent while building — roughly 0.5 for a simple text change up to 3 or 4 for a large change. Integration credits are spent while the app runs: one per email sent, one per image generated, one to fifteen per LLM call depending on model, five per second of video. Separating them makes the running cost of a live app visible. Neither type carries over between months. NorthernGo has a single unit and does not meter runtime actions.
Does Base44 run AI locally?
No. Base44 does have a local development server that runs backend functions on your machine with an in-memory entity database, but AI generation is explicitly forwarded to the deployed cloud app. There is no on-device model option. NorthernGo can run generation entirely in the browser via WebGPU or against your own Ollama instance.
Build it yourself
NorthernGo turns a plain-text description into a working web app with a database, login and a live URL. Local AI generation runs on your own GPU, is unlimited, and is free on every plan.