Runtm vs Lovable

What they actually do

Lovable lets non-developers describe an app in plain English and generates a working frontend. You interact through a visual editor, and Lovable handles the code behind the scenes. It's designed for people who don't want to touch code at all.

Runtm gives developers a sandboxed environment where AI coding agents (like Claude Code) can write, run, and deploy real applications. You see the code, you control the infrastructure, and your AI agent works like a junior developer with full system access.

These solve different problems. Lovable asks "how do I build an app without coding?" Runtm asks "how do I let AI agents build production software safely?"

The real differences

Who it's for

Lovable targets founders, marketers, and operators who have app ideas but don't code. The experience is guided: describe what you want, see a preview, tweak visually, publish.

Runtm targets developers and engineering teams. You're already comfortable with code. You want AI to help you move faster, but you need real infrastructure: databases, APIs, background jobs, deployments to your own cloud.

What you can build

With Lovable, you can build landing pages, simple CRUD apps, and basic dashboards. The templates are polished, but you're working within their constraints. Complex backend logic, custom APIs, or anything that needs persistent state beyond their Supabase integration gets difficult.

With Runtm, you can build anything a developer could build. Your Claude Code session has access to a real Linux environment with package managers, databases, and deployment tools. The sandbox isolates the agent from your local machine, but inside the sandbox it has full capabilities.

Code ownership

Lovable abstracts the code away. You can export it, but the code is generated for their platform. If you want to customize beyond what their visual editor supports, you're on your own.

Runtm gives you the actual codebase. The AI writes code, you review it, you push it to your GitHub repo. If you want to stop using Runtm tomorrow, your code is standard and portable.

Infrastructure

Lovable runs everything on their platform. You don't choose your database, your hosting region, or your deployment strategy. This is simpler, but you're locked in.

Runtm connects to your infrastructure. Deploy to Vercel, Railway, Fly.io, or your own servers. Use any database. The sandbox is just where development happens; production runs wherever you want.

When Lovable makes sense

Pick Lovable if:

• You don't code and don't want to learn
• You need a simple app or landing page fast
• Visual editing is more comfortable than a terminal
• You're okay with platform lock-in for simplicity
• Budget is tight and you want predictable pricing

Lovable is good at what it does. For a non-technical founder validating an idea, it's genuinely useful.

When Runtm makes sense

Pick Runtm if:

• You're a developer who wants AI assistance, not AI replacement
• You need real backend infrastructure (databases, queues, cron jobs)
• You want to deploy to your own cloud or on-prem
• Your team uses GitHub and standard development workflows
• You're building something that needs to scale beyond a prototype

If you're reading a technical comparison page, you're probably in this category.

Pricing

Lovable's flat pricing is predictable. Runtm's usage-based model means you pay for what you use, which can be cheaper or more expensive depending on how much you build.

Bottom line

Lovable and Runtm aren't really competitors. They're tools for different people solving different problems.

If you want AI to build apps for you without touching code, use Lovable.

If you want AI to help you build apps while you stay in control, use Runtm.

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