Dyad as a free, open-source Lovable alternative

Contents

1. What Dyad does
2. Licence
3. What it leaves to you
4. Published evidence
5. Strengths and limits
6. Pricing
7. Questions to ask before choosing Dyad
8. Sources

Type	Local, open-source app builder
Pricing	Published
Website	dyad.sh

Dyad describes itself as the open-source AI app builder on your desktop, and its repository presents it as an alternative to v0, Lovable, Replit and Bolt⁠12Dyad: free, local, open-source AI app builderDyaddyadDyad on GitHub.

Best for: Technical builders who want a free, Lovable-style workflow on their own computer, with their own AI keys or local models and the code kept in local files.

Not the right fit for: Teams that want hosting, a managed database or anyone else to be responsible for the app.

What Dyad does

Dyad runs on macOS, Windows and Linux and builds apps from chat using the builder's own API keys, or local models through Ollama and LM Studio, which also allows offline work⁠1Dyad: free, local, open-source AI app builderDyad. It sets up Supabase or Neon in one click⁠1Dyad: free, local, open-source AI app builderDyad. With Supabase it provides email and password sign-in, PostgreSQL with generated default row-level security policies and Edge Functions for server code, though its documentation notes the integration has not been tested with every Supabase feature⁠3Supabase integrationDyad Docs.

Licence

Dyad's code is Apache 2.0 licensed except for its Pro folder, which uses the fair-source Functional Source License⁠2dyadDyad on GitHub. For the closest comparison, bolt.diy is MIT-licensed, but its maintainers state that it is in maintenance mode with no new features planned⁠4bolt.diyStackBlitz Labs on GitHub.

What it leaves to you

Dyad does not host apps. Deployment, database security, backups and upkeep all fall to the person running it. That suits a developer who wants control and low cost; it does not suit a company that needs someone else to be responsible for the app.

Published evidence

No case studies with named customers are published.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

• Free to use with the builder’s own model keys, and can run offline with local models.
• The project lives in local files, so there is nothing to export.
• Connects Supabase with authentication, PostgreSQL with generated default row-level security and Edge Functions.

Limits

• No hosting: deploying, securing and running the app are entirely the builder’s job.
• Its own documentation says the Supabase integration has not been tested with every Supabase feature.
• The Pro folder of the code is under a fair-source licence rather than Apache 2.0.
• No team, enterprise or support plan.

Choose another option if: You want someone else to host and run the app. Replit, Bolt or OpenLazarus include that.

Pricing

Published: Free; Pro from $20 a month with 200 AI credits; Max $79 a month with 900 credits. With your own keys, model costs are paid to the model provider.

Questions to ask before choosing Dyad

• Who will deploy and host the app, and who reviews its row-level security policies?
• Which model provider will we use, and what will our usage cost there?
• Do we need any Pro-only features, and are we comfortable with their licence?
• How will we back up and restore the database?

See how Dyad compares with the other builders in the main guide.

Sources

1. Dyad: free, local, open-source AI app builder. Dyad. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
2. dyad. Dyad on GitHub. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
3. Supabase integration. Dyad Docs. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
4. bolt.diy. StackBlitz Labs on GitHub. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
5. Dyad Pro: pricing, plans and AI credits. Dyad. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.

Further reading

• Buyer's guide · Updated quarterlyThe best Lovable alternatives for 2027An analysis of eight builders for people whose Lovable prototype now has to hold real data, compared on seven published criteria, with the evidence behind each and the established path to production.
• Guide · Reasons to switchWhy people leave Lovable in 2027, and when they shouldn'tCost per change, a record of security incidents and a backend built for speed rather than portability. What each reason rests on, how much weight it deserves and what to check before leaving.
• Guide · ProductionMoving a Lovable app to production in 2027A working prototype is not yet a production app. The steps that separate them are mostly the same wherever the app ends up, and most of them can be started before choosing a platform.