The TL;DR
Base44
Base44 is excellent for quickly spinning up prototypes and MVPs. It's fast, AI-powered, and great for individual makers testing ideas.
AgentUI
AgentUI is built for businesses that need operational systems - inventory management, sales pipelines, team dashboards - that actually run day-to-day operations. It's purpose-built for the problems businesses face when they outgrow Excel.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Who Owns the Platform?
Acquired by Wix in June 2025. Now part of a large public company's product portfolio. Product direction is now driven by Wix's strategic priorities, not the original Base44 vision.
Independent company focused exclusively on helping businesses build operational tools. Every product decision is driven by what business operators actually need.
Verdict: If you're building something your business depends on, consider who controls the platform's future. Acquisitions often lead to pivots, feature deprecations, or absorption into a larger product.
Built For Prototypes vs Built For Operations
Designed as a general-purpose app builder. Great for spinning up any kind of app quickly - landing pages, MVPs, side projects, internal tools. Jack of all trades.
Purpose-built for business operations. Pre-built blueprints for inventory, sales, CRM, logistics, and team management. 100+ templates designed for real business workflows.
Verdict: If you need a quick prototype for a hackathon, Base44 is solid. If you need a system your team uses every day to run operations, AgentUI was designed for exactly that.
Data Portability & Lock-in
Export options are limited. You can export a ZIP or push to GitHub (currently in beta), but migrating your database and business data off the platform is unclear. Multiple reviewers have flagged vendor lock-in as a real concern.
Your data is your data. Built with portability in mind from day one. No surprises when you need to move, export, or integrate with other systems.
Verdict: Before you build your business on any platform, ask: what happens if I need to leave? The answer matters more than the onboarding experience.
Support
Support is poor and mostly AI-generated. No human support—when you need real help, you typically get chatbot or automated responses. Many users end up hiring an outside person (developer or consultant) to get unstuck.
Real human support when you need it—not another AI. Get help from actual people who understand your business and can guide you through setup, customization, and scaling.
Verdict: If you need actual help with setup, customization, or scaling, human support matters. Base44 leaves you with chatbots; AgentUI has real people.
The Wix Acquisition: What It Means For You
In June 2025, Wix acquired Base44. While acquisitions can bring resources, they also bring uncertainty. Here's what to consider:
- Product roadmap is now tied to Wix's priorities, not independent users' needs
- Features may be deprecated or merged into Wix's existing ecosystem
- Terms of service, pricing, and data policies can change with corporate decisions
- The founding team's original vision may shift as corporate priorities take over
- History shows that acquired startups often pivot, get sunset, or become upsell funnels for the parent company
When Base44 Makes Sense
- You need a quick prototype or MVP for an idea
- You're an individual maker building side projects
- You want to test a concept before committing to a platform
- Your use case is simple and doesn't require complex business logic
When AgentUI Is the Better Choice
- You're building systems your team will use daily for real operations
- You need inventory, sales, CRM, or logistics tools
- You need real human support when you run into issues—not chatbots
- You've outgrown Excel and need a real operational backbone
- Data portability and independence matter to you
- You want 100+ pre-built business templates to start fast
Ready to Build Something Your Business Actually Needs?
Skip the prototyping tool. Build the operational system your team has been waiting for.