First.new vs Base44: choosing a builder for your business website

First.new publishes this guide. The decision here is a practical one: which builder fits a consultant, studio, or service business that needs clear pages, selected work, and a way to receive enquiries?

First.new vs Base44 at a glance

Compare the website you will actually maintain

Use one modest brief in both products: a home page, services, two approved work examples, an about section, and a contact route. Bring the same copy and images. This gives you something useful to compare after the first preview, without adding accounts or payments that the website does not need.

Example brief: “Build a website for my independent design studio. Use the business facts and images I provide. Include services, selected work, about, and contact. Keep the navigation clear on a phone. Ask before adding any paid or external service. Do not invent client names, testimonials, or results.”

After the initial version, request an ordinary update: revise a service description and replace one image while keeping the rest of the layout. Review the result, publish it, and check the live page. Record any manual work required. This is a suggested evaluation, not a claim that we completed that test.

Base44’s website guide describes prompt-based creation, editing, hosted publishing, and testing forms. Those documented capabilities make it a relevant option for this brief.

Point to the change with Design Mode

First.new’s Design Mode lets you select an element in the preview and describe the change there. For a service website, try selecting a service heading and asking for clearer wording, then selecting a project image and replacing it from the media library. Image generation is also available for supported selections when enabled. These edits use AI and credits; selecting an element is not a promise that every change will work on the first attempt.

After the edit, check the selected element, nearby content, and the mobile layout. Version history lets you preview earlier work and restore an eligible version as the current draft. Check what a restore changes before using it; do not assume it also restores stored enquiries or database records.

Check where an enquiry goes

In First.new, Forms provides an inbox and CSV export where enabled, with preview and live submissions kept separate. The live submission service must also be enabled. If notifications are available, test them separately; finding a saved answer and receiving an email are different checks.

Whichever builder you choose, submit from the published site as a visitor. Confirm that someone in the business can find the answer and respond. Check the success and error messages. A form that looks finished but has no verified destination should not be the only contact route you share.

Only add a backend when the website needs one

First Cloud is First.new’s managed backend option where enabled; it does not require connecting your own Supabase account. A supported Supabase connection is another conditional option. Confirm availability and test each required data, sign-in, or file workflow. A configured backend does not establish that every generated feature works.

Base44 documents a hosted backend with data, authentication, and functions. A website with a customer portal needs more evaluation than a set of public service pages.

Use the built-in services your website needs

First.new has built-in authentication, a database, and application file storage through First Cloud, alongside Forms and website analytics. The managed backend does not require your own Supabase account. Availability depends on the services enabled for your app. For public service pages, you may need only a contact route; add accounts or saved records when they serve a real task.

Built-in Media Cloud handles uploaded images and video, with a media library, optimization, and CDN delivery. Uploads and delivery do not use credits under the current policy. This is separate from AI image generation and general backend usage. For a portfolio or business site, try uploading a real project photo and placing it on the page.

First AI for your apps is different from the AI that builds the website. Where enabled, it supports text and image generation inside the app you create, such as a visitor-facing writing assistant. Those requests consume credits. Test the feature, its usage, and its failure behavior before offering it to visitors.

Website analytics can show visits, page loads, top pages, countries, and devices for a published app when configured. Use that to understand traffic after launch. It is not a verified conversion-funnel, session-replay, or A/B-testing product.

Decide the address before committing

First.new supports owned subdomains such as www.example.com with eligible access, currently Pro or a manual grant, and the required setup. Connecting example.com itself is outside the current supported scope. If that root address is essential, resolve it before choosing your builder.

Base44 documents custom root domains and subdomains on Starter plans and above. Account eligibility and DNS setup still need checking for the address you intend to use.

Plan who maintains the site after launch

Base44’s GitHub connection and ZIP export require Builder or above. Its documented external frontend workflow can still use the hosted Base44 backend.

This review has not established a customer-facing code export or GitHub sync workflow in First.new. If a developer must take over the repository, treat that as an unresolved requirement. Downloading page code elsewhere also does not automatically move stored enquiries, connected accounts, or other services.

Budget for changes and live services

First.new uses credits for building, Design Mode edits, workspace runtime, validation, and metered services in published apps. Check the regular price, any introductory renewal, the total annual bill, and when credits are issued. Unlimited apps does not mean unlimited credits or backend resources. Use the terms shown at checkout when deciding what you will pay. First.new pricing

Base44 separates message credits from integration credits for built-in services such as email. Ordinary database reads and writes do not use integration credits, while actions requiring depleted credits can fail.

Estimate a normal month of edits and enquiries after your trial. Include the plan, domain, connected services, and work someone else must perform. Credit counts from different products are not comparable units of work, so avoid choosing on the number alone.

When to consider First.new

Consider First.new when your immediate job is a clear business website and you want to describe changes beside its preview. Confirm the contact route and any conditional services you need. It is a candidate to try with this brief, not a verified shortcut to a better result or lower bill.

Start with the content and workflow in our small business website guide.

When to consider Base44

Consider Base44 when its documented root-domain or export route answers a requirement you already have. Evaluate the relevant plan and a complete handoff or publishing test. If you already have a working Base44 website, improving a specific weak point may require less work than rebuilding it.

For a broader shortlist organised around the reason for switching, read Base44 alternatives for business websites.

If you want a starting layout for your brief, browse the available First.new templates.