--- title: "Base44 app not updating after publish" description: "Base44 apps look unchanged after publish because of caching, an unmerged branch or a stale function. How to check each cause and get the new version live." url: https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/base44-app-not-updating-after-publish --- [Home](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/) / [Problems](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems) / [Deploy and go live](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems#deploy-and-go-live) # Base44 app not updating after publish VC-21 · Base44 · Updated October 2026 · By [Nathaniel Kelley](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/authors/nathaniel-kelley) Quick verdict You can fix this yourself. Usually a cache, a branch or a function redeploy. - **How serious**: Low - **Fix it yourself?**: Yes, you can fix this yourself - **Typical cost**: $49–$800 one-off check if it keeps happening ([prices](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/pricing)) - **Top rated for Base44**: [Afterbuild Labs](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/afterbuild-labs) · **10.0**/10 **What you see.** You clicked Publish in Base44, saw the success message, but visitors still get the old version of the app. ## Why it happens Base44 keeps a draft and a live app. The editor preview is the draft, visible only to you and collaborators, and Base44 says the live app only changes when you publish. Three things make a publish look like it did nothing. First, browser caching: your device or a visitor's device is still showing the old files, so the change appears on a different device but not yours. Second, backend functions. Editing a function in **Dashboard → Code** updates your preview, but the live app keeps running the version from your last publish until you click **Save & Redeploy** on main and then publish again. Third, branches. You cannot publish from a branch. On a branch the Publish button is replaced by **Merge to main**, and only main goes live. Custom domains add a fourth case, when the domain still shows Pending verification and serves nothing new. ## Fix it yourself 1. Open the live app in a private window or on your phone. If the change shows there, clear your browser cache and cookies for the app and reload. 2. In the editor, open **More actions → Compare with live code**. If your change is listed as unpublished, click **Publish** again and wait for the success message. 3. Check which branch you are on. If the top right says **Merge to main** instead of Publish, merge first, then publish from main. 4. For a changed backend function, go to **Dashboard → Code**, click **Save & Redeploy** on main, then publish. 5. If the domain badge says **Pending verification** for more than 30 minutes, click **Unlink domain** and connect it again. Cloudflare records must be DNS only. 6. Still stale? Use the **Version history** icon above the chat to confirm which version carries the published marker, and check the error logs in the Dashboard. ## When to get an engineer This rarely needs an engineer. Hire if the live app shows a mix of old and new screens after all the steps, if a custom domain has been pending for days, or if the stale version is costing sales right now. Send Base44 Customer Care or your engineer the app link, what you expected, when it started and a screenshot of your DNS records. A one-off check sits at the low end of $49–$800. Our [Base44 app not loading](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/base44-app-not-loading) page covers the harder case. ## Top-rated companies for Base44 apps Ranked by our score: published prices, scope of work, AI tools named, timing and a low-risk first step. [How we score](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/methodology#score). - 1 · [Afterbuild Labs](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/afterbuild-labs) · **10.0**/10 · Best for: A check before launch · Free first step · from $49 - 2 · [Redlab](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/redlab) · **10.0**/10 · Best for: A full rescue by one team that keeps building · Free first step · from $490 - 3 · [Vibe Code Rescue (Lev Arakelyan)](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/vibe-code-rescue-lev-arakelyan) · **9.0**/10 · Best for: A one-off check and a cleanup · From $299 [All 9 Base44 companies, ranked](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/best/base44-developers) ## Check these OPS-03 · High Errors reach you before users do Add error monitoring and uptime alerts. If you learn about outages from customers, this is missing. OPS-02 · High Testing and real users use separate databases Experiments and AI agents should never run against production data. CODE-01 · High The code lives in a Git repository you own Connect GitHub or export the project. If the builder account is lost, the product should not be. ## Questions ### Does publishing from a branch work? No. Base44 says branches cannot be published. Merge to main first, then publish from main, and all of main's changes go live together. ### Why does my function change not show up live? Redeploying a function updates the preview only. Base44 says the live app keeps running the last published version of the function until you publish again. Sources: [Base44: Troubleshooting issues](https://docs.base44.com/Community-and-support/Troubleshooting); [Base44: Getting to know the app editor](https://docs.base44.com/Getting-Started/app-editor-overview); [Base44: Working with branches](https://docs.base44.com/Building-your-app/working-with-branches); [Base44: Building an app](https://docs.base44.com/Getting-Started/Quick-start-guide). **Same category** - [Lovable app not working: what breaks between preview and production](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/lovable-app-not-working) - [Base44 app not loading or stuck on Thinking: what it usually means](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/base44-app-not-loading) - [v0 app needs a backend and deployment: what to add before real users](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/v0-app-needs-a-backend) - [Claude Code or Cursor app works on localhost, breaks in production](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/claude-code-works-on-localhost-breaks-in-production) - [Lovable publish fails with a build error](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/lovable-publish-failed-build-error) - [Lovable custom domain stuck on Verifying or Setting up](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/lovable-custom-domain-stuck-verifying) [All deploy and go live problems](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems#deploy-and-go-live) **Run every check** The [production checklist](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/checklist) has all 24 checks with a verdict.