By Partly fixable yourself. Code yes with a Builder plan, data takes real work
- How serious
- Medium
- Fix it yourself?
- Partly, some steps need a developer
- Typical cost
- Nothing yourself, $300–$25,000 to move off the builder (prices)
- Top rated for Base44
- Afterbuild Labs · 10.0/10
What you see. You built on Base44 and want to know what you can take with you if you leave or hire a developer.
Why it happens
Base44, owned by Wix, is an all-in-one builder. It generates the frontend and runs your backend for you: the entities that hold your records, user accounts, and backend functions. You can get the code out. The GitHub integration gives two-way sync on the Builder plan or higher, commits automatically with no manual push, requires the default branch to be main, and cannot be paused. There is also an export endpoint, GET /api/apps/{app_id}/coding/export-to-zip, that downloads the current saved code as a zip. It is in beta and fails with a 413 if the project is too large.
The code you get still talks to Base44. Entities, login and the SDK are part of Base44's backend, so an exported frontend runs, but every record and every sign-in still goes through Base44 until someone rebuilds that layer. Leaving fully means a backend migration, not a download.
Fix it yourself
- Check your plan. GitHub two-way sync needs the Builder plan or higher, so upgrade first if you are on a lower plan.
- In the app editor open the Dashboard, click the GitHub icon top right, choose Connect to GitHub, authorize, and click Create Repository.
- Confirm the repository was created in your own GitHub account and is private. Only app owners can connect or link a repository.
- Know the limits before you connect. After connecting you can only restore versions that exist in the repository, and
masteras default branch is not supported. - Plan the data separately. Your records and user accounts live in Base44's backend. Decide whether you are staying, in which case GitHub is your backup, or leaving, which means rebuilding the backend elsewhere. See fix or rebuild.
When to get an engineer
Hire an engineer when you want to leave Base44 for good, because the backend has to be rebuilt and the data moved without losing user accounts. Tell them how many entities you have, roughly how many records and users, and which integrations the app uses. Moving off the builder runs $300–$25,000, and a full rebuild of the app on a stack you own starts from €12,000 over 4–16 weeks. Staying on Base44 with GitHub as backup costs nothing.
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.
- 1Afterbuild Labs10.0/10Best for: A check before launchFree first step · from $49
- 2Redlab10.0/10Best for: A full rescue by one team that keeps buildingFree first step · from $490
- 3Vibe Code Rescue (Lev Arakelyan)9.0/10Best for: A one-off check and a cleanupFrom $299
Check these
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.
Database backups run automatically and a restore has been tested
Check what your database plan actually includes, then restore a backup into a test project once.
Secrets live in the host's environment settings
Keys belong in environment variables on the server, not in the repository or in front-end code.
Questions
Can I run the exported code on my own server?
The code will run, but it calls Base44 for data, login and functions. Until that layer is replaced, your app still depends on Base44.
Do I need a paid plan to export?
The GitHub two-way sync requires the Builder plan or higher. The documentation for the zip export endpoint does not name a plan, but notes the API is in beta.
Sources: Base44 docs: GitHub Integration; Base44 docs: Export app source code; Base44 docs: Using Base Code.