Bubble vs UI Bakery: a factual comparison for app builders
Bubble and UI Bakery come up together when teams weigh how to build a web application without hand-coding every line. Both are visual builders, but they solve different problems: Bubble targets multi-user web apps, while UI Bakery targets internal tools, dashboards, and admin panels.
This page compares the two on their editor, data layer, workflow logic, and pricing, then looks at where Sticklight fits as a third option for professional creators who want production-ready, full-stack output from a single prompt.
- Bubble is a browser-based visual development platform for multi-user web apps, with a hosted database and a visual workflow engine.
- UI Bakery is a low-code platform focused on internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals, with a hosted PostgreSQL database.
- UI Bakery publishes verified pricing starting at a free tier, with paid Builder and Team plans. Bubble’s current plan pricing isn’t independently verified here, so check their site for current pricing.
- Bubble apps run on Bubble’s own infrastructure with no code export. UI Bakery supports both cloud and self-hosted deployment.
- Sticklight, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, turns a prompt into production-ready sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, then publishes them, and it’s additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor stack.
What Bubble handles.
Bubble is a browser-based visual development platform for building multi-user web applications. It pairs a drag-and-drop UI editor with a pixel- and responsive-layout engine, a built-in hosted database for defining data types, fields, and relationships, and a Visual Workflow Engine for backend logic, scheduled events, and API-triggered actions. A Plugin Marketplace adds third-party integrations for payments, email, maps, and AI, and a built-in API Connector handles calls to external REST APIs. Bubble apps run on Bubble’s own infrastructure, with no code export offered. The platform outputs web applications; native mobile app store builds need a third-party wrapper. Usage on current plans is measured and billed in “Workload Units.”
What UI Bakery handles.
UI Bakery is a low-code platform for building web applications such as internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals through a drag-and-drop editor. It includes a hosted PostgreSQL database (5GB on paid tiers) with a visual table and data editor, more than 80 pre-built drag-and-drop UI components, and unlimited connections to external databases, REST APIs, and third-party services. Paid tiers include a monthly AI credit allotment, and the platform supports self-hosted deployment alongside its cloud option. Its Enterprise self-hosted tier lets you bring a customer-owned AI model.
Bubble vs UI Bakery at a glance
| Dimension | Bubble | UI Bakery | Sticklight |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Visual development platform for multi-user web apps | Low-code platform for internal tools, dashboards, and admin panels | Vibe-coding platform that builds production-ready sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and tools from a prompt |
| Output | Web applications hosted on Bubble; no code export; mobile needs a third-party wrapper | Web applications; internal tools, dashboards, and portals | Full-stack, production-ready output, published directly |
| Backend / data | Built-in hosted relational database plus a visual Workflow Engine for logic | Hosted PostgreSQL database (5GB on paid tiers) plus connections to external data sources | Additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor stack |
| Publish / hosting | Bubble’s own infrastructure, exclusively | Cloud or self-hosted deployment | Publish is part of the prompt-to-build-to-publish flow |
| Best for | Teams building multi-user web applications visually | Teams building internal tools, admin panels, and dashboards | Professional web creators wanting full-stack output beyond a single site |
| Entry pricing | Check their site for current pricing | Free (Cloud), $0 per developer per month; Builder from $20/month billed annually ($25/month billed monthly) | Additive to your WordPress/Elementor stack |
Pricing, in detail.
UI Bakery publishes a verified pricing structure. The Free Cloud plan runs $0 per developer per month. The Builder Cloud plan runs $20 per developer per month billed annually, or $25 per month billed monthly. The Team Cloud plan runs $35 per developer per month billed annually, or $40 per month billed monthly. Enterprise, on both cloud and self-hosted, is quote-based. UI Bakery also offers Free and Team self-hosted tiers at the same per-developer pricing as their cloud counterparts.
Bubble’s current plan pricing couldn’t be independently verified from its own pricing page at the time this comparison was written, since the page renders its plan grid client-side. For that reason, no Bubble price figures appear here. Check their site for current pricing.
Where Sticklight fits.
Bubble and UI Bakery both solve a version of the same problem: turning a visual editor into a working web application, one for public multi-user apps, one for internal tools. Sticklight approaches it differently. It’s a vibe-coding platform for professional web creators: a prompt becomes production-ready output across sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, following a prompt, build, publish flow, and publishing is part of that flow rather than a separate step.
Sticklight is built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, and it’s additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor setup rather than a replacement for it. If you already work in that ecosystem and want to add app-like or dashboard-like output without switching platforms, that additive positioning is a real, practical difference from both Bubble and UI Bakery, which are each their own standalone platforms. AI agents are on Sticklight’s roadmap and not yet a shipped feature.
Choosing between the three.
If your project is a standalone, multi-user web application with custom backend logic and no need for code export, Bubble’s visual workflow engine and hosted database cover that case. If it’s an internal tool, admin panel, or dashboard connecting to existing data sources, UI Bakery’s component library and self-hosting option are built for that case, with published pricing to plan around. If you want production-ready, full-stack output from a prompt that publishes directly and sits alongside a WordPress or Elementor site rather than replacing it, Sticklight is the more direct fit for your workflow.
I’ve seen a rough prototype in someone’s hands beat a polished plan sitting in a folder, every single time.
Itamar Haim
Frequently asked questions
What’s the main difference between Bubble and UI Bakery?
Bubble is built for standalone, multi-user web applications, with its own hosted database and visual workflow engine. UI Bakery is built for internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals, with a hosted PostgreSQL database and support for self-hosted deployment.
Does Bubble have a free plan?
That’s not confirmed here: Bubble’s current plan pricing isn’t independently verified, so check their site for current pricing.
Does UI Bakery have a free plan?
Yes. UI Bakery’s Free Cloud plan runs $0 per developer per month, confirmed directly from its pricing page.
Can I self-host UI Bakery?
Yes. UI Bakery supports self-hosted deployment alongside its cloud option, including a Free self-hosted tier and a Team self-hosted tier priced the same as their cloud equivalents.
Where does Sticklight fit next to Bubble and UI Bakery?
Sticklight turns a prompt into production-ready sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools and publishes them, and it’s additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor stack rather than a standalone platform you’d migrate into.
Built by the Elementor team. Powered by Claude.
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