cto.new vs BuildAI
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. cto.new has the lower starting price: about $20 a month, against $25 for BuildAI.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Website and app builder
- Prebuilt AI agent teams
- Stripe payments and invoices
- Custom domains
- Business email inbox
- Ads on ChatGPT
- App from a prompt
- Built-in database and auth
- Payments and subscriptions
- Custom domains
- Digital Employees
- Unlimited apps
| Feature | cto.new | BuildAI |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Chat with an AI team to build, launch and run a small business online | Build AI web apps with database, logins and payments by chatting |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Made by | Engine Labs | BuildAI.Space LTD |
| Based in | – | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
|
Both offer: Custom domains.
Pricing compared
cto.new has the lower starting price: about $20 a month, against $25 for BuildAI.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
2 plans
Free
Free
- Frontier AI models
- Unlimited agent chats
- API and MCP integrations
Premium
$20/mo
- Starting price
- At least 5x usage
- Premium models and pro agent features
4 plans
Rocket
$25/mo
- 100 builder messages a month
- 1,000 AI credits
- 3 Digital Employees
- Publish apps without branding
Moon
$49/mo
- 250 builder messages a month
- 5,000 AI credits
- 6 Digital Employees
- Custom domain
Spaceship
$99/mo
- 500 builder messages a month
- 15,000 AI credits
- 10 Digital Employees
- Premium support
Galaxy
$199/mo
- 1,200 builder messages a month
- 40,000 AI credits
- 20 Digital Employees
Prices in USD, checked Oct 29, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
cto.new
- Generous free plan
- No API keys needed
- Payments, domain and email in one place
- Best models only on Premium
- ChatGPT ads need extra ad credits
- Less control than a code editor
BuildAI
- Payments and user accounts included
- Unlimited apps on every plan
- No coding needed to launch
- No free plan listed
- Builder messages are capped monthly
- Custom domain needs the Moon plan or higher
Which one should you choose?
Choose cto.new if you want:
- Generous free plan
- No API keys needed
- Payments, domain and email in one place
Watch out: best models only on premium.
Choose BuildAI if you want:
- Payments and user accounts included
- Unlimited apps on every plan
- No coding needed to launch
Watch out: no free plan listed.
cto.new vs BuildAI FAQ
What is the difference between cto.new and BuildAI?
cto.new: Chat with an AI team to build, launch and run a small business online. BuildAI: Build AI web apps with database, logins and payments by chatting. Both are coding tools.
Is cto.new or BuildAI cheaper?
cto.new has the lower starting price: about $20 a month, against $25 for BuildAI.
Do cto.new and BuildAI have free plans?
cto.new: Yes. BuildAI: No.
Who makes cto.new?
cto.new is made by Engine Labs.
Who makes BuildAI?
BuildAI is made by BuildAI.Space LTD.
Which should I choose, cto.new or BuildAI?
Choose cto.new if you value generous free plan and no api keys needed. Choose BuildAI if you value payments and user accounts included and unlimited apps on every plan.