[Full-stack AI development] My impressions after using Replit and pricing plans explained | It's great, but is it difficult for non-engineers?

"I tried making an app using an AI development tool, but I always get stuck connecting to external services..."

For those Vibecoders who want to take things a step further, Replit is the ideal development environment.

Recently, many AI tools have appeared that can automatically generate UI and code, but
using an API or connecting to an external service , many people run into problems with setting up the environment and authentication.

a full-stack development platform that solves the problem of non-working AI apps .

Not only does it provide AI-assisted coding assistance, but backend functions, databases, and deployment can all be completed in the browser,
and integration with external APIs such as OpenAI can be easily handled using only natural language.

In this article,
we will introduce in detail Replit's features, what it can do, how it is developed, and its pricing plans based on our actual experience using it.

I'm currently using the Core plan, which costs $25 per month.
I'll explain in more detail later which plan you should choose

What is Replit and what are its features?

In recent years, a development style called "vibe coding" has been gaining attention, in which instructions are given via chat, such as "I want to make this kind of app," and the app is generated accordingly.

Replit is a highly flexible and powerful AI development platform enables this style of code-based development

Replit complete full-scale application development using only a browser , making it a particularly valuable tool for those who want to create a service using AI but are stuck trying to connect to external services.

A full-stack AI development environment where everything is done within Replit

The biggest feature is you can build and manage everything from backend functions, databases, authentication, and hosting within Replit .

it is completed on a single platform without relying on external services such as Supabase or Firebase , it also helps avoid common stumbling blocks such as configuration errors and integration errors.

supports natural language instructions, code completion, correction, and optimization. Replit is the only tool that can provide a vibe-coding experience where you "build with code while giving instructions in natural language."

Main functions and features

function	Content
Backend construction	You can set up a server within Replit and write any API or processing logic you like.
Database	Integrate PostgreSQL or SQLite into your project and use it directly within your app
certification	Flexible login functionality can be implemented using proprietary Auth API and OAuth
Deployment Function	Instantly publish your app to the web. Accessible with a Replit subdomain.
GitHub integration	Link your project to GitHub for version control and collaborative development.
Original domain	You can publish your app by setting up any custom domain. The DNS settings are reflected immediately after setup, and it is also suitable for commercial use.

Compared to other full-stack development AIs, Replit has a much larger range of functions and is a highly functional development environment with detailed settings and expansion capabilities .

However, rather than being "essential for service development," many of these features are "not essential, but are for people who want to fine-tune things," and seem geared towards engineers

As a result, it's not as intuitive as a fully no-code tool, and for people with some familiarity with IT and development .
Replit should be the best choice for "less than intermediate to advanced engineers" Vibecoders.

Things that surprised me when I actually used Replit

The first thing that surprised me when I used Replit was its overwhelming freedom and integration .

✅ A full-fledged platform that also allows infrastructure configuration: Autoscale configuration can be operated using a GUI

With Replit, you can even configure
the infrastructure scaling settings yourself during deployment Settings such as "how many vCPUs and RAM per machine" and "maximum number of machines to scale to" can be adjusted from the GUI.
For example, you can achieve the configuration below with just a few clicks.

• Per unit: 4 vCPUs / 8GiB RAM (total 88 compute units/sec)
• Maximum number of scales: 3 (total 264 compute units/sec)

AI development tools that allow for this level of infrastructure customization are extremely rare , and from an engineering perspective, they allow for designs that take full scalability into consideration.

Even if the app becomes popular, being able to scale is a very welcome feature!
(There are also disadvantages, but we'll talk about those later.)

✅ You can also choose the base app type (React or Python)

When creating a project, you will have a choice of base styles to suit your needs

• Modern Web App (React + Node.js)
• Interactive Data App (Streamlit + Python)
• Python backend web app
• 3D games with Three.js
• Auto selection (Auto)

The Streamlit-based configuration is particularly effective
for data visualization and internal tools Choosing a React-based platform ensures scalability, allowing the front-end to be built as an SPA

✅ There are also convenient templates! When creating from a template, there are a wide variety of development languages ​​available!

Replit has a template feature called "Developer Frameworks," which allows you to start app development by selecting templates from a variety of categories, including AI, websites, games, and bots.

• If you're building it from scratch, your only options are "React" or "Python."
• it is possible to support a wider variety of languages ​​and frameworks , such as Node.js, Java, R, and C#.
• There are a wide variety of templates available, both official and unofficial, so you can start with one that suits your purpose.

The templates are a great feature for non-engineers, and I think the ability to choose the language will be useful for engineers creating base apps.

✅ Does not depend on external services and is fully integrated from backend to database to authentication

Replit allows you to complete even the most advanced configurations, such as the following, entirely within Replit, without the need for other services :

• Backend functions: Server-side processing can be written using Express-like syntax
• Database: SQLite or PostgreSQL embedded in the project
• Authentication: Flexible implementation using OAuth or proprietary Auth API
• Deployment: Instant web publishing with URL
• Original domain: Can be reflected after external configuration

This reduces the frustration of connecting with external services

Be honest about your concerns about Lovable

Replit is a very powerful and flexible development environment, but it also seems that it is not "easy for anyone to use."

❗ Autoscale is convenient, but pay-as-you-go pricing is scary

Autoscale's GUI allows you to flexibly select the configuration, which is appealing, but -as-you-go model where the unit price is calculated in seconds x number of devices , depending on how you use it an unexpectedly high bill . (Of course, you can set an upper limit.)

In fact, even when you look at the settings screen, you'll see a complex list of items such as "Compute Units," "Deployment Cost," and "Storage," and to be honest, it's difficult to intuitively understand how much you will use and how much it will cost

It's a great advantage to be able to upgrade the specs if the app becomes popular, but a pay-per-use fee , so I don't really recommend it.

Deployment-related

item	Usage amount	Core Limit	Total usage	unit price
Outbound Data Transfer (GiB)	0%	100	0.00 GiB	$0.1 / GiB
Reserved VM Deployment (Compute Hours)	–	–	0	–
Auto-scale deployment (number of instances)	–	–	0	$0.033 / day
Autoscale (Compute Units)	–	–	0	$3.20 / million units
Autoscale (number of requests)	–	–	0	$1.20 / 1 million requests
Scheduled deployment (number of instances)	–	–	0	$0.033 / day
Scheduled Deployment (Compute Units)	–	–	0	$3.20 / million units
Static deployment (number)	0%	200	0	free

Storage/Database Related

item	Usage amount	unit price
PostgreSQL Storage (GiB)	0.00 GiB	$1.5 / GiB
PostgreSQL Compute (hours)	0 hours	$0.16/hour
App storage (GiB/month)	0.00 GiB	$0.03 / GiB/month
App Storage Data Transfer (GiB)	0.00 GiB	$0.1 / GiB
App Storage Basic Operations (Requests)	0 items	$0.0006 / 1000 items
App Storage Advanced Operations (Requests)	0 items	$0.0075 / 1000 items

❗ The freedom to configure your infrastructure can backfire

While the freedom to specify the number of vCPUs, memory amount, and even the number of scaling units is appreciated by engineers, it can be a hurdle for non-engineers as they don't know which numbers to choose

Incorrect configuration can lead to problems such as the service not working, being slow, or incurring unexpected charges.

If you look at the image below and don't know what settings to use, you might want to avoid Replit for now.

❗ Most of the functions are so advanced that they are difficult to use

It has many sub-functions such as the ones below, but there were times when it was difficult to decide which one to use

• SSH (connecting to an external editor)
• Shell (CLI operation)
• Extensions (plugins)
• Key-Value Store (simple data storage)

Although these are all useful features, non-engineers are likely to feel that "there's a lot going on, but I don't really understand it."

❗ The UI is a bit complicated and not intuitive

Because Replit has such a wide range of features, there are many menus and screen transitions, and I often found myself confused about how to use it for the first time.

For example, the deployment settings and database management screens contain a lot of information, and designed to take time to understand .
It's convenient once you get used to it, but there's no denying that the initial learning cost is high

When I use other AI services, I get a general idea of ​​what they can do, but with Replit, it's hard to know where to go and what to do. It seems like there are a lot of unnecessary features, so I would have liked it if they'd cut out those and put them into the UI.

❗Native apps (smartphone apps) can be created by selecting from templates

When developing a native app (smartphone app) with Replit, you select from templates instead of chatting.

This is possible if you use Expo templates, but there are so many templates that I think many people don't know which ones are native app templates.

Create.xyz is currently in beta, but it also supports native app development, so if you say you want a native app from a chat, it will create a native app for you, and it's easy to check that it works.

If you are thinking about developing a native app, we recommend using Create.xyz

❗The entire source code is output, but it may be difficult for non-engineers to use.

has generated code for your web app in your browser

The generated source has a full-fledged structure, but the source code is displayed in its entirety.

Even for minor edits like "I want to change a little bit of wording" or "I want to fix the behavior of a button," it's difficult to know which file to touch, and I a bit of a challenge for non-engineers .

For example, a similar service called Base44 hides configuration files and organizes key files in an easy-to-see manner,
giving the impression that it is easy to understand "where to look."

Replit is carefully generated structurally , there is little navigation for "where and how to edit ," so non-engineers may have some difficulty fixing the code on their own.

Comparing Replit's pricing plans! Which one is recommended?

In addition to a free plan, Replit offers three paid plans for individuals and businesses.

The differences between each are summarised in the table below:

Plan Name	Monthly fee	credit	Private Apps	Original domain	AI Assistant	Key Features
Starter	$0	10 Development App (Temporary Link)	×	×	✅Try it	Only available for public apps. For those who want to try it out.
Replit Core	$25	$25 monthly credit	✅ Unlimited	✅	✅	If you want to develop an app in earnest, start here
Teams	$40/month (per user)	$40 monthly credit	✅ Unlimited	✅	✅	For team development. Includes 50 viewer seats and role control.
Enterprise	Please inquire	custom	✅ Unlimited	✅	✅	For businesses with SSO/SAML and dedicated support

✅ If you're developing an app, the "Replit Core Plan" is almost essential!

I actually use "Replit Core ($25/month)" myself, and if you want to create a solid app and publish and operate it, this plan is essentially the starting point.

• $25/month credit included (additional usage is pay-as-you-go)
• Create unlimited public and private apps
• Claude Sonnet 4 and OpenAI GPT-4o are also available
• Supports Live app deployment and hosting

Beware of additional costs: You may be charged a pay-as-you-go fee!

Replit's basic features are included in the monthly fee, but data transfer and scaling (Autoscale) are charged on a pay-as-you-go basis.

For example, the following unit prices apply:

• Data transfer: $0.1 / GiB
• Storage: $0.03 / GiB (monthly)
• Autoscale: $0.033/day + unit charge ($3.20/million units)

In terms of UI and functionality, there are times when the abundance of features can be a bit confusing, so it may seem a bit difficult for non-engineers

Conclusion: Replit might be a bit of a tough choice for non-engineers

Replit is certainly a highly functional and attractive platform that can be used consistently from development to deployment.
However, in reality, it is difficult for non-engineers to use, and the implementation hurdles and costs are not low .

Although it can be operated using a GUI, there are many situations where knowledge of infrastructure configuration is required, and
in order to correctly understand and use the various settings and functions (SSH, Key-Value Store, Autoscale settings, etc.), a certain level of technical ability and familiarity is required .

Furthermore, because it is a pay-as-you-go system, there is a risk that you
may be charged without realizing it On top of that, the UI is not very intuitive, and it takes some getting used to using it.

In conclusion, Replit has some value for people who aspire to be engineers or who want to try out code while learning it, but it's probably not the best option for non-engineers who have no IT knowledge and don't want to study, or who want to easily create a service

Finally: With Create.xyz, even non-engineers can easily create apps!

For non-engineers and those just starting out with vibe coding, we highly recommend starting with Create.xyz .

Like Replit, Create.xyz is a full-stack development AI that can build front-end, back-end, authentication, database, and external APIs. However, much simpler to use .

Furthermore, Create.xyz has many great features for non-engineers.

• No API key is required to connect to external APIs
  . No need for tedious account registration or API key acquisition. Security is also assured.
• External APIs such as OpenAI are available for free (as of the time of writing).
  It may become a credit system in the future, but for now it is very easy to use.
• a flat-rate system, not a pay-per-use system, so you can rest assured
  that you don't have to worry about being charged a large amount without realizing it (note that migration may be necessary depending on the number of hits and popularity).
• Supports native app development
  It is also possible to create smartphone apps in natural language, not just web apps.
• The incredible cost performance of just $19 per month
  makes it very attractive that full-scale development is possible at this price.

While Replit was aimed at engineers, Create.xyz is a full-stack development AI that can be used easily and safely by non-engineers!
If you don't want to write code but want to create a proper service, Create.xyz should be the ideal first step.