Vibe coding platform Base44 launches own model as AI startups seek defensibility
Key takeaways
- The move comes as the discussion in AI circles has intensified over whether frontier models are best suited for all use cases.
- While its custom LLM is only just rolling out, Base44 hopes that it will eventually outperform frontier models.
- At first glance, this could be a way to stay ahead of competitors such as Swedish startup Lovable, which reached unicorn status in its Series A round last summer and that relies on external LLMs.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Base44, the vibe coding platform that Wix acquired for $80 million just one year ago — when the company was barely six moths old and had a team of eight — has started rolling out its own AI model to support its users in creating apps with natural language.
The move comes as the discussion in AI circles has intensified over whether frontier models are best suited for all use cases. A related question is whether businesses built on top of someone else s models are truly defensible long-term. The latest move of Base44, based in the Bay Area, speaks to both.
While its custom LLM is only just rolling out, Base44 hopes that it will eventually outperform frontier models. According to its founder, Maor Shlomo, “training and owning the model as part of [our] entire stack allows us a lot more optimizations on latency, cost, and efficiency.”