Downgrading Lovable: does your custom domain keep working?

Short answer: Yes. Lovable's own docs say a domain that is already connected keeps serving your published app after you downgrade to Free or cancel, and the project is not unpublished. What changes: on Free you can't connect a new domain (or reconnect one), the "Edit with Lovable" badge comes back the next time you publish, apps that use Lovable Cloud or AI features still need credits, and a domain you bought through Lovable keeps renewing and charging separately. If one of those is a problem, you can host the built front end somewhere else, for example on DropTheHassle, without a subscription.

Your AI can publish. It can never spend your money.

Built it with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Cursor, Replit, v0, Windsurf or by hand? Same steps.

Last updated: 30 September 2026. Everything we say about Lovable below comes from Lovable's documentation as it read on that date; links are at the bottom of this page.

You're not the only one asking

These are real questions from r/lovable in August and September 2026:

"If I downgrade my Lovable account from Pro to Free, will my website remain published and fully functional with my custom domain?"

"will the custom domain continue serving the project, or will it be disconnected/replaced by the Lovable subdomain?"

"I don't really want to keep paying Lovable $25/month just to keep the custom domain"

The good news: you don't have to keep paying just for the domain.

What keeps working after you downgrade

According to Lovable's docs:

Your published app stays live. Downgrading or canceling does not unpublish it.
A domain that's already connected keeps serving it. It is not disconnected or swapped for the lovable.app address.
Nothing gets unpublished. You can still disconnect a domain, or unpublish, on any plan.
The website itself doesn't use credits. Lovable says a live site doesn't consume credits on its own.

What changes

After a downgrade to Free	What that means for you
You can't connect a new domain	Also not one that's already in your workspace. If you ever disconnect your domain, you can't put it back without upgrading.
The "Edit with Lovable" badge returns on your next publish	Your live site keeps the badge hidden until you publish again. Then Lovable warns you and brings it back.
Lovable Cloud and AI features still need credits	The pages keep loading, but logins, the database and AI calls run on credits. If the workspace has no credits at all, a Cloud backend can be paused.
A domain bought through Lovable keeps renewing	It's billed separately from your plan, so auto-renew keeps charging.
Downloading your code directly stops	"Download codebase" is a paid-plan feature. GitHub sync works on every plan.
Newer apps have a traffic cap on Free	Apps created from 13 May 2026 are limited to 1,000 server requests per project per 10 seconds on Free.

One more for Business-plan users: an app published only to your workspace or to selected people stays live, but you can't publish changes to it on Free or Pro until you set its access to Public.

Before you click downgrade

Check the domain shows Live in Project → Settings → Domains. Because you can't connect a domain on Free, make sure everything is set up the way you want it first.
Get a copy of your code. Connect the project to GitHub (every plan can), or use Download codebase in Project settings → Git while you still have the paid plan.
Publish your last changes now if the badge matters to you. After the downgrade, the next publish brings it back.
Decide about a domain bought through Lovable. If you don't want it to renew, turn off auto-renew in Workspace settings → Workspace domains. You can also transfer it out from there (not in the first 60 days after you bought it).
Downgrade in Workspace settings → Plans & credit usage → Manage → Downgrade to free. You keep your current plan until the end of the billing period.

When hosting it somewhere else makes sense

For many people, downgrading is enough: the site stays up and the domain keeps working. Moving the front end elsewhere is worth it if you want to:

keep publishing changes without the "Edit with Lovable" badge;
connect a domain later, or change domains, without a paid plan;
have a copy of your site that doesn't depend on your Lovable plan.

Your backend doesn't move with it. If your app uses Lovable Cloud, it keeps running in Lovable and keeps using Lovable credits, wherever the pages are hosted. For moving the backend too, see How to move your app off Lovable or Replit.

The no-subscription route: DropTheHassle

Build the app so you have a folder of plain files, then drop that folder here.

For a React + Vite app:

Build it once. Put the .env file in the project folder, then run npm install and npm run build. That creates a dist folder. The full beginner steps are in Put your Lovable app on your own domain.
Drop the dist folder on dropthehassle.com (Upload (free) → Drop your folder). It goes live on a free yourname.dropthehassle.app link with HTTPS. No account, no card.
Claim it within 7 days with your email and a 6-digit code. The claim link works for 7 days. After that you cannot claim the site, and an unclaimed site can be removed. Once claimed, the free link stays. Until you claim it, the site is marked noindex and shows a small bar visitors can close. Before claim, an upload can be 25 MB and 1,000 files. After claiming, uploads can be 100 MB and 5,000 files.
Point your domain at it with one A record, using the address shown on your screen. Connecting a domain is free. Or buy a new one with the site and skip DNS entirely. A .com costs EUR 19 a year including VAT in the EU, or USD 19 elsewhere, the same every year (.org and .net the same; .nl and .eu 12; .app 25).
Add the new address to your login settings if people sign in. For Lovable Cloud that's More → Cloud → Users → Auth settings → Advanced. For your own Supabase project, it's that project's auth settings.

Moving the domain from Lovable:

Bought somewhere else (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare…): at that company, replace Lovable's A record with ours, then disconnect the domain in Lovable. Remember that on Free you can't connect it to Lovable again.
Bought through Lovable: Lovable lets you edit DNS records in Workspace settings → Workspace domains → Configure, or transfer the domain out to another registrar. We haven't tested whether editing records still works on Free; transferring out does, according to Lovable's docs.

Sub-pages and refreshes work: when an address isn't a real file, we serve your index.html. Your AI can publish for you (npx -y dropthehassle deploy), but it can never pay; buying a domain is always your own click.

And Bolt?

Bolt is different. Its docs say custom domains are only on paid plans, and after a downgrade to Free you can no longer publish to your custom domain. That's why people ask things like "How do u integrate a custom domain on bolt for free? without bolt pro". The answer is in Put your Bolt.new site on your own domain.

Questions

If I downgrade Lovable to Free, will my custom domain keep working?

Yes, if it's already connected. Lovable's docs say connected domains keep serving your published app and downgrading or canceling does not disconnect domains or unpublish the project. You can't connect a new domain on Free.

Will my Lovable site go offline when I cancel?

No. Lovable says a published app stays live after a downgrade or cancellation. Apps that use Lovable Cloud or AI features still need available credits to serve those requests.

Will the "Edit with Lovable" badge come back?

Yes, on your next publish. If you hid the badge on a paid plan, the live site keeps it hidden until you publish again; then Lovable brings the badge back. Hosting the built files elsewhere avoids that, because the badge setting is Lovable's.

Can I connect a different domain after downgrading?

Not inside Lovable. After a downgrade to Free you can't buy or connect domains, including ones already in your workspace, until you upgrade. You can connect any domain to a site on DropTheHassle with one A record, for free.

Do I still pay for a domain I bought through Lovable?

Yes. Domains bought through Lovable are billed separately from the subscription, and auto-renew keeps charging. The workspace owner can turn off auto-renew or transfer the domain out in Workspace settings → Workspace domains.

Should I download my code before downgrading?

It's a good idea. Downloading the codebase directly from Lovable is a paid-plan feature; GitHub sync works on every plan. Connect GitHub, or download the code, while you still have the paid plan.

Does this work the same on Bolt?

No. Bolt's docs say custom domains are only on paid plans and that after a downgrade to Free you can no longer publish to your custom domain. See our Bolt guide for the free route.