How one Macaly user saved $300 by switching to Freebuff
Same shipped apps. $25/mo Macaly Pro bill → $0.
In short
- Macaly Pro on Macaly: about $25/month ($300/year).
- Freebuff App Builder: free to start, with sign-in, databases, and publishing built in.
- Net savings: $300/year before credit top-ups or seat multipliers.
- This is a modeled example for a typical solo builder — your mileage depends on usage.
We talk to builders every week who like Macaly but hate watching credits disappear. Here is a straightforward math story for an indie hacker shipping side projects — not a fabricated testimonial, but the kind of switch we see in practice.
The bill on Macaly Pro
Macaly Pro is $25/mo with 10M monthly credits and unlimited custom domains. Starter is $10/mo with 1M credits and one app on your own domain. The Free plan includes 1M credits on a macaly.app domain, and the Agency plan is $350/mo (per macaly.com/pricing). For this example we use the middle paid tier most solo builders aim for: Macaly Pro at $25/month, or $300/year.
| Feature | Freebuff | Macaly Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0 | $25 |
| Annual cost | $0 | $300 |
| Credit / token overages | Daily hours allowance instead | Common on active projects |
| Auth + database + hosting | Included | Included (varies by plan) |
| CLI for big refactors | Freebuff CLI | Not included |
What changed after switching
- Same workflow. Prompt in the browser, get a deployed URL, click to iterate.
- A daily allowance, not a credit balance. Free accounts get a daily allowance of hours that refills at midnight.
- Keep your code in GitHub. Connect a repo and keep editing with Freebuff CLI locally.
- $300/year back. That covers domains, email, or a paid Freebuff plan if you want more usage.
Three-step migration
- Export code from Macaly Pro and connect the repo in Freebuff App Builder.
- Connect the repo in Freebuff App Builder (or recreate the app with your best prompt).
- Cancel Macaly once you have verified the Freebuff deploy — welcome to $0/month.
Stop paying $25/mo
Open Freebuff App Builder and start building for free.
Questions
Is $300/year realistic?
It is the base subscription for Macaly Pro. Many users pay more after credit top-ups, extra seats, or higher tiers.
Will I lose features?
Sign-in, databases, and publishing are built in, and your code can live in your own GitHub repo. Some vendor-specific integrations may need re-wiring — usually a one-time CLI task.
Can teams use Freebuff App Builder?
Freebuff plans are per account, not per seat. Collaborate through GitHub like any normal repo.