Base44 launches homegrown AI model as startups defend turf

Key takeaway

• Base44, a no-code app platform acquired by Wix for $80 million（約130億円） last year, has launched its own AI model to reduce dependence on external frontier models and cut costs for customers.

• The move reflects a broader industry concern: whether businesses built on top of someone else's models can stay defensible long-term.

• Base44 is betting that owning its data, infrastructure, and model will give it an edge over competitors relying on external models — though it now faces rivals that include major frontier AI labs entering the space.

3 Key Points

FAQ

What is Base1 and who trained it?

Base1 is Base44's custom large language model, developed and trained on a dataset generated from tens of millions of real user interactions on the platform.

How much revenue does Base44 generate?

Base44 has passed $100 million（約160億円） in annual recurring revenue. By comparison, competitor Lovable reached $500 million（約800億円） in ARR.

Why is Base44 building its own model instead of using existing ones?

According to founder Maor Shlomo, training and owning the model allows more optimization on latency, cost, and efficiency. The company aims to offer customers a faster and cheaper alternative to frontier models like Opus, while also aligning the model more closely with what users prefer.