Built from one paragraph
Voice notes journal
Record a voice note and it transcribes to text in real time, then saves as a timestamped journal entry. Search every entry by keyword.
Software, done today
Describe, build and use in under 30 minutes.
The idea you had for streamlining your business but never got round to. The spreadsheet nobody updates. The bookings you still take by text. Describe it in a sentence or two and watch it become a real, working web app, live on the internet, in under 30 minutes. No developers. No five figure quote. No waiting weeks.
Free to build. $20 of credit, no card. You only pay, once, when you want to own it.
Straight up
We're new. Here's the deal.
Nearly every business owner has an idea to improve how they work: a booking system, a customer portal, a quoting tool, a tracker that replaces the spreadsheet nobody updates. With Buildova you describe it in plain English and have it live in half an hour.
Start with a free $20 of build credit. No card. Build the thing you have been putting off, put it live, and see it running on a link.
And during early access there is $1,000 on the table. Build an app with your free credits, and the one with the most public votes wins $1,000 cash.
During launch the lifetime membership is $298, instead of $497. Once, not a subscription. You get $50 of build credit, your own hosting, your full source code, and a direct line to us. Fifty founding places, then this price is gone.
RobFounder, Buildova
Tap to roll
Getting custom software built shouldn't feel like a gamble.
A developer quotes thousands, then disappears for weeks.
A developer who quotes thousands and goes quiet for weeks. An off-the-shelf tool that does not quite fit. Or the idea just never happening at all. Sound familiar?
Buildova is different. You build it yourself in plain English, see it live the same day, and you try it on free credit first. You own the result.
Start building freeThe honest comparison
Thinking of hiring a developer or an agency?
A custom build the usual way means a five figure quote, weeks of back and forth, and an app you do not really control. Whether you own the code depends on the contract, and if your developer moves on you can be stuck. Build it through Buildova and it is yours from the start.
Buildova is built for business owners who want their idea built, not a long, expensive project.
How they differ
Hiring a developer or agency
Buildova
Cost
Thousands per app, often five figures
Build free on $20 credit, then $298 once for life during launch, instead of $497
Time
Weeks of back and forth
Live the same day, under 30 minutes
Who owns it
Depends on the contract
You own the source code outright
Changes later
Another quote, another wait
Describe it, live in minutes
If they vanish
Your app and your developer are gone
You hold the code and host it yourself
To try the idea
Pay upfront before you see anything
Build it free first, pay only when sure
See it for yourself
Watch a real app get built, start to finish.
One paragraph in, working app out, in real time. No edits, no cuts.
Built with Buildova
Real apps, for the cost of a few dollars in credit.
Each one described in plain English and live the same day. The build cost is the credit it actually used. Next to it is what a developer or agency would typically quote you to build the same thing.
Built from one paragraph
Workforce compliance tracker
Logs every employee certification (CSCS, First Aid, asbestos, licence renewals). Emails the manager 30 days before anything expires. Replaces a spreadsheet that nobody updates.
Built from one paragraph
Plumber CRM with job sheets and invoicing
Customer list, job history, quote builder, invoice sender, follow up reminders. Mobile friendly so engineers update jobs on site.
Built from one paragraph
Booking calendar with deposit payments
Customers pick a slot, pay a deposit, get a confirmation email. Owner sees the diary, takes the rest of the cash on the day. Replaces Calendly plus Stripe Checkout.
Built from one paragraph
Blackjack, because we could
Full game, chips, deck shuffling, split and double down. Proof the engine handles real logic, not just forms.
How it works
You talk. It builds. You watch it go live.
No technical knowledge needed. You stay in control the whole way, and the whole thing takes about half an hour.
1
Describe it in plain English
One or two sentences. "Customers book a slot, pay a deposit, and get an email and text reminder before they come in." That is enough.
2
It builds it
The engine writes the app, sets up the database, creates the logins, designs the screens. A few minutes of build time, all checked and tested before it goes live.
3
See it live the same day
Your app runs live on a link you can open and use, and show to anyone, minutes after you described it. Not right? Tell it what to change and it updates.
4
You own everything
When you are a member you self-host it on your own server, set up and managed from Buildova, download the full source code, and plug in your own email, SMS and payment accounts. No lock-in.
5
Want a change next year?
Open it and describe the change. "Add a deposit refund option." Live in minutes, paid from your credit.
What it costs
Free to build it. $298 once to own it for life.
Two steps, no subscription anywhere. First, build it free on $20 of credit and shape it until it is exactly right. Then, if the maths works for you, the lifetime membership is $298 during launch, instead of $497, once, with $50 of build credit included, your own hosting and your full source code. After that you top up build credit like an electric meter, only when you want to build more. No monthly fee, credit never expires, and you see what every build costs before it runs.
Start here
$0 to try. Really.
Build your app on our $20 before you spend a penny.
- No card, no subscription, nothing recurring
- $20 of build credit free, enough to build your app and shape it
- See it running live on a link you can open and show anyone
- Change it, test it, get it exactly right
If it is not for you, you have lost nothing.
Founding 50
$298 once. Yours for life.
During the launch only. Normally $497, so you save $199.
A lifetime membership, never a subscription. 50 founding places. When they are gone, this price goes with them.
- $50 of free build credit included, and credit never expires
- Build whenever you want, then only a few dollars per app
- Self-host on your own server, set up and managed from Buildova
- Download the full source code, it is yours
- Plug in your own accounts for email, SMS, AI and payments, no middleman
- Build every other idea you will ever have, for life
Then just a few dollars per app, only when you build. No monthly fees, ever.
After 1 year
Cheaper from day one, and it is one payment, not a subscription.
After 2 years
They have paid more than three times as much. You have paid $298, once.
After 3 years
You are $1,142+ ahead, you own it, and new apps still cost only a few dollars each.
$298 once during launch, instead of $497. After that you only pay a few dollars for each app you build, and only when you build one. Nothing recurring, nothing locked. A subscription, by contrast, never stops. (Based on a typical $40 a month software subscription.)
The meter, plainly: a typical app costs $3 to $8 of credit to build. Your free $20 covers your first builds, and after that you buy packs only when you want to build more. Fixed visible prices, no expiry, no surprises.
Compare that to thousands for a single developer build, or a monthly software subscription forever. The membership is one payment, for life.
"Self-hosting" sounds technical. It is not.
You own the server. We do the setup.
Owning your app should not mean becoming an IT department. You will never touch a command line. Here is exactly what "you host it" means for you.
1
We set it up
We create the server in your name and put your app on it for you. You do not configure anything.
2
It just runs
Your app stays live on your own web address. No maintenance for you, no servers to babysit.
3
It is in your name
The account, the code and the data are yours. If you ever leave us, nothing breaks and nothing locks.
The short version: it is as hands-off as any app you already use, except the keys are in your pocket, not ours. You could hand the code to any web developer tomorrow and they would know exactly what to do with it.
Founding members
Built by business owners, not coders.
Real people who described an idea and had it running the same day.
"[The one problem it solved, in their words. e.g. I replaced the spreadsheet my team never updated in an afternoon.]"
[First name, Last initial][Role, business type, town]
"[The 'I did not believe it' moment. e.g. I expected a toy. It took card payments on day one.]"
[First name, Last initial][Role, business type, town]
"[The ownership or cost angle. e.g. No monthly bill, and the code is mine. That is why I went founding member.]"
[First name, Last initial][Role, business type, town]
Trust
Yours, and built to outlast us
●
Your own hosting, domain, and data. We do not store any of it.
●
Built on standards every web developer knows. If you ever want to hire someone to extend it, anyone can pick it up.
●
If Buildova vanished tomorrow, your app keeps running. You hold the code. That is the whole point.
FAQ
Questions, answered plainly
Is it really free to try?
Yes. Sign up, get $20 of build credit, build your app, run it live, shape it until it is right. We never ask for card details. There is nothing to cancel because there is nothing recurring.
What does $20 of credit actually get me?
A typical app costs $3 to $8 of credit to build. So your free $20 is a couple of builds, with room to make changes and get it exactly right. The examples above show the actual cost of each build.
What happens when the credit runs out?
Nothing, until you decide. Everything you built keeps running. Buy the lifetime membership, $298 during launch instead of $497, for self-hosting and your source code, or just top up later in packs. Credit never expires and there is no auto-charge, because we do not hold your card.
What exactly does the $298 membership buy?
One payment, for life, never monthly. $50 of build credit, self-hosting on your own server, your full source code, your own integration accounts for email, SMS, AI and payments, and the founding price locked. There are only 50 places at this price.
Is the app really mine?
Yes. As a member you self-host it on your own server, hold the full source code, and run it on your own domain and database. Nobody can take it away or switch it off. It is built on standards any web developer knows, so you can hire anyone to extend it later.
What hosting do I need?
None to start. Every app runs live on our preview link first, so you can build and use it the same day without touching hosting. Members self-host on their own server, set up and managed from Buildova so it stays easy.
Do I need to know code?
No. If you can describe it, you can build it. The code underneath is clean and standard if you or a developer ever want to dig in.
What can the apps actually do?
Real things. Customer accounts and logins, online payments with Stripe checkout, automatic emails and text messages, booking calendars with deposits and reminders, file uploads, AI-written text, QR codes and more. Name a tool you already use, like Square or PayPal, and the engine builds that integration in on demand.
Can I change it later?
Yes. Your app is still there, exactly as you left it. Open it, describe the change, it is live in minutes, paid from your credit. Nobody charged you a subscription in between.
Is my data safe?
It lives on your hosting, in your database. We do not see it after the build. It is yours.
Build your idea on our $20
Describe it now and see it live before lunch. It costs you nothing to find out, and if we are wrong you have lost nothing.
Describe your idea, freeTry it free on our $20. 50 founding memberships at $298 during launch, instead of $497, then the price goes up. No subscription, ever.