# CatDoes Free vs Pro: Pricing and Limitations

> By Lawrence Arya, Founder & CEO of VP0. Published 2026-06-04. 5 min read.
> Source: https://vp0.com/blogs/catdoes-free-vs-pro-pricing-limitation

The free tier is for evaluation; the real constraint on paid plans is the exec credits that meter how much your AI agent can do.

**TL;DR.** CatDoes free is an evaluation tier: build and test one app, but no deployment. Paid plans start around $20/month, with Pro at $89.99/month adding 10 app projects, about 500 exec credits a month, 100 instances, faster edits, and GitHub integration on higher tiers. The limitation that matters most is exec credits, a monthly usage pool that meters the AI agent, not just the price. To avoid credit metering, generate from a free VP0 design and own the stack at $0 design cost.

The short version: [CatDoes](https://catdoes.com/) has a free plan for trying it out and paid plans that unlock real shipping, and the limitation that matters most is not the monthly price but the exec credits that meter how much your AI agent can do. The free tier lets you build and test a single app; paid plans add more projects, deployment to all platforms, GitHub integration on higher tiers, and a monthly pool of exec credits. Below is the free-versus-pro breakdown and the specific limits to plan around. If credit metering is a dealbreaker, you can also generate the screens from a free [VP0](https://vp0.com) design (the free iOS and React Native design library AI builders read from) and wire the backend yourself.

## Free versus Pro at a glance

CatDoes builds native React Native apps with an AI agent and an auto-provisioned backend, and the plan decides how much of that you can actually use and ship.

| Tier | Price | What you get | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Build and test 1 app | Cannot deploy; single project |
| Paid (entry) | from $20/mo | More projects, deploy to all platforms | Lower credit and project caps |
| Pro | $89.99/mo | 10 app projects, 500 exec credits/mo, 100 instances, fast edits, priority support | Exec credits cap usage |

The free plan is an evaluation tier: you can build and test one app, but deployment and multiple projects are paid. So the first real limitation is that shipping anything requires a paid plan.

## The limitation that actually bites: exec credits

Beyond the plan fee, CatDoes meters usage in exec credits, as independent listings like [Futurepedia's CatDoes overview](https://www.futurepedia.io/tool/catdoes) also note. These are consumed as the AI agent does work, so a heavy build or lots of iteration draws them down, and Pro includes a set monthly pool (around 500). This is the same pattern as other AI builders: the sticker price is one thing, the usage allowance is what you actually run into. Plan your month around the credit pool, not just the subscription, and prefer targeted edits over full regenerations to stretch it. The same dynamic in a neighboring tool is covered in [Base44 pricing 2026 explained](/blogs/base44-pricing-2026-explained/).

## What the paid tiers unlock

Paying is mostly about removing the free tier's ceilings:

- Deployment to all platforms, which the free plan does not allow.
- More app projects (up to 10 on Pro), versus a single app free.
- GitHub integration on higher tiers, for version control and ownership.
- More exec credits and instances, plus faster file edits and priority support.

Because CatDoes auto-provisions a [Supabase](https://supabase.com/) backend and handles auth (covered in [can CatDoes manage user authentication security](/blogs/can-catdoes-manage-user-authentication-security/)), the value of paying is shipping a real, backed native app rather than a sandbox demo. Whether that native output suits you is the subject of [is CatDoes native or a mobile wrapper PWA](/blogs/catdoes-native-or-mobile-wrapper-pwa/), and for a beginner comparison, [CatDoes versus Rork for pure beginners](/blogs/catdoes-vs-rork-for-pure-beginners/).

## Is the Pro plan worth it?

For a non-technical founder shipping one native app, Pro at $89.99 a month buys real convenience: a managed backend, auth, and native publishing without assembling the stack yourself. For someone comfortable in code, the exec-credit ceiling and monthly fee may be more than an owned stack costs, where a free design plus your own editor has no per-action credits at all, at $0 of design cost. Match the plan to whether you value done-for-you backend more than predictable, uncapped iteration.

## Key takeaways

- CatDoes free is an evaluation tier: build and test one app, but no deployment.
- Paid plans start around $20/month; Pro is $89.99/month with 10 projects and more credits.
- The real limit is exec credits, a monthly usage pool (about 500 on Pro), not just the price.
- Higher tiers add GitHub integration, more instances, faster edits, and priority support.
- If credit metering is a dealbreaker, generate from a free VP0 design and own the stack at $0 design cost.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between CatDoes free and pro?

The free plan lets you build and test a single app but does not allow deployment, while paid plans (from about $20/month, Pro at $89.99/month) add more projects, deployment to all platforms, GitHub integration on higher tiers, and a larger pool of exec credits. Free is for evaluation; paid is for shipping.

### What are CatDoes' main pricing limitations?

The two to plan around are the free tier's no-deployment, single-app ceiling and the exec-credit usage pool on paid plans (around 500 a month on Pro). Exec credits meter how much the AI agent can do, so heavy iteration draws them down regardless of the plan fee.

### How much does CatDoes Pro cost?

CatDoes Pro is $89.99 per month and includes faster file edits, up to 10 app projects, about 500 exec credits per month, 100 instances, and priority support. Lower paid tiers start around $20 per month with smaller allowances.

### Is CatDoes worth paying for?

For a non-technical founder who wants a managed backend, auth, and native publishing without assembling a stack, Pro is convenient. For a developer, the credit ceiling and fee may exceed an owned stack, where a free VP0 design plus your own editor has no per-action credits at $0 design cost.

### What is the best alternative to CatDoes credit limits?

To avoid per-action credit metering, generate the screens from a free VP0 design, the free iOS and React Native design library for AI builders, and wire the backend yourself. You keep control of cost and iteration, with the design layer at $0.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between CatDoes free and pro?

The free plan lets you build and test a single app but does not allow deployment, while paid plans (from about $20/month, Pro at $89.99/month) add more projects, deployment to all platforms, GitHub integration on higher tiers, and a larger pool of exec credits. Free is for evaluation; paid is for shipping.

### What are CatDoes' main pricing limitations?

The two to plan around are the free tier's no-deployment, single-app ceiling and the exec-credit usage pool on paid plans (around 500 a month on Pro). Exec credits meter how much the AI agent can do, so heavy iteration draws them down regardless of the plan fee.

### How much does CatDoes Pro cost?

CatDoes Pro is $89.99 per month and includes faster file edits, up to 10 app projects, about 500 exec credits per month, 100 instances, and priority support. Lower paid tiers start around $20 per month with smaller allowances.

### Is CatDoes worth paying for?

For a non-technical founder who wants a managed backend, auth, and native publishing without assembling a stack, Pro is convenient. For a developer, the credit ceiling and fee may exceed an owned stack, where a free VP0 design plus your own editor has no per-action credits at $0 design cost.

### What is the best alternative to CatDoes credit limits?

To avoid per-action credit metering, generate the screens from a free VP0 design, the free iOS and React Native design library for AI builders, and wire the backend yourself. You keep control of cost and iteration, with the design layer at $0.

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*Published on the [VP0 Journal](https://vp0.com/blogs). Free to read, index and cite with attribution.*