skena vs bubble
Skena vs Bubble
Bubble can build full apps without code, but it runs on a proprietary engine and exports no runnable code, moving off means a full rebuild, and its workload-unit pricing makes every workflow part of the bill. Skena builds real React + Tailwind you own on a lean backend: no workload units or request charges, a large included bandwidth pool, and a plain $0.05/GB only above it.
side by side
Skena vs Bubble
| Skena | Bubble | |
|---|---|---|
| What you build | Real React + Tailwind on disk you own | An app on Bubble's proprietary engine, no runnable code export |
| Pricing model | Fixed app plan + simple origin bandwidth above the included pool | Workload Units, every query/workflow/page-load consumes them; bill scales with traffic |
| Cost at scale | No request/workflow meter; excess origin transfer is $0.05/GB | Overage at $0.30 / 1,000 WUs once you exceed the plan |
| Ownership / migration | Take the folder; run it anywhere | Only data exports; migrating off is a full rebuild |
| Design control | Pixel-precise on real Tailwind | Bubble's visual editor (capable, but not real CSS/Tailwind) |
| Backend / database | Own PocketBase per app | Bubble's built-in database + engine |
| Best for | Apps you own and want to keep editing as code | Non-developers building full apps entirely without code |
what it costs
The bill, itemized.
Skena is one flat, lean box. The other side's bill climbs with seats, sites, or usage.
Skena Cloud, one plan
- Your app + its own backendSkena Shared (Launch $5/mo / Grow $20/mo), scales up to Dedicated, same app
- $5/mo
- Per-seat / per-sitenot billed per seat or per site
- ,
- Origin traffic overageafter 100 GB Launch / 400 GB Grow; cached traffic is free
- $0.05/GB
Bubble (Starter → Growth)
- Starter planyearly; ~175,000 workload units/mo, 1 editor
- $29/mo
- Growth planas you scale; ~250,000 WU/mo, 2 editors
- $119/mo
- Workload overagetraffic-driven; app pauses if overage is off
- +$0.30 / 1k WU
Pricing verified 2026-06-17. Figures drift, see bubble.io/pricing. Estimates, not quotes.
× When Bubble is the better choice
If you're a non-developer who wants to build a full, data-backed app entirely without code, and you never need to own the code or move off, Bubble's all-in-one engine is genuinely powerful. Skena wins when you want real React on disk, pricing without workload units, or the freedom to hand the app to an engineer.
faq
Straight answers.
01Can I export my Bubble app as code?+
No. Bubble runs on a proprietary engine and generates no runnable code, you can export your data, but migrating off is a full rebuild. Skena apps are real React on disk from day one.
02Why does a Bubble app get more expensive as it grows?+
Bubble bills Workload Units, database queries, workflows, and page loads consume them. Skena does not meter those operations: Launch includes 100 GB and Grow 400 GB of monthly origin transfer, Cloudflare cache hits are free, and excess transfer is a transparent $0.05/GB.
03Is Skena harder to use than Bubble?+
Skena generates the first version with your AI agent and lets you drag-fix visually, so you don't have to write code from scratch, but you end up with real, ownable code rather than a no-code project locked to a platform.
get started
Build it as real React you own.
Generate it with your own AI agent, design every pixel on a live canvas, and publish to a lean backend in one click, code on disk the whole time, no lock-in.
free · apple silicon mac, macOS 13.5+ · nothing else to install · v0.1.27
bring your own coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode). publishing needs a Skena Cloud account.