Frequently asked questions
In shortMonstarX is an AI app builder with a Free plan and paid Plus ($15), Pro ($50) and Ultra ($100) monthly plans. You own the code and can export it any time. Apps are full-stack web apps with their own database, sign-in, email, storage and AI, published in one click to your-app.monstarx.app or your own domain. Your content is never used to train AI models.
Short answers to the questions people ask most. Each one links to the page with the full story. Can’t find yours? Click Ask Luna in the bottom-right corner of any MonstarX page, or see Report a problem.
About MonstarX
Section titled “About MonstarX”What is MonstarX?
An AI app builder. You describe the app you need in plain words, and MonstarX builds a real, working web app — pages, database, sign-in, email and more — tests it and publishes it. See What is MonstarX?
Do I need to know how to code?
What kinds of apps can I build?
Anything that runs in a web browser: websites, online stores, booking sites, client portals, internal tools, dashboards, marketplaces, AI assistants and SaaS products. Every app works on phones, tablets and computers. See What can I build with it?
Can MonstarX build apps for the App Store or Google Play?
No. MonstarX builds web apps. They work well in a phone's browser, but they are not native iPhone or Android apps.
Is it a prototype or a real app?
A real app, with its own database, user accounts, email and file storage. The app you see in the preview is the one that gets published. See How MonstarX works.
Can I start from something I already have?
Yes: screenshots, documents such as an RFP or a spec, a spreadsheet, a Figma file, a public website, or an existing app from GitHub, Lovable or a .zip. See Start a project.
Pricing and usage
Section titled “Pricing and usage”Is MonstarX free?
Yes. The Free plan costs $0 and needs no credit card. It has enough usage to build and publish a small app, on every model except the premium ones. See Plans and pricing.
How much do the paid plans cost?
Plus is $15 a month, Pro $50 and Ultra $100, in US dollars, billed monthly by card through Stripe. Pro has 5× the usage of Plus and Ultra 10×. See How do the plans compare?
Do all plans include every feature?
Yes. Every plan includes live previews, the database, accounts, email, storage and AI for every app, publishing, custom domains, GitHub, automated QA and the Build, Plan and Chat modes. Plans differ only in how much you can build and how much of it can use premium models. See What does every plan include?
How is usage counted?
In credits: one credit is one cent of AI work. Each request uses credits depending on how much work it takes and which model does it. Usage counts toward a 5-hour limit and a weekly limit at the same time. There is no daily or monthly limit. See Usage and limits.
What are premium models?
The most capable and most expensive AI models — any model that costs from $4 per million tokens in or $20 per million tokens out. Free has none, Plus gets a weekly taste (75 credits a week), and Pro and Ultra can use all their usage on them. See Which models are premium?
What happens when I reach a limit?
MonstarX finishes the step it is on and stops cleanly, so nothing is lost. Carry on when the limit resets — the usage ring beside the prompt box shows when — or upgrade, or use a Boost on Plus or Pro. See What happens when I hit a limit?
When do the limits reset?
The 5-hour limit resets 5 hours after a session starts. The weekly limit resets every Monday at 00:00 UTC — or 7 days after you use a Boost. Unused usage does not roll over.
What is a Boost?
A one-off reset of every usage limit on your plan, for days when you build a lot: $10 on Plus and $30 on Pro, up to 2 a month. Free and Ultra have no Boosts. See Boosts.
Do the apps I build cost extra to run?
No. The database, accounts, email and file storage in your apps are included in every plan. When an app uses AI, that work draws on your plan's usage, up to 300 AI requests and 30 images a day per app. A domain you buy is paid for separately. See How much AI can my app use?
Can I cancel any time?
Yes. Click Cancel plan in Settings → Plan & billing; your plan stays active until the end of the period you paid for. Upgrades apply straight away and you pay the difference. See How do I cancel my plan?
Your code and ownership
Section titled “Your code and ownership”Who owns the apps I build?
You do. The code is yours to download, change, host elsewhere and hand to developers.
Can I download my code?
Yes. In the project, open Settings → Export and click Download .zip: a standard project with its database migrations and a README. See Export.
Can I keep my code on GitHub?
Yes. Click GitHub in the project's top bar and choose Connect personal GitHub account — MonstarX's GitHub App installs on your account in a few clicks, with no token to make — then create or link a repository. Every change is committed there, and edits made on GitHub come back into MonstarX. See GitHub.
Can I edit the code myself?
Yes, in the Code tab, or in your own editor through GitHub or a coding agent such as Claude Code, Codex or Cursor. See Coding agents.
What technology do the apps use?
A standard, modern web stack: TanStack Start, React and TypeScript, with a SQL database and migrations. Any web developer can pick it up. See What is my app built with?
What happens when I hire developers?
They inherit a real project — pages, a database schema and migrations already in place — not a prototype to rebuild.
Building
Section titled “Building”How long does a build take?
A first build usually takes a few minutes; bigger apps take longer. Small changes are often quicker. See Follow a build.
Can I close the tab while it builds?
Yes. Builds run on MonstarX's servers and carry on without the tab. Turn on notifications to hear when they are done.
Can I send another request while one is building?
Yes. Build requests wait in a queue and start by themselves; Chat and Plan questions are answered right away. See Keep working while it builds.
How do I undo a change?
Click Versions in the project's top bar and click Restore on an earlier version. Your app's data is not changed. See How do I restore a version?
Which AI model does MonstarX use?
On Auto, MonstarX picks a suitable model for each request. You can choose one yourself from the model picker in the prompt box. See Choose a model.
Can I bring in a project from Lovable, Bolt or v0?
Yes. On Projects, open Import and choose Lovable, GitHub or A .zip (for Bolt or v0, put the code on GitHub or in a .zip). MonstarX checks it in a few seconds and tells you whether it can run as it is. See Import an app.
How do I get better results?
Say who the app is for and what people do in it, ask for one change at a time after the first build, and point at the page with Edit mode or Clip. See Prompting tips.
Your app’s backend
Section titled “Your app’s backend”Does my app get a database?
Yes, every app has its own, made for you on its first build. Backend → Database shows every table and runs read-only SQL. To add or change records, use the Admin tab or ask in the chat. See Your app's database.
Can people sign up and sign in to my app?
Yes. Every app can have sign-up, sign-in and password reset — ask for them and they work. See User accounts.
Can my app send emails?
Yes, from its own address such as your-app@monstarx.app, with nothing to set up — up to 50 an hour and 300 a day. See Email.
Can my app take payments?
Yes, with the Stripe connector: use sandbox (test) keys while you build and live keys when you launch. Keys are stored encrypted and never written into your code. See Connectors.
Can my app use AI without an API key?
Yes. Writing text, answers, chat, images, speech and web search work in every app with no keys of your own. See AI in your app.
Can other software use my app's data?
Yes. In the Admin tab, APIs turns your tables into REST endpoints that other software can call, with API docs you can publish and share. See Your app's REST API.
Can MonstarX use my Google Sheets, Jira or HubSpot?
Yes, as business tools. Connect them to one project in Backend → Cloud, and MonstarX's builder can read them while it works. Your app itself never gets these accounts. See Business tools.
Can I use my own database or services instead?
Yes. You can switch off Email, AI, Web Search or Storage and use your own provider, and keep an app's data in your own Supabase, Railway Postgres or Firebase. See Connectors and MonstarX Cloud.
Publishing and domains
Section titled “Publishing and domains”How do I put my app online?
Click Publish in the project's top bar, then Publish site. See Publish your app.
What address does my app get?
Its own address on monstarx.app, made from the project's name — like your-app.monstarx.app — with HTTPS. You can change it in the project's Settings → Address & domains. See Your app's address.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes. Buy one inside MonstarX in a few clicks, with no DNS work, or connect a domain you already own. See Buy a domain and Connect your domain.
Do changes go live straight away?
Changes to pages and features do not: visitors see them only when you click Published → Republish. Data is different. The preview and the live app share one database, so a record you add while testing is live at once. See How do I publish my changes?
Can I host my app somewhere else?
Yes: publish to your own Cloudflare, Vercel, Google Cloud, Railway, Azure or AWS account, or export the code. See Other hosts.
Can I take my app offline?
Yes. Click Published → Unpublish to take it offline; the project and its data stay. See Unpublish or delete.
Will people find my app on Google and in AI answers?
The SEO/GEO tab sets up titles, descriptions, the sitemap and more, and checks what to improve. See SEO and GEO.
Privacy and security
Section titled “Privacy and security”Who can see my project before I publish it?
Only you, and the people you invite with Share. See Share and comment.
Does MonstarX train AI models on my content?
No. Your prompts, files and code are not used to train AI models, and others are not allowed to do so on MonstarX's behalf. See the Privacy Policy.
Where are my API keys kept?
Encrypted, in your app's Backend → Secrets, and never written into the code. Never paste keys into the chat. See Secrets.
Is my app secure?
The Security tab scans your app for common security holes, scores it and fixes what you choose. See Security scan.
Can I download or delete my data?
Yes. Settings → Data & privacy downloads everything MonstarX holds about you, or deletes your account and its projects for good. See Privacy and data.
Sharing and teams
Section titled “Sharing and teams”Can I show my project to someone before it is live?
Yes. Click Share, type their email and choose Can view & comment. They can follow the build, use the preview and leave comments on it. See Share and comment.
Can someone build with me?
Yes. Invite them with Can edit: they can send requests, edit code and restore versions. Their requests count against your plan. Publishing, billing and project settings stay with you. See What can each person do?
How many people can I share a project with?
Up to 20 people per project. An invite works for 14 days, and only for the email address it was sent to.
Can I give a project to someone else?
Yes, from Settings → Transfer in the project. The new owner needs a MonstarX account first. See Transfer a project.
Languages, phones and more
Section titled “Languages, phones and more”What languages does MonstarX speak?
English and Japanese (日本語): switch with the globe at the top of any page. See Language.
Can my app be in another language?
Yes. Ask for the app in any language your customers speak, or in several. See What language is my app written in?
Can I use MonstarX on my phone?
Yes, in your phone's browser. Start a build, lock the phone, and get a notification when it is done. See Build on your phone.
Can I use MonstarX from Slack?
Yes. Add it from Settings → Integrations, then start, change, test and publish apps from a Slack thread. See Slack.
Getting help
Section titled “Getting help”Where do I get help?
Click Ask Luna in the bottom-right corner of any MonstarX page, check Troubleshooting, or open a ticket from Support in the menu under your name.
How do I report a bug?
Open Ask Luna and click Report a bug with screenshots (on a phone, in a project: More → Report a bug). It captures the page and the details the team needs. See Report a problem.
Can I email someone?
Yes: support@monstarx.com.
Who is behind MonstarX?
Monstar Lab Pte Ltd, in Singapore.