I want to build a web app, using Bubble for the frontend.
Wondering if the free plan offers a real public link for testing? I want to connect it to a QR code and test it for about a month with 5-10 different users. This is going to be an MVP. I want to make sure it works as I want before upgrading the plan.
I am getting contradictory info. Some people say Bubble doesn’t provide a public link at all; the App exists only inside Bubble’s editor, you won’t have any public link to connect it to a QR code. They say I have to buy at least the Basic plan even for this stage of testing. Others say I will get a public link. So I’m confused which one is true.
Go to Bubble’s pricing page and click on ‘Show full comparison’. There you will see exactly what you get with the free plan.
Not sure what you mean with “to connect it to a QR code.” Nevertheless, while you are indeed not able to publish to a “live” version when on the free plan, you still have a link to the development version that you can use to test with your small group. That link will look something like this:
Just use that. The only caveat is that any changes you make in the app editor are immediately reflected in that development version (which is intended specifically for your development work).
I think you’re talking about two different things at the same time:
environment
the environment being publicly accessible.
With the free plan, you get a development environment that’s publicly accessible. You can have the QR code point to that development environment, but you wont be able to put it on your custom domain, it’ll be the bubble provided domain that Cameron pointed out.
Let me clarify. On the free plan, you do get a publicly accessible URL — it looks like yourappname.bubbleapps.io/version-test like Camron shared. Anyone with that link can open it, sign up, and use the app. You can put it behind a QR code and share it with your testers, no problem.
What you can’t do on free is “deploy to live,” which means pushing to a clean production URL (without /version-test) or using a custom domain. You also get Bubble branding, and any edits you make in the editor show up immediately since there’s no separation between dev and live environments.
For 5-10 testers over a month, the free plan dev URL is perfectly fine. Build your MVP, share the link, collect feedback. When you’re ready to launch for real, upgrade to Starter at $32/month. No need to pay before you’ve validated the idea.
Thanks so much! I got it now. By “connecting it to a QR code,” I meant converting the URL to a QR code, so when the code is scanned, the web app opens.
Perfect, this made everything so clear. I think that “deploy to live” was what initially made me confused. I couldn’t differentiate it from the publicly accessible URLs. Thank you! Much appreciated!
