Claude Code is a coding agent from Anthropic. It works in your terminal and your codebase: it reads files, writes code, runs commands and makes changes you review. Alori is the all-in-one app for service businesses, starting with HVAC. You describe the business in plain words, and Alori assembles an app from modules for customers, quotes, scheduling, jobs and invoices, then hosts it. Both use AI to make software. They are aimed at very different people.
If you are also comparing Lovable or Bolt, see Alori vs Lovable and Alori vs Bolt.
The short version
- Pick Claude Code if you are a developer, or have one, and you want an agent that helps you write and change code in a project you own and run.
- Pick Alori if you run, or build for, a service company like plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing or construction, and you want the app that runs the business without writing or hosting code.
Different starting points
Claude Code starts from a codebase. You choose the stack, the database, the hosting, sign-in and deployment, or you ask the agent to set them up and then you maintain them. It can build almost anything, because it writes code. That also means someone has to read the changes, run the app, keep it secure and keep it online.
Alori starts from the service business. Customers, quotes, scheduling, jobs and invoices already exist as modules. You describe the shop, or paste the website, and get an app that uses your words. A plumber sees customers and jobs. Hosting, the database, sign-in and SSL are handled. You change a screen by asking in a sentence.
| Claude Code | Alori | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A coding agent for developers | The all-in-one app for service businesses |
| Where you work | Your terminal and your code | A chat and the app itself |
| What you can build | Almost anything you can code | Apps that run service companies |
| Hosting, database, sign-in | You set them up and run them | Handled |
| Who it is aimed at | Developers and technical teams | Owners, plus agencies and freelancers who build for them |
What it costs
As of October 2026, Claude's pricing page lists Claude Code as included in all paid plans, sharing the plan's usage limits:
- Free: $0. Claude Code is not included.
- Pro: $20 per month billed monthly, or $17 per month with the annual discount ($200 billed up front).
- Max: from $100 per month, with 5x or 20x the usage of Pro.
- Team: offered for teams of 2 to 150. The page we read did not show a seat price.
- Enterprise: $20 per seat per month plus usage billed at API rates, billed annually, according to the page's FAQ.
Anthropic notes that usage limits apply and there is no fixed message count. For heavy coding, the page says you can switch to pay-as-you-go API credits. These prices cover the agent only. Hosting, a database and a domain for the app you build are separate costs, and they depend on what you pick.
Alori is free to start, with no credit card and 10 credits, on the pricing page. Every plan includes unlimited users. Solo starts at $99 a month for 375 credits. Business starts at $249 a month for 1,000 credits. A typical change costs about one credit. Emailing a quote or invoice costs 0.01 credits per recipient. Prices are in US dollars, and the page is the source of truth.
The comparison is not one-to-one. A Claude plan pays for the agent's help. An Alori plan pays for changes to a service-business app that is already hosted.
How you set Alori up
- Describe the business in a sentence, or paste its website. Alori picks up the business name, colors and what it does.
- Answer a couple of simple multiple-choice questions where your description is unclear. Alori asks instead of guessing.
- Get an app with the modules you need, working at the office and on a phone.
- Change anything by asking in a sentence.
Changes are tried on a copy first. Your team keeps using the live app until you publish, and you can go back to an earlier version. Apps go live at name.alori.dev, or on your own domain (a custom domain is listed on Solo). Hosting, database, sign-in and SSL are handled, with no config screens. Apps are available in English and French.
More on the process in how Alori builds your app.
For agencies building for clients
A development shop with engineers can use Claude Code to build custom software for any client, in any stack, and own the code. That is a strong fit when each project is different or the client needs unusual integrations.
If the clients are local service companies, Alori fits that work more directly. One account holds many projects. Each project is a separate app with its own data and its own team, and nobody on your side has to run servers. See how to sell custom software to local businesses and maintaining client apps.
When Claude Code is the better pick
- You are a developer, or have one, and want to own and read the code.
- The app is not a service business. A product, an integration, a data pipeline or anything outside customers, quotes, jobs and invoices.
- You need a specific stack, self-hosting, or deep custom integrations.
- You already have a codebase and want help changing it.
When Alori is the better pick
- You run a service company and want one app for customers, quotes, scheduling, jobs and invoices.
- Nobody on the team writes code, and nobody wants to run servers.
- A team uses the app every day, so trying a change on a copy before you publish matters.
- You want English or French as built-in languages.
- You are an agency serving local service businesses, one project per client.
Questions to ask before you choose
| Question | If the answer is yes |
|---|---|
| Does someone on the team read and review code? | Claude Code can work. Alori does not need it. |
| Is this app for running a service business? | Alori is built for this. |
| Who will host, secure and update the app? | With Claude Code, you. With Alori, that is handled. |
| Do you need an unusual stack or integration? | A coding agent gives you full control. |
| Will a crew rely on the app every day? | Look for a safe preview and version history. Alori tries changes on a copy first. |
Try both on the real job if you can code. If you cannot, the question answers itself.
Product details change. Check each vendor's site for current features and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alori a Claude Code alternative?
Only for one kind of project. If you want a service-business app and you do not want to write or host code, Alori does that. If you are a developer who wants an agent inside your own codebase, Claude Code is a different kind of tool, and Alori does not replace it.
Can a non-developer build a plumbing app with Claude Code?
It can generate the code if you describe it, but you still have to run it, review changes, host it, set up sign-in and keep it working. Alori already has customer, quote, scheduling, job and invoice modules, and handles hosting, the database, sign-in and SSL.
How much does Claude Code cost?
As of October 2026, Claude's pricing page includes Claude Code in paid plans: Pro at $20 per month ($17 per month billed annually), Max from $100 per month, and Enterprise at $20 per seat per month plus usage at API rates. The Team seat price was not shown on the page we read. Hosting for what you build is extra.
Do I own the code?
With Claude Code, the code lives in your own project. With Alori, your data lives in the hosted database for that project. If you need to move it later, ask the Alori team.
Try Alori on your business
Describe your service business in a sentence or paste your website, and see the all-in-one app. It is free to start, with no credit card and no account needed. Try it free.
