Prerender.io vs HTML Conversion: Band-aid or permanent fix?
Two approaches to fixing SEO on Base44 and Lovable sites. One adds a subscription. The other gives you files you own.
Quick Verdict
Prerender.io is a workaround. HTML conversion is a solution.
Prerender.io intercepts bot traffic and serves them a cached, pre-rendered version of your page. Your actual site is still a JavaScript SPA. Users still get the slow client-side experience. And you're paying another monthly subscription to maintain it.
HTML conversion transforms your site into real static files. Google reads them directly. Users load them instantly. You own them outright.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Prerender.io | HTML Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Proxy serves cached HTML to bots only | Your actual site IS static HTML |
| User experience | Still slow SPA for real visitors | Fast static pages for everyone |
| Google sees real HTML | Yes (cached proxy version) | Yes (the actual page) |
| Additional subscription | Yes — $99–199/month ($1,200–2,400/year) | No — one-time conversion |
| Ongoing dependency | Yes — remove it and SEO breaks | No — files work independently |
| Cache freshness | Can be stale if not recrawled | Always current (it's the real page) |
| Code ownership | Still locked to platform | You own all files |
| Setup complexity | Cloudflare Workers + Prerender config | We handle the conversion |
| Works if platform shuts down | No — your SPA is still on the platform | Yes — files are yours |
| Page speed for users | No change (still SPA) | Faster — static HTML loads in under a second |
How Prerender.io Works
Regular User → Your SPA → Slow JS-rendered page
The bot gets a different experience than your users. Your actual site doesn't change at all.
Prerender.io sits between search engines and your site as a proxy layer. When a bot requests a page, a Cloudflare Worker intercepts the request and routes it to Prerender.io, which serves a cached, pre-rendered HTML snapshot. But when a real person visits your site, they still get the original JavaScript SPA — with all its loading delays and client-side rendering overhead.
How HTML Conversion Works
Your React components are rebuilt as static .html, .css, and .js files. Every visitor — bot or human — gets the same fast, crawlable page. No proxy. No cache. No middleman.
There's no split between what Google sees and what your users see. The HTML file on the server IS the page. It loads in under a second because there's no framework to boot, no JavaScript to execute before content appears, and no external service to route through.
The Real Cost Comparison
Prerender.io
$99–$199/month for Prerender.io ($1,200–$2,400/year)
+ Cloudflare setup and maintenance
+ Platform subscription (Base44 or Lovable)
That's $150–$250+/month, forever.
HTML Conversion
One-time conversion fee.
Host on Netlify, GitHub Pages, or Cloudflare Pages for free.
No platform subscription required.
Total ongoing cost: $0.
Stop renting a fix. Own the solution.
We convert your Base44 or Lovable site to static HTML files. No proxy. No subscription. Just clean, crawlable pages you own forever.
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