# Builder.ai Shut Down: What to Do With the App It Built for You
> Builder.ai alternative: Builder.ai entered insolvency in May 2025. What it means for an app it built for you, and how to keep the app, listings and data yours.
Canonical: https://app369.com/blog/builder-ai-shut-down-what-to-do-with-your-app-2026/
Last updated: 2026-10-21
[ **Simon Dziak** Founder & developer, App369](https://app369.com/about/szymon-dziak/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymondziak/)
Published October 18, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026•Facts last verified October 21, 2026•7 min
App369https://app369.com/blog/builder-ai-shut-down-what-to-do-with-your-app-2026/
[← Back to Blog](https://app369.com/blog/)
## Key takeaways
- →Builder.ai confirmed on May 20, 2025 that it was entering insolvency proceedings and appointing an administrator. Mealey's reported on June 4, 2025, from Wilmington, Delaware, that it had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
- →On October 21, 2026, builder.ai redirected to www.builder.ai, which did not load (the secure connection failed), and studio.builder.ai returned a 502 error. Don't count on getting anything more out of the old dashboard.
- →What you can still save depends on what you hold yourself: a copy of the code, the app's App Store and Google Play listings, the domain, and the cloud accounts where the app and its data run.
- →Anything that ran on Builder.ai's own accounts (hosting, store listings, domains) can disappear without warning. Moving it into accounts you own comes before any new feature.
- →Questions about what you paid for and what you own go to the insolvency administrator or trustee, in writing, and to a lawyer if the amount matters. This page isn't legal advice.
Pricing an app? Try the free [app cost calculator](https://app369.com/tools/app-cost-calculator/) or get a range for your project in the [instant quote](https://app369.com/instant-quote/).
**Builder.ai said in May 2025 that it was entering insolvency proceedings. If it built your app, don’t count on anyone there to help you keep it running.** The parts you can save are the ones you hold yourself: the code, the store listings, the domain and the cloud accounts. Secure those first, then decide whether a developer should take over the existing code or rebuild the parts you need.
If you landed here from an old builder.ai link or news story, this is a practical checklist. Dates and facts come from TechCrunch, The Register and Mealey’s, as listed in the sources. I checked the Builder.ai addresses myself on October 21, 2026. This isn’t legal advice: for questions about your contract or money owed, talk to the administrator or trustee and a lawyer.
**Disclosure:** App369 is my studio. I take over and rebuild apps for a living, so the last section mentions what I sell. I have no connection to Builder.ai, its administrator or any company named here.
## What happened to Builder.ai, and when
| Date | What happened | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2016 | Builder.ai is founded by Sachin Dev Duggal | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Builder.ai) |
| February 2025 | Manpreet Ratia replaces founder Sachin Dev Duggal as CEO | [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/once-worth-over-1b-microsoft-backed-builder-ai-is-running-out-of-money/), [The Register](https://www.theregister.com/software/2025/05/21/builderai-coded-itself-into-a-corner-now-its-bankrupt/1097445) |
| March 2025 | Bloomberg reports that Builder.ai lowered its revenue estimate for the second half of 2024 by 25%, and former employees allege sales were inflated | [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/once-worth-over-1b-microsoft-backed-builder-ai-is-running-out-of-money/), citing Bloomberg |
| **May 20, 2025** | **A spokesperson confirms Builder.ai is entering insolvency proceedings and appointing an administrator** | [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/once-worth-over-1b-microsoft-backed-builder-ai-is-running-out-of-money/) |
| June 2–4, 2025 | A filing dated June 2 lists creditors in a Chapter 7 case in a Delaware bankruptcy court (Bloomberg Law). Mealey’s reports on June 4, from Wilmington, Delaware, that Builder.ai has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy | [Mealey’s](https://www.mealeys.com/mealeys/amp/articles/2349422) |
Before the collapse, Builder.ai had raised more than $450 million, with Microsoft among its backers, according to TechCrunch. In the US, Chapter 7 is generally liquidation: a trustee sells what the company owns to pay its creditors, rather than reorganizing it to keep going. The administrator and the US trustee are separate processes, and this page doesn’t say which one holds your project.
### What the old addresses do today
Checked on October 21, 2026:
- **builder.ai** redirects to **`www.builder.ai`**, which did not load in my test: the secure connection failed.
- **studio.builder.ai**, the customer dashboard, returned a **502 error**.
So if you are reading an old article that tells you to log in to Builder Studio to download your code or manage your app, that route is gone.
## What to do if Builder.ai built your app
Work through these in order. The first four protect what you have; the rest decide what comes next.
1. **Find every copy of the code.** Check your email for exports, zip files or repository invitations from Builder.ai, and ask anyone who worked on the project whether they kept a copy. If you were given access to a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository, clone it now, even if you don’t plan to use it.
2. **Check who holds the store listings.** In App Store Connect and the Google Play Console, find which developer account your app is listed under. If it is your own account, you are in a good position. If it is someone else’s, ask that account holder to transfer it to you: [Apple](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/transfer-an-app/overview-of-app-transfer) and [Google](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6230247) both have a transfer process that the current holder starts. Apple needs the Account Holder of the sending team to start it, and the receiving Account Holder to accept. Google needs the sending account to be able to sign in, and both accounts to be active. If nobody can sign in to the account that holds your app, a transfer isn’t possible until you regain access, so ask the administrator or trustee first. The free [app handover checklist](https://app369.com/tools/app-handover-checklist/) lists the steps for each store, cloud and payment account your app uses.
3. **Take control of the domain and the hosting.** Look up who the domain is registered to and where its DNS points. Then find where the app’s backend and database actually run. If it all ran on Builder.ai’s own cloud accounts, it can be switched off at any time, so a copy of the data matters more than anything else on this list.
4. **Lock down the accounts you do hold.** Change the passwords, review who has access, and turn on two-factor sign-in for the store accounts, the domain registrar, the cloud provider, payment processors such as Stripe, and email or SMS services. Remove anyone who no longer works on the app, replace any API key that Builder.ai staff could see, and rotate any secrets stored in the old backend.
5. **Read your contract.** Look for the clauses on intellectual property, source code delivery and termination. They are the starting point for what you can claim as yours, and a lawyer can tell you how they apply.
6. **Write to the administrator or trustee.** Ask, in writing, what code, data and accounts relating to your project they hold, and how to get them. If you paid for work that was never delivered, ask how to file a claim as a creditor. For anything that matters financially, get advice from a lawyer.
7. **Decide: take over or rebuild.** See below.
## Take over the code, or rebuild?
| Your situation | Usually the better move | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| You have the full code, it builds, and the app runs in accounts you own | **Take it over.** Have a developer review it, then keep shipping updates | You keep your users, store listing, reviews and data |
| You have the code, but it depends on Builder.ai services that no longer exist | **Take over what works, replace the rest.** Move the backend and database first | Rebuilding everything can be slower than swapping the missing pieces |
| You have no code, only the live app or screenshots | **Rebuild.** Use the live app and your notes as the specification | There’s nothing to take over. Export your data first if the app still runs |
| A simple internal tool or prototype with no payments | **A no-code tool can be enough** | Usually faster and cheaper to start, as long as it stays simple |
| The app takes payments, handles logins or stores customer data | **Use a developer, and keep every account in your name** | Mistakes here cost money or trust, and you need someone accountable |
Whichever way you go, set it up so the next shutdown can’t do this to you again: the code in a repository you own, the store listings in your developer accounts, the domain registered to you, the hosting billed to your card, and a written handover of how it all fits together.
For more on choosing between building approaches, see [No-code vs low-code vs custom development](https://app369.com/blog/no-code-vs-low-code-vs-custom-development-2026/).
## Need a hand?
If you have the code and one part has stopped working, such as a login, a payment flow or a build that fails, the [App Fix Ticket](https://app369.com/fixed-price/flutter-firebase-bug-fix/) is a fixed-price way to find and fix it. If there’s nothing to take over, the [Web App MVP Sprint](https://app369.com/fixed-price/web-app-mvp/) rebuilds a first working version in about four weeks, deployed to your own accounts. Either way, everything ends up in accounts you own. If you’re not sure which fits, [send me a short description](https://app369.com/contact/) of what you have, and I’ll say which I’d start with.
## **Want this done at a fixed price?**
Fixed scope, fixed price, paid upfront. The work happens in writing; no call needed.
- [**Web App MVP Sprint**from $6,000A scoped web app MVP in Vue/Nuxt or React, with a fixed quote after a $450 written scoping.](https://app369.com/fixed-price/web-app-mvp/)
- [**App Fix Ticket**from $450One reproducible bug in an existing mobile or web app, diagnosed and fixed.](https://app369.com/fixed-price/flutter-firebase-bug-fix/)
## **Frequently asked questions**
- **What happened to Builder.ai?**
- Builder.ai, a Microsoft-backed app development company that had raised more than $450 million, confirmed on May 20, 2025 that it was entering insolvency proceedings and appointing an administrator. Mealey's reported on June 4, 2025, from Wilmington, Delaware, that it had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In February 2025 Manpreet Ratia replaced founder Sachin Dev Duggal as CEO, and Bloomberg later reported allegations that sales had been inflated.
- **Is the Builder.ai website still working?**
- No. On October 21, 2026, builder.ai redirected to www.builder.ai, which did not load (the secure connection failed), and studio.builder.ai returned a 502 error.
- **Do I own the app Builder.ai built for me?**
- It depends on your contract and on whose accounts the app lives in. Read the intellectual property and termination clauses of your agreement, then check who holds the App Store and Google Play developer accounts, the domain and the hosting. Put ownership questions to the administrator or trustee in writing, and get legal advice if the stakes are high.
- **Can I move my app to my own App Store or Google Play account?**
- Yes, if the app is listed under someone else's developer account. Apple and Google both have an app transfer process, and the account that currently holds the app has to start it. Apple needs that team's Account Holder to start it. Google needs the sending account to be able to sign in. If the app is already in your own developer account, you only need a developer who can build and submit updates from the code.
- **What should I do first if my app was built by Builder.ai?**
- Secure what you control today. Get a copy of the code and the database, change the passwords and two-factor settings on every account the app uses, and make sure the domain and store accounts are in your name. Then decide whether to keep the existing code or rebuild.
- **What is the best Builder.ai alternative?**
- There isn't one replacement for every app. If you have the code and it works, a developer can take it over. If you don't have the code, or it is hard to run outside Builder.ai's systems, rebuild the parts you need, either with a no-code tool for simple apps or with a developer for anything involving payments, logins or customer data.
## **Sources**
1. [TechCrunch, "Once worth over $1B, Microsoft-backed Builder.ai is running out of money" (May 20, 2025)](https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/once-worth-over-1b-microsoft-backed-builder-ai-is-running-out-of-money/)
2. [The Register, Builder.ai insolvency report (May 21, 2025)](https://www.theregister.com/software/2025/05/21/builderai-coded-itself-into-a-corner-now-its-bankrupt/1097445)
3. [Mealey's, "'No Code' Company Builder.ai Files For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy" (June 4, 2025)](https://www.mealeys.com/mealeys/amp/articles/2349422)
4. [Wikipedia, Builder.ai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Builder.ai)
5. [Apple, overview of app transfer (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/transfer-an-app/overview-of-app-transfer)
6. [Google Play Console Help, transfer apps to a different developer account](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6230247)
Tags
#builder.ai alternative #builder.ai shut down #builder.ai insolvency #builder.ai bankruptcy #builder.ai customers #engineer.ai #what happened to builder.ai #rebuild builder.ai app #app source code ownership #app store account transfer
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