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Bolt.new

By StackBlitz

Browser-based AI app builder that runs full Node.js projects in WebContainers — no install needed.

Visit Bolt.newFreemium

Overview

Bolt.new is StackBlitz's AI app builder, and its hidden weapon is WebContainers — full Node.js running in your browser tab. That means unlike Lovable or v0, Bolt actually runs your dev server, your tests, and your build, locally in the browser, with no remote VM. You hit "run" and you're running. For full-stack prototypes that need an actual backend, this is a substantial advantage. The framework story is also broader than competitors. Astro, Remix, SvelteKit, Vite, Next.js, plain Node, even Python via Pyodide — Bolt isn't tied to React the way Lovable is or to shadcn the way v0 is. Pick the stack that fits your idea, and Bolt builds inside it. For developers who want AI scaffolding in their preferred ecosystem, that flexibility matters. The honest weakness is opinionation. Where Lovable hands you a working Supabase-auth app with one prompt, Bolt is more "here's a working app, now wire your own auth and DB." That flexibility is power-userish. Token budgets are also tight — the free tier is genuinely limited, and Pro at $20/mo can get used up faster than expected on complex projects.

Best for

  • rapid prototypes
  • browser-only development
  • demos

Strengths

  • ✓WebContainers run a full Node dev server in the browser — no remote VM, instant feedback
  • ✓Framework-agnostic: Astro, Remix, SvelteKit, Vite, Next.js, Node, Python (Pyodide)
  • ✓StackBlitz heritage means the editor and runtime are genuinely fast
  • ✓You can grab the code anytime — exports cleanly to GitHub or local
  • ✓Deploys to Netlify, Cloudflare, and other hosts with one click

Weaknesses

  • ✗Less opinionated than Lovable — you wire your own auth, DB, and infra
  • ✗Token budgets are tight; Pro at $20 doesn't cover heavy use
  • ✗Generated UI quality is decent but not v0-level out of the box
  • ✗WebContainer limitations: not every npm package works in the browser sandbox

Pricing

Free

Free

Limited daily/monthly token budget. Enough to evaluate the product or build a small static project. Will run out fast on serious work.

Pro

$20/mo

Substantially more tokens, the ability to deploy to production hosts, and access to the latest model upgrades. Default tier for active builders.

Pro 50 / 100 / 200

$50–200/mo

Higher token tiers for power users running long agentic sessions or building token-heavy projects. Pay for the tier that matches your monthly spend pattern.

Teams

$30/seat/mo

Pro features plus shared workspace, admin, and team token pools. For agencies and startup teams shipping multiple projects.

Use cases

  • Full-stack prototypes that need a real dev server

    WebContainers run Node in your tab. You see real server output, not a remote preview.

  • Astro / Remix / SvelteKit projects

    Bolt is the AI builder for non-React framework choices. Lovable can't help you here.

  • Demos and live walkthroughs

    Share a Bolt URL and the recipient gets a live, editable, running project. Better than a Vercel preview for collaboration.

  • Hackathons and time-boxed builds

    Zero local setup. Open a tab, prompt the build, deploy. Faster than `npx create-next-app`.

  • Teaching and onboarding new engineers

    Junior devs can experiment without `node_modules` hell. Reduces local-environment friction in tutorials.

  • Component and feature-flag spikes

    Spin up a throwaway sandbox to test an idea before pulling it into the main repo.

When not to use

  • ✗You need Supabase auth and DB wired in by default — use Lovable
  • ✗You're building a UI component library — v0 generates better starting components
  • ✗You need packages that don't run in WebContainers (heavy native deps)
  • ✗You want a desktop IDE experience — use Cursor or Windsurf

Alternatives

Lovable

Builds full-stack web apps from natural-language prompts, with one-click deploy and Supabase integration.

v0

Generates production-quality React + Tailwind UI components from natural-language prompts.

Replit Agent

Cloud IDE where an AI agent builds, runs, and deploys apps from a single prompt — fully browser-based.

Cursor

AI-first code editor forked from VS Code, with deep autocomplete and an in-editor chat that knows your repo.

Claude Code

Terminal-based agentic coding assistant that reads, edits, and runs commands across your repo.

See it compared

Lovable vs Bolt.newBolt.new vs v0Replit Agent vs Bolt.newLovable vs Bolt vs v0

Glossary terms to know

LLM (Large Language Model)AI agentPromptTool use / Function calling

Related skills

PR Description WriterRefactor Planner

Other AI coding tools

Cursor

AI-first code editor forked from VS Code, with deep autocomplete and an in-editor chat that knows your repo.

Claude Code

Terminal-based agentic coding assistant that reads, edits, and runs commands across your repo.

GitHub Copilot

Inline AI autocomplete for VS Code, JetBrains, and other editors, with a chat panel for code questions.

Lovable

Builds full-stack web apps from natural-language prompts, with one-click deploy and Supabase integration.

v0

Generates production-quality React + Tailwind UI components from natural-language prompts.

Windsurf

AI-native IDE with Cascade, an agent that can plan and execute multi-step coding tasks autonomously.

Replit Agent

Cloud IDE where an AI agent builds, runs, and deploys apps from a single prompt — fully browser-based.

Aider

Open-source AI pair-programming tool for the terminal. Works with your local git repo, makes proper commits with diffs, and supports any LLM you bring (Claude, GPT, local).