Bolt.new— What It’s Best At (2025)

Build full-stack apps fast in your browser—with AI that listens, scaffolds, and hosts for you. Bolt.new shines when you’re launching micro‑SaaS tools, dashboards, or internal apps and speed is everything. Whether you’re guiding it with plain prompts or diving into code yourself, it adapts to your workflow—without installing a thing.

Visit Bolt.new →
Watch Tutorial

Quick Facts

Best For

Prototypes, internal tools, dashboards, micro‑SaaS backends, full-stack playgrounds.

Learning Curve

Beginner to intermediate. Natural-language prompting helps early users; advanced use involves code and queries.

Hosting/Deploy

Instant cloud deploy with live links. Export available for self-hosting or GitHub use.

Free/Tiers

Free includes public projects. Paid tiers unlock private projects, larger sessions, and team/workspace features.

Integrations

Connect to APIs, external DBs, fetch URLs, run server logic. No plugin store—custom code is the norm.

Who It’s For

  • Founders & solopreneurs
  • Validating product ideas fast, even with little or no coding experience. One real-world example? A parent and child built a Stripe-connected store in under 6 hours using Bolt.
  • Product managers & marketers
  • Creating realistic demos and internal tools without wireframing or spec docs. PMs are using Bolt to pitch interactive flows instead of decks.
  • Developers & technical prosumers
  • Using Bolt as a fast, browser-based full-stack playground. Start from a prompt, scaffold instantly, connect APIs, and customize with JS.
  • Hackathon teams & creative builders
  • Shipping working apps in 24–48 hours. Bolt’s live hackathons showcase how fast teams go from idea to deploy.
  • Students & hobbyists
  • Learning app-building in a browser IDE with zero setup. Bolt’s “vibe coding” is unintimidating—ideal for creative experimentation and learning.

Who It’s Not For

  • Projects with complex data models or relational data logic
  • Bolt can connect to databases, but you won’t find visual schema builders or multi-table relationship tools here.
  • Enterprise applications needing built-in SSO, audits, or compliance
  • Those advanced security features exist, but only as part of a custom-priced Enterprise setup—not out of the box.
  • Applications with heavy or long-running backend workflows
  • Bolt is great for rapid API orchestration, but not for backend-heavy tasks like queues, cron jobs, or large-scale data processing.

Pricing Overview

Bolt.new Pricing
Plan Price Highlights
Free $0/mo Unlimited projects; 1 editor; Community support
Pro $29/mo Unlimited projects; 3 editors; Priority support; Custom domains
Team $99/mo Unlimited projects; 10 editors; Advanced permissions; SSO
See Latest Pricing →

Strengths & Tradeoffs

Strengths

  • ⚡ Fast from prompt to preview
  • AI scaffolds full-stack code in minutes — ideal for micro‑SaaS, dashboards, or interactive demos.
  • 🧠 Intelligent scaffolding, editable code
  • Combines natural language prompting with real code output. Edit JS, HTML, or API routes directly.
  • 🚀 MVP-ready flow
  • Go from idea to working prototype without setting up a local dev environment.
  • 🌍 Deploy anywhere
  • Supports Netlify, Vercel, Expo, or Bolt Cloud. Shareable URLs make it easy to test with users or teammates.

Tradeoffs

  • 💸 Token usage can spike
  • Larger builds or frequent AI prompts may eat into limits quickly — be mindful of your usage.
  • 🧾 No version control or diffs
  • File rewrites can overwrite manual changes. Export regularly if you want full control.
  • 🧠 Not built for deep backend orchestration
  • It’s great for CRUD and API calls, but heavy backend tasks (e.g., cron, queues, analytics pipelines) need external tools.
  • 🔒 Bolt-first ecosystem
  • While you can export code, most of the magic happens in Bolt’s hosted workspace — not easily transferable to a local stack without extra steps.

So What Can You Build?

Tutorial

Why this tutorial: This tutorial shows Bolt.new in action—from AI prompt to live app—with zero setup. You’ll see how to scaffold full-stack features fast, edit them directly, and connect real APIs. Great for founders or devs who want results, not fluff.

Bolt.new Free Sign Up →

Alternatives & When to Pick Them

Glide

Spreadsheet-first builder for web apps and dashboards—no-code, no deploy steps, no backend setup.

  • Pick Glide if you want to build internal tools or portals quickly from Google Sheets or Airtable.
  • Skip Glide if you want real code, API wiring, or repo ownership—Bolt is better for devs.

Bubble

Visual builder with max flexibility, plugin ecosystem, and deep logic—ideal for full-blown SaaS tools.

  • Pick Bubble if you want drag-and-drop UI plus advanced workflows and user logic—no code required.
  • Skip Bubble if you want actual code and fast deployment—Bolt gives you more control.

Webflow

Best-in-class visual builder for marketing sites and CMS content—less focus on app logic or backend.

  • Pick Webflow if your focus is pixel-perfect design and SEO-ready site content.
  • Skip Webflow if you need full-stack app behavior, database logic, or deployable backend routes.

Softr

Turn Airtable into web portals, CRMs, and member dashboards—great UI without writing code.

  • Pick Softr if you want client-facing apps powered by Airtable or Google Sheets.
  • Skip Softr if you want backend logic, API calls, or frontend flexibility—Bolt wins here.

Adalo

Mobile-first builder with native publishing for iOS and Android—design-driven, no code required.

  • Pick Adalo if you need true native apps with App Store/Play Store publishing.
  • Skip Adalo if you want web apps, rapid iteration, and real code control—Bolt is better fit.

Base44

AI-assisted builder with visual UI + data + hosting—great for full-stack apps with structure built-in.

  • Pick Base44 if you want a browser-based workspace that handles design, database, and auth.
  • Skip Base44 if you want prompt-based generation and raw code scaffolding—Bolt is more dev‑centric.

Opal (Google)

Experimental builder from Google—good for internal demos and playful side projects, not production yet.

  • Pick Opal if you’re exploring AI-driven prototypes inside the Google ecosystem.
  • Skip Opal if you need stable dev tools, custom backends, or real deployment paths—Bolt delivers there.

Rule of thumb: Use Bolt.new if you want full code access, fast prototyping, and cloud deploys from a dev-first perspective. Use Glide for no-code web apps, Bubble for logic-heavy SaaS, Adalo for native mobile, Webflow for design sites, Softr for Airtable dashboards, Base44 for full-stack workspace flow, and Opal for early-stage AI experiments.

  • Webflow

    Posted on
    Webflow— What It’s Best At (2025) Turn your design ideas into fully responsive, pixel-perfect websites — all without writing code. Webflow is ideal when you want total visual control over…

  • Softr

    Posted on
    Softr — What It’s Best At (2025) Quickly turning your existing spreadsheets or data into polished, user-facing web apps without touching a line of code. Softr is perfect when you…

  • Opal (Google)

    Posted on
    Opal— What It’s Best At (2025) Build AI‑powered mini‑apps just by typing what you want. Opal is great for non‑technical users who want to prototype tools or workflows—like draft generators,…

  • Glide

    Posted on
    Glide — What It’s Best At (2025) Turn spreadsheets into polished web apps fast. Glide is built for non-coders: connect Google Sheets, Airtable, Excel, or Glide Tables, then design screens…

  • Bubble

    Posted on
    Bubble — What It’s Best At (2025) Build and iterate full-featured web apps quickly with Bubble’s visual, browser-based builder. It’s a powerful platform that handles everything—from front-end design to back-end…

  • Adalo

    Posted on
    Adalo — What It’s Best At (2025) Build and iterate web apps fast with a visual, drag-and-drop workflow.Adalo is built for people who want web and mobile apps up and…

  • Free No Code Apps

    Posted on
    Discover the Best No-Code & Low-Code Tools Compare platforms, explore tutorials, and start building without writing code.   Top No-/Low-Code Platforms Pricing at a Glance Platform Free Plan Paid Starts…

FAQs

Yes — you can get started with Bolt.new for free. The free plan gives you access to the full editor and AI features, capped at 150 K AI tokens per day (up to 1 M tokens/month). It’s a great way to explore prompt-based builds, collaborate live, or prototype small projects before deciding whether to upgrade.

Yes—you can export your full Bolt.new project at any time. Just hit Export → Download in the editor to get a ZIP of your code. From there, you can:

  • Open it in StackBlitz for live editing
  • Push it to GitHub for version control
  • Deploy it to platforms like Netlify, Vercel, or your own server

You’re never stuck inside Bolt—exporting is as easy as clicking a button.

Bolt.new lives in both worlds—but it doesn’t feel like a traditional no-code editor. You can simply type what you want in plain English, and Bolt will generate a working full-stack app—no downloads, no setup. That part feels like no-code magic.

But the real power comes when you want to go deeper. Every part of your app becomes real, editable code. You can tweak the frontend, wire APIs, integrate backends—essentially low-code control. So Bolt starts no-code friendly, but lets you graduate to real code as you grow.

Yes — real-time collaboration is fully supported through Bolt Teams. Teams lets you build in shared workspaces where updates sync instantly, and you can set permissions by role so control stays tight. Public sources also confirm that real-time editing and collaboration are baked into the platform’s DNA. Community examples even show live app changes syncing in multi-user workflows. Bolt isn’t just solo—it’s built for collaborative dev too.

Yes—you absolutely can. Bolt integrates with Expo to scaffold full React Native apps right from the browser. You’ll get working mobile code, live previews on your own phone with Expo Go, and ready-to-publish builds for iOS and Android.

But keep in mind: Bolt sets up the project and handles the scaffolding. You’ll still export the code and use standard Expo tooling (EAS, App Store Connect, Google Play Console) to finalize testing or publishing. It’s not a one-click publish to the App Store—it’s smarter than that, but still gives you full developer control.

Bolt.new plays well with the tools you already love. Here’s what’s officially supported:

  • Figma, for importing visual designs
  • Supabase, for backend needs like data, auth, and file storage
  • Stripe, so you can process payments right away
  • GitHub, for version control, backups, and collaboration
  • Expo, to scaffold and test mobile apps
  • Netlify, for web hosting and deployment

And beyond that? Bolt is flexible enough to run any JavaScript tool or framework that works in StackBlitz—think React, Next.js, Tailwind, and more.

Looking to send email, automate workflows, or hook into external APIs? That’s handled via HTTP calls or visual workflow blocks—check out tools like Loops for transactional emails or platforms like Make for automations.

Bonus Questions

Can I assign a custom domain?

Yes—on paid Bolt Cloud plans. You can connect or purchase a custom domain right in your project’s settings. DNS and SSL are handled automatically.

Can I monetize apps (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)?

Yes—Bolt now includes built-in Stripe integration. In just one click, you can add checkout pages, carts, and subscriptions—no extra code needed.

Do I own the code that’s created?

Absolutely—you get full ownership of the source code. Bolt files live in your workspace, and you can edit, export, or fork them at will.

Can I download or export the code and use it elsewhere?

Yes. Bolt supports project export (ZIP), GitHub integration, and opening directly in StackBlitz or external deployment providers.