Bolt.new Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 6 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Free; Pro $25/mo (10M tokens)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Founders, designers and developers who want to prototype and ship JavaScript web apps from a prompt without setting up a local environment
- Platforms
- Web browser; builds web apps and Expo mobile apps
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
Quick answer
What is Bolt.new, and is it worth paying for?
Bolt.new is an AI app builder from StackBlitz: you describe an app in chat, Bolt plans and writes the code in a browser workspace, and you publish it to Bolt's own hosting with a built-in database, authentication and Stripe payments. It's worth paying for if you build JavaScript web apps or prototypes often enough to run past the free 1 million tokens a month. Pro costs $25 a month for 10 million tokens ($216 a year billed annually), checked on Bolt's pricing page and help center on October 14, 2026. Tokens are the catch: big projects burn them fast, paid tokens expire after two months, and fees are non-refundable.
- Best for
- Founders and product people prototyping web apps, and developers who want a hosted JavaScript stack with database and payments from one prompt.
- Skip it if
- You need a Python or PHP backend, predictable flat pricing, or a non-technical builder that hides code completely.
- Strongest capability
- An end-to-end loop in the browser: plan, build, connect a database, add Stripe and publish to a custom domain without leaving Bolt.
- Biggest limitation
- Token metering: usage grows with project size, unused paid tokens expire after two months, and nothing is refunded.
The Verdict
Bolt.new is one of the fastest ways to go from a prompt to a hosted JavaScript app. Bolt Cloud now covers hosting, domains, a database with authentication and file storage, server functions and Stripe, and you can sync to GitHub, deploy to Netlify or Azure, import Figma frames and build mobile apps with Expo. The free plan's 1 million tokens a month is enough to try it, and Pro at $25 a month raises that to 10 million with no daily cap. The trade-offs are cost predictability and scope: tokens drain faster as a codebase grows, paid tokens last two billing months, fees are non-refundable, backends must be Node.js, and Bolt doesn't name the models behind its Standard and Max agents. We score Bolt.new 8.3/10.
Best for
Founders, designers and developers who want to prototype and publish JavaScript web apps quickly from a browser.
Skip if
You need Python or PHP backends, flat predictable pricing, refunds, or a fully no-code visual builder.
The Background
What Is Bolt.new?
Bolt.new (also sold as Bolt) is an AI app builder made by StackBlitz, Inc. of San Francisco, the company behind the StackBlitz browser IDE; one set of terms covers both products. You describe what you want, optionally switch to Plan mode to agree a plan first, and Bolt's agent writes a full-stack JavaScript app you can preview and edit in the browser. Since late 2025, Bolt Cloud hosts the result on bolt.host or your own domain with a built-in database, authentication, file storage, server functions and analytics. Bolt also builds slides and Expo mobile apps. Bolt's May 2026 Microsoft post claims 75% of the Fortune 500 use Bolt.new; that is its own figure.
The Product
Bolt.new Features: What You Actually Get
Prompt-to-app agent with Plan mode
You chat with an agent that plans and writes code; Plan mode, which replaced Discussion mode in August 2026, agrees the approach before building. Two agents are offered: Standard on every plan and Max on paid plans. Bolt says it handles model selection behind the scenes; its release notes show Claude models as the default since September 2025, but current pages don't name the model behind each agent.
A founder describes a booking app for a dog-walking business, approves Bolt's plan, and gets a working React front end with a database in one session.
Bolt Cloud: hosting, database and auth
Bolt Cloud publishes apps to bolt.host or a custom domain (Pro and up), with domains you can buy in Bolt, analytics, and Bolt Database for data, authentication, file storage and server functions. Pro and Teams can pick Supabase instead when creating a project. Version history doesn't restore databases, and databases in unpublished projects may pause after several days of low use.
A designer publishes a client portal with user logins to the client's domain without setting up a separate backend.
Stripe, GitHub, Figma and other connections
Stripe payments can be added with a built-in integration. Projects can sync to GitHub so you can keep working in the repository or host elsewhere, and Netlify and (since May 2026) Azure are deploy options. Figma frames can be imported into the chat (January 2026).
A developer imports a Figma landing page, adds Stripe checkout and pushes the code to GitHub for a teammate to review.
JavaScript-only stack and Expo mobile apps
Bolt supports Node.js backends with any JavaScript front-end framework and builds mobile apps with Expo. PHP and Python backends aren't supported, which rules it out for teams standardised on those languages.
A product manager builds an Expo prototype of a habit-tracking app to test with five users on their phones.
Teams controls and design systems
Teams adds centralized billing, admin controls, user provisioning, organization sharing, a private NPM registry and design-system knowledge so Bolt builds with your components. Enterprise adds SSO, audit logs, SLAs and data-retention controls.
A product team loads its component library so prototypes from every designer use the company's buttons and type styles.
Feature recap
- Prompt-to-app agent with Plan mode
- Bolt Cloud hosting, custom domains and analytics
- Built-in database, authentication, storage and server functions
- Supabase option on Pro and Teams
- Stripe, GitHub, Netlify, Azure and Figma import
- Expo mobile apps and Bolt Slides
- Design-system knowledge and a private NPM registry on Teams
- SSO, audit logs and SLAs on Enterprise
The Numbers
Bolt.new Pricing: Every Plan Explained
Bolt bills in tokens, the units its AI uses to read and write your project. Prices below are from Bolt's pricing page and billing help article, checked October 14, 2026, in USD.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily limit, 10MB uploads, public and private projects, hosting with Bolt branding, unlimited databases; free tokens don't roll over | Trying Bolt and small prototypes |
| ProBest value | $25/mo | $18/mo ($216/yr) | 10M tokens a month, no daily limit, 100MB uploads, custom domains, no Bolt branding, private site sharing, choice of database provider, AI image editing; higher tiers Pro 50 ($50, 26M tokens; $540/yr) and Pro 100 ($100, 55M) | Regular builders |
| Teams | $30/member/mo | Not shown | Everything in Pro per member (tokens aren't pooled), centralized billing, admin controls, provisioning, organization sharing, private NPM registry, design-system knowledge | Product and design teams |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | SSO, audit logs, compliance support, dedicated account manager, 24/7 priority support, SLAs, data governance and retention | Large organizations |
Pro's $25 matches Lovable's monthly price and sits a little above Replit Core's $20, but Bolt meters tokens rather than messages or credits, so how far 10 million tokens go depends on project size: each request reads more code as the app grows. Paid tokens roll over for one extra month (two billing months in total) only while you stay subscribed, and reload tokens, which never expire, are sold only on the top monthly Pro tier or annual Pro plans. Annual billing is charged upfront for all twelve months. The terms (updated September 22, 2026) renew plans automatically and make fees and consumed usage non-refundable. Bolt's release notes also list a $9-a-month Bolt Lite plan for its Forge agent that isn't on the pricing page, and the pricing page says Forge is included on Pro only until October 14, 2026.
Read before you buy
Where Bolt's own pages differ
Annual discount: the pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 28%, while the billing help article says the annual toggle gives 10% off, yet lists Pro 10M at $216 a year, which is 28% below twelve months at $25. The same article calls one tier both "Pro 50" and "26M".
Plans: the release notes announce a $9 Bolt Lite plan (September 2026) that the pricing page doesn't list, and the pricing page's note that Forge is included on Pro "until Oct 14" means Pro's feature list may change after this review's check date. Bolt's October 2025 v2 launch presented its own database as the default, while current docs offer Supabase only on Pro and Teams.
The Tradeoffs
Bolt.new Pros and Cons
What we love
- Prompt to hosted app without leaving the browser
- Built-in database, auth, storage and Stripe through Bolt Cloud
- Free plan with 1M tokens a month
- GitHub sync, Netlify and Azure deploys, Figma import
- Expo mobile apps from the same workspace
- Design-system knowledge and private NPM registry on Teams
What could be better
- Token use grows with project size, so costs are hard to predict
- Paid tokens expire after two billing months
- Fees and consumed usage are non-refundable
- JavaScript only: no Python or PHP backends
- Email support only on paid plans; Discord for everyone else
- Models behind the Standard and Max agents aren't named
The Audience
Who Should Use Bolt.new?
Best for: founders validating an idea
Free or Pro covers building and publishing a working prototype with logins, a database and Stripe checkout to show users or investors.
Best for: JavaScript developers who want speed
Developers can scaffold apps quickly, sync to GitHub and continue in their own editor, keeping Bolt for the first version or for quick features.
Skip if: your stack is Python or PHP
Teams on Django, Rails, Laravel or Python services will hit Bolt's JavaScript-only backend support; Replit covers more languages.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed Bolt.new
This is an editorial review, not a documented hands-on test. We didn't use a Bolt account for this review. It's based on Bolt's pricing page, help-center articles on billing, tokens, supported technologies, Bolt Cloud, the database, agents, Netlify and GitHub, its release notes, its v2, Stripe and Microsoft partnership posts, and StackBlitz's terms of service (September 22, 2026), all checked on October 14, 2026. Where Bolt's pages differ, we report both statements. No build quality, token-consumption or app-performance results are claimed.
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : First published. Editorial review based on Bolt's pricing page, help-center articles on billing, tokens, supported technologies, Bolt Cloud, the database, agents, Netlify and GitHub, its release notes and blog posts, and StackBlitz's terms of service, all checked October 14, 2026. Sub-scores are provisional pending editorial approval.
The Field
Bolt.new vs The Competition
Bolt.new competes with other AI app builders and with cloud development environments. Prices below were checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 14, 2026, using US pricing.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt.new | Free; Pro $25/mo (10M tokens) | Yes | Prompt-to-app agent with Plan mode | 8.3/10 |
| Lovable | Free; Pro $21/mo billed annually ($25 monthly) | Yes | Full-stack builds with Lovable Cloud and unlimited users | 9.1/10 |
| Replit | Core $18/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) | No | Many languages plus hosting and agents | 8.9/10 |
| Bubble | Free; Starter $59/mo billed annually (web and mobile) | Yes | Visual no-code builder with its own database | 8.3/10 |
Lovable: Lovable's free plan gives 5 build credits a day (up to 30 a month), and Pro adds 100 credits a month that roll over, with unlimited users at no extra cost. It meters credits per message rather than tokens, which is easier to budget.Read our Lovable review →
Replit: Replit's Core includes $20 of usage credit toward premium AI models and supports languages beyond JavaScript, including Python. Pick it when your backend isn't Node.js.Read our Replit review →
Bubble: Bubble is a visual, no-code builder rather than a code generator, with usage metered in workload units. It suits non-developers who want to maintain an app without reading code.Read our Bubble review →
In The Wild
How People Actually Use Bolt.new
A non-technical founder
Start on Free to build a clickable prototype, then move to Pro ($25) when you need a custom domain and more tokens. Export to GitHub early so a developer can take over if the app grows.
A freelance developer
Pro or Pro 50 covers client prototypes with logins, data and Stripe on the client's domain. Annual billing ($216 for Pro) is cheaper but non-refundable and charged upfront.
A product team
Teams ($30 a member a month) adds design-system knowledge and a private NPM registry so prototypes use your components. Tokens aren't pooled, so heavy users may need more than others.
The Ecosystem
Bolt.new Integrations
Bolt connects projects to code hosting, deploy targets, payments and design tools, with its own cloud as the default backend.
- →Bolt Cloud hosting, domains, database, auth and storage
- →Supabase (Pro and Teams)
- →Stripe payments
- →GitHub sync and version history
- →Netlify and Azure deploys
- →Figma frame import
- →Expo for mobile apps
Apps run on JavaScript and Node.js only. Bolt's own database is the default; choosing Supabase is a Pro and Teams option made when you create a project.
Common Questions
Bolt.new FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use Bolt.new?
Bolt.new is a quick, capable way to build and host JavaScript apps from a prompt, and Bolt Cloud means a prototype can have logins, data and payments on day one. Budget carefully: tokens scale with project size, expire after two months and aren't refundable, so start on Free, watch your usage, and export to GitHub before you depend on it. We score Bolt.new 8.3/10.
Yes, if
You want to prototype or ship JavaScript web apps fast in the browser, with hosting, a database and Stripe built in.
No, if
You need Python or PHP backends, predictable flat pricing, refunds, or a visual no-code builder.
Bolt.new Is Part Of These Stack Packs
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
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