Bolt vs Gadget (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bolt grades higher than Gadget: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bolt grades higher on value for money, features and ease of use. Gadget grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bolt
Browser-based AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps
Gadget
Full-stack JavaScript platform with an AI assistant and hosting
Which one is for you
Pick Bolt if
- Fits if you want to prototype a web app from a prompt with nothing to install
- Works for people who switch between prompting and editing the code themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, at 300K tokens a day and 1M a month, with bigger projects spending more per message
- Watch out: free sites carry a Made in Bolt badge and go offline for the month past 10 GB or 333,333 requests
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app to build in, as Bolt lives in the browser
- Pricey if you're a team, since Teams is $30 a member and tokens aren't shared between you
- Not for you if you need custom domains or Supabase databases for free, as both need a paid plan
Pick Gadget if
- Fits if you write JavaScript and want hosting and an API generated for you
- Works for Shopify app developers starting on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a no-code builder, as the stack is JavaScript and TypeScript
- Pricey if you outgrow Hobby, as Pro is $35 a month and extra production environments are $10 each
- Watch out: CPU time is billed at $0.30 an hour and extra storage at $1.50 per GB on Pro
- Watch out: extra AI assistant credits are $25 per 100 on paid plans
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABoltGood | 2.2GPAGadgetFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $25 a month, or $216 for the year, which works out at $18. That's mid-table for builders here, where the middle is $19 and the dearest quarter starts at $25. You get 10M tokens a month with no daily cap, rollover and custom domains. Teams is $30 a member, and those tokens aren't pooled. | DPro is $35 a month, above the category's dearest-tenth line of $32 and against a middle of $20. Premium is $350. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for good: 300K tokens a day, 1M a month, private projects, databases and hosting. The caps bite. Bigger projects spend more tokens per message, your site wears a Made in Bolt badge, and it goes dark for the rest of the month past 333,333 requests. | BThe Hobby plan is free with 2 seats, 1 production environment and 10 hours of CPU time. One developer can live on it. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job. Chat builds a full-stack project and Plan Mode talks the approach through first; Bolt Cloud brings hosting, databases, login and domains; Code view edits files without spending tokens; and you can start from a Figma frame or ship phone apps through Expo. Replit does the same, so no A. | CAI assistant, hosting, generated API and store connections. It is code first, in JavaScript and TypeScript, and does not replace a no-code builder. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to install and nothing to set up: open a browser tab, type a prompt and it builds. Code view is there if you want it. Supabase databases do need a paid plan. | CA web editor, but you write and read code. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app to build in. It connects to Supabase, Stripe, GitHub, Figma, Netlify and Google Stitch, and to Expo for shipping iOS and Android apps. | BWeb, with Shopify and BigCommerce connections, 5 integrations and a generated API. |
| Best for | building in a browser tab with the code in view | a full-stack JavaScript platform with an AI assistant |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bolt and Gadget. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bolt starts at $18 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Gadget starts at $35 a month and scores 2.3.
Bolt scores higher and starts $17 a month lower. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 1 scores higher than Bolt for less, and 28 score higher than Gadget for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bolt also covers no-code.
- Gadget also covers databases.
At a glance
| Bolt | Gadget | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro) | $35 per month |
| Free plan | 300K tokens a day and 1M a month, public and private projects, unlimited databases, and hosting with up to 333K web requests a month. Published sites carry Bolt branding. | Hobby plan: free, 2 seats, unlimited dev environments, 1 production environment and 100 AI credits once on sign-up. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | StackBlitz, Inc. | Gadget Software, Inc. |
| Price read from | bolt.new | gadget.dev |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bolt
- The free plan stops at 300K tokens a day and 1M a month, and larger projects use more tokens per message.
- Custom domains and Supabase databases need a paid plan, and free sites show a Made in Bolt badge.
- Free sites go offline for the rest of the month once they pass 10 GB of bandwidth or 333,333 requests.
- On Teams, tokens are allotted to each paid member and are not shared across the team.
Gadget
- Usage beyond included amounts is billed, for example CPU time at $0.30 per hour and extra data storage at $1.50 per GB on Pro.
- Extra AI assistant credits cost $25 per 100 credits on paid plans.
- The Hobby plan allows 5 Shopify and BigCommerce app installs.
- It is code-first: the stack is JavaScript and TypeScript rather than a no-code editor.
Key features
Bolt
- Prompt-to-app building
- Describe an idea in chat and Bolt generates a full-stack project using JavaScript-based web frameworks. Plan Mode lets you discuss an approach before any code is written.
- Bolt Cloud
- Hosting, databases, user authentication and domains are built into each project. Paid plans raise the hosting allowance to 30 GB of bandwidth and 1 million requests a month.
- Code view and GitHub
- Project files can be read and edited directly in Code view, which uses no tokens, and a project can be connected to GitHub or started from an existing repository.
- Design imports
- Start a project from a Figma frame or a Google Stitch design, or add a design system so that generated screens follow existing components.
- Mobile apps through Expo
- Web apps are built natively in Bolt, while mobile apps for iOS and Android are built and shipped through its Expo integration.
- Teams workspace
- A shared workspace with centralized billing, member and integration controls, team prompts and private NPM registry support, priced per member.
Gadget
- AI assistant
- An assistant applies changes to your app; each assistant change uses AI credits, while questions and answers do not.
- Hosted JS stack
- Server, database and frontend are hosted together, with a spreadsheet-style record editor and serverless actions.
- Auto-generated API
- CRUD API routes are generated for every database table.
- Shopify and BigCommerce connections
- Built-in webhooks, OAuth and data sync for apps on those platforms.
- Code tooling
- A CLI lets you work in your own editor and manage the project with Git.
Plans
Bolt
Free$0
300K tokens a day and 1M a month, public and private projects, hosting with up to 333K web requests, a 10MB upload limit and Bolt branding on sites.
ProFrom $25
per month, billed monthly; $216 a year billed yearly
Starts at 10M tokens a month with no daily limit. Adds token rollover, custom domains, no Bolt branding, 100MB uploads and up to 1M web requests.
Teams$30
per member / month, billed monthly
Everything in Pro, plus centralized billing, team-level access management, admin controls and private NPM registries. Tokens are per member, not pooled.
EnterpriseCustom
SSO, audit logs and compliance support, a dedicated account manager, 24/7 priority support, custom SLAs and data retention policies.
Gadget
Hobby$0
2 seats, 1 prod environment, 10 hours CPU time, 0.5 GB data storage and 100 one-time AI credits.
Pro$35
per month
10 seats, 30 hours CPU time, 3 GB data storage, 1M platform credits and 10 AI credits a month; extra production environments $10 each.
Premium$350
per month
25 seats, 150 hours CPU time, 15 GB data storage, 5M platform credits and 50 AI credits a month.
EnterpriseCustom
Bring your own cloud (GCP or AWS), unlimited projects and hosting, with performance and support SLAs.
Ways to pay less
Bolt
- Annual discount
Save up to 28% with yearly billing
The pricing page advertises up to 28% off with yearly billing. The help center gives $216 a year for the entry Pro tier against $25 a month, and says other annual plans save 10%.
Gadget
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bolt or Gadget?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bolt is cheaper to start with: $18 a month, against $35 a month for Gadget. Bolt starts at $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro), and Gadget starts at $35 per month.
Which has a free plan, Bolt or Gadget?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bolt and Gadget have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.