Bolt vs Google AI Studio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Google AI Studio grades higher than Bolt: 3.0 against 2.6 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 ease of use. Google AI Studio grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and 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
Google AI Studio
Google's workspace for building apps and prototypes with Gemini
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 Google AI Studio if
- Fits if you want to try an app idea without paying
- Works for developers already in Google Cloud who want to publish to Cloud Run
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you hit the free limits, as some models are off the free tier
- Watch out: when you share an app, its Gemini calls count toward your usage and paid models can cost money
- Watch out: Cloud Run charges apply to published apps by usage
- Not for you if you mind data use: free-tier content may be used to improve Google's products, says the pricing page
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABoltGood | 3.0GPAGoogle AI StudioVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree to use, including Build mode, with free tokens within rate limits. The category's cheaper quarter starts at $15 a month. |
| 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. | BFree access with limits on some models and rate limits on tokens. One person could build several apps on it without paying. |
| 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. | BBuild mode, annotation mode, GitHub sync, ZIP export, publish to Cloud Run and an app gallery. It covers the job of building and publishing a small app, on Gemini models only. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. The work is describing and fixing the app yourself. |
| 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 GitHub, ZIP export and Cloud Run listed. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | building in a browser tab with the code in view | building small apps with Gemini for free |
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 Google AI Studio. 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. Google AI Studio has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Bolt scores higher, and starts $18 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 1 scores higher than Bolt for less, and none scores higher than Google AI Studio 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.
- Google AI Studio also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| Bolt | Google AI Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro) | Free |
| 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. | Free access to AI Studio, including Build mode, with limited access to some models and free input and output tokens within rate limits. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | StackBlitz, Inc. | |
| Price read from | bolt.new | aistudio.google.com |
| 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.
Google AI Studio
- The paid Gemini API tier bills tokens per million; the top Gemini 4 Carbon model is not available on the free tier.
- When you share an app, its Gemini API calls count toward your usage limits, and paid models may cost money.
- Cloud Run pricing applies to published apps based on usage.
- Free-tier content may be used to improve Google's products, according to the pricing page.
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.
Google AI Studio
- Build mode
- Describe an app and the agent creates a full-stack web app or a native Android app in Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, then iterates through chat.
- Annotation mode
- Highlight part of the running app's interface and describe the change you want, instead of writing it out in chat.
- GitHub sync and ZIP export
- Connect a repository for two-way sync, or download the generated code as a ZIP to work in your own editor.
- Publish to Cloud Run
- Deploy a finished app as a Cloud Run service. Custom domains can be bought and connected from the Publish panel on a paid Google Cloud project.
- Gemini features as building blocks
- AI chips add capabilities such as image generation, Google Maps data or the Live API to a prompt, and the Gemini API key is set up server-side for you.
- App gallery
- A gallery of example apps can be previewed and remixed as starting points.
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.
Google AI Studio
Free$0
AI Studio access with limited model access and free tokens; content may be used to improve Google products.
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%.
Google AI Studio
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bolt or Google AI Studio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Google AI Studio is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $18 a month for Bolt. Bolt starts at $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro), and Google AI Studio is free.
Which has a free plan, Bolt or Google AI Studio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bolt and Google AI Studio 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.