Bolt vs Subframe (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Bolt grades higher than Subframe: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bolt grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan 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
Subframe
Design canvas, coding agent and browser in one desktop app
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 Subframe if
- Fits if you already pay for Claude Code or Codex and work in React
- Works for designers and developers sharing one canvas
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: one project only
- Watch out: more than one project needs Pro at $20 per editor
- Watch out: AI credits apply only in the web version or in place of your own Claude or Codex plan
- Not for you if you want a tier above Pro: none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABoltGood | 2.2GPASubframeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$20 per editor a month, the category's middle price. The page doesn't say if that is monthly or yearly. |
| 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. | CFree: one project, unlimited viewers and editors, limited AI credits, or your own Claude or Codex plan. One project is a firm cap. |
| 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. | CCanvas with components and tokens, a built-in browser, an agent and comments. The vendor says it is aimed at React. |
| 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. It is a desktop app that needs a running dev server and a Claude or Codex subscription. |
| 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. | BMac, Windows and web, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, GitHub and Mobbin connections. |
| Best for | building in a browser tab with the code in view | a design canvas wired to your coding agent |
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 Subframe. 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. Subframe starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Bolt scores higher and starts $2 a month lower. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 1 scores higher than Bolt for less, and 12 score higher than Subframe 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.
- Subframe also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| Bolt | Subframe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro) | $20 per editor / 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. | One project, unlimited viewers and editors, limited AI credits, and use of your own Claude or Codex subscription. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | StackBlitz, Inc. | Subframe |
| Price read from | bolt.new | subframe.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Subframe
- The Free plan allows one project; unlimited projects need Pro at $20 per editor / month.
- The vendor says it works best with React, though the browser and canvas work with anything that renders on the web.
- AI credits are used only in the web version or when you use them instead of your own Claude or Codex subscription.
- The pricing section does not say whether $20 is billed monthly or annually, and lists no plan above Pro.
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.
Subframe
- Design canvas
- Components with props, slots and variants, plus themes and design tokens across light and dark modes, synced with the design system in your codebase.
- Built-in browser
- Preview and edit your running app inside Subframe, with detected local dev servers listed in the browser panel.
- Coding agent
- Uses an existing Claude Code or Codex subscription as the internal agent. Other agents such as Cursor or Gemini connect through MCP.
- Prompting on the canvas
- Ask for designs or repetitive changes without leaving the canvas, then hand the result to the agent to implement in code.
- Multiplayer and comments
- Share a canvas link and comment in threads with teammates or the agent, then turn feedback into changes.
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.
Subframe
Free$0
One project, unlimited viewers and editors, limited AI credits, and use of your own Claude or Codex subscription.
Pro$20
per editor / month
Unlimited projects, 6x the AI credits of Free, and multiple themes per project. Billing basis (monthly or annual) is not stated.
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%.
Subframe
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bolt or Subframe?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Bolt starts at $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro), and Subframe starts at $20 per editor / month. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Bolt or Subframe?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Bolt and Subframe have a free plan.
Which platforms do Bolt and Subframe run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Subframe lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.