The Bolt Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Bolt in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Bolt

The Insider’s Guide

Browser-based AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI app builders, read from Bolt’s own pages.

Made by StackBlitz, Inc. · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.6GPA

01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Bolt’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Bolt’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.6

GPA, above 15 of the 26 other AI app builders we grade

Bolt turns a chat prompt into a working website, web app or, through its Expo integration, a mobile app. It runs entirely in the browser with an editable code view, and Bolt Cloud supplies hosting, databases, authentication and domains inside the same project. Usage is metered in AI tokens: the free plan has daily and monthly caps, and paid plans are sold by monthly token allocation.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Bolt, taken from its own pages and our grades.

No rating on record, but there's nothing to install and nothing to set up: open a browser tab, type a prompt and it builds.

From our grade for ease of use

1
Best for building in a browser tab with the code in view
Bolt turns a chat prompt into a site or web app in your browser, with the code there to edit and hosting, a database and login built in.
2
Paid plans start at $18 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro).
3
There is a 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.
4
It runs on Web
Web.
5
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.
6
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.
7
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.
8
A 2.6 GPA, above 15 of 26
That is against the other AI app builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
9
Keep it
To replace Bolt you would be making a tool that builds and hosts other apps. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Bolt at a glance

Pricing: Free plan, from $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro)
Free plan: Yes
Free trial: None stated
Runs on: Web
Made by: StackBlitz, Inc.
Category: AI App Builders
Our grade: 2.6 GPA, good

The report card

Best for building in a browser tab with the code in view

Bolt turns a chat prompt into a site or web app in your browser, with the code there to edit and hosting, a database and login built in. Pro is $25 a month, or $216 for a year. But everything runs on tokens, a bigger project burns more per message, free sites go offline past 333,333 requests a month, and Teams tokens aren't pooled.

ToolGPA report cardBoltGraded Oct 10, 2026

Subject	Grade	Comment
Value for money	C	Pro 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.
Free plan and trial	C	Free 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.
Features	B	It 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.
Ease of use	B	No 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.
Platforms and integrations	B	Web 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.

Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.6

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Bolt is for

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

Who it is not for

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

Good to know

Good for

Prototyping a web app or site from a prompt without a local setup
Developers who want to switch between prompting and editing code
Marketers and founders who need hosting and a custom domain in one place

Worth knowing

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.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$18

A month to start. There is a free plan too

Bolt has a free plan. Paid plans start at $18 per month, billed yearly ($216); $25 billed monthly (Pro).

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.
Pro
From $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.
Enterprise
Custom
SSO, audit logs and compliance support, a dedicated account manager, 24/7 priority support, custom SLAs and data retention policies.

The 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.

Read from bolt.new on Oct 5, 2026.

Ways to pay less

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%.
Stated on bolt.new

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

Place it runs: Web

Browser-based AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, app builder, no-code.

Web only, with no desktop or phone app to build in.

From our grade for platforms and integrations

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.

Where it runs

What it works with

Supabase
Stripe
GitHub
Figma
Netlify
Expo
Google Stitch

Bolt is made by StackBlitz, Inc.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

15/26

Other AI app builders it is graded above

Bolt's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 15 of the 26 other AI app builders we grade, and level with 3.

It stands best on features (B, above 15 of 26) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 1).

Its paid plans start at $18 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 10 of the 26 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 27 AI app builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Bolt’s own letter is outlined.

CValue for money
Above 6 of 26
CFree plan and trial
Above 1 of 26
BFeatures
Above 15 of 26
BEase of use
Above 7 of 26
BPlatforms and integrations
Above 4 of 26

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 27 AI app builders. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Bolt is the marked dot.

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Bolt you would be making a tool that builds and hosts other apps. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It costs $216 a year.

What you could not

A tool that builds and hosts other apps.
A builder that other people can use without writing code.
It plugs into other products, Supabase, Stripe and GitHub among them.
AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Bolt’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Lovable, v0, Replit, Base44 and Emergent

The 5 tools Bolt is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

2.8GPA
Lovable
Free plan · from $21/mo
Chat-based AI builder for full-stack web apps and websites.
- Only Lovable lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
Bolt and Lovable compared in full
2.4GPA
v0
Free trial · from $30/mo
Vercel's AI agent for building and deploying full-stack web apps.
- Bolt has a free plan. v0 does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only v0 lists an iOS app.
- Bolt also covers no-code.
Bolt and v0 compared in full
3.0GPA
Replit
Free plan · from $18/mo
Cloud platform where an AI agent builds, hosts and publishes apps.
- Only Replit lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Replit also covers AI agents.
Bolt and Replit compared in full
2.8GPA
Base44
Free plan · from $16/mo
No-code AI builder with a database, login and hosting included.
- Only Base44 lists iOS and Android apps.
Bolt and Base44 compared in full
2.4GPA
Emergent
Free plan · from $17/mo
AI agents that build and deploy full-stack web and mobile apps.
- Emergent also covers AI agents.
Bolt and Emergent compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Bolt free?

Bolt has a 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.

How much does Bolt cost?

Bolt lists 4 plans. Free: $0.

What platforms does Bolt work on?

Bolt is available on Web.

Does Bolt offer any discounts?

Bolt publicly lists the following: Save up to 28% with yearly billing.

Does Bolt have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Bolt is listed for Web.

Does Bolt have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Bolt is listed for Web.

Is Bolt open source?

Bolt is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

What does Bolt integrate with?

Bolt's listing names Supabase, Stripe, GitHub, Figma, Netlify, Expo and Google Stitch.

Who makes Bolt?

Bolt is made by StackBlitz, Inc.

What are the alternatives to Bolt?

The closest alternatives to Bolt in our directory are Lovable, v0, Replit, Base44 and Emergent.

How does Bolt compare with other AI app builders?

Bolt's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 15 of the 26 other AI app builders we grade, and level with 3.

Is Bolt good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Bolt C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $18 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 10 of the 26 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of Bolt?

To replace Bolt you would be making a tool that builds and hosts other apps.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Bolt’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Bolt's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-27.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by StackBlitz, Inc. Prices change, so check bolt.new before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Bolt: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/bolt

Know someone choosing between AI app builders?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/bolt/guide

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See our other guides

The best-graded AI app builders after Bolt, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Bolt’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Bolt is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by StackBlitz, Inc. Prices and plans change: check bolt.new before you buy.