What it is
Bolt.new is an AI app builder made by StackBlitz. You describe an app in a chat box and Bolt writes the code, runs it in your browser using StackBlitz's in-browser development environment, and publishes it through Bolt Cloud, which bundles hosting, a built-in database, sign-in, file storage and payments. Projects can sync to GitHub, and Pro users can swap the built-in database for Supabase.
Pricing is based on tokens, the units AI models use to measure text. The free plan gives 300K tokens a day up to 1M a month. Pro is $18 a month on annual billing ($216 a year, against $300 paid monthly) and starts at 10M tokens with no daily cap; Teams is $27 per member a month on annual billing ($324 a year, against $360). Enterprise is a custom annual contract billed by consumption.
In September 2026 Bolt launched Forge, an agent built only on open-source models (GLM 5.3, Kimi K3, DeepSeek v4 Pro) that requires users to agree to their data being used to train open-source models. Forge is available through a new $9-a-month Lite plan, sold by waitlist, and was free to Pro users during a preview that ended on 14 October 2026.
Our review
Bolt's strength is the short distance from prompt to running app. The code executes inside the browser, so changes show up as soon as the agent writes them, and Bolt Cloud now handles hosting, a Postgres-backed database, authentication and storage without a second account. For a prototype or an internal tool, that is a day saved on setup.
The cost model works against long projects. Bolt's own docs say most token use comes from reading and syncing project files, so each message costs more as the codebase grows. Teams seats each get their own allocation, and the docs are explicit that tokens are not shared between members, so one heavy builder can run dry while a colleague's allowance sits idle. On individual plans, extra tokens can only be bought on the top monthly Pro tier or an annual Pro plan. Public sentiment reflects this: a September 2026 review by Preuve counted a 1.5 out of 5 Trustpilot score from 202 reviews, with token burn on AI-introduced errors the main complaint.
Forge is the data question to settle before rollout. The open-source agent gives up to 50 times more usage than Standard, by Bolt's estimate, but only if you agree that your prompts help train open-source models. Bolt does not offer it on Teams or Enterprise, which tells you who it thinks should accept that trade. Pro users lost Forge when the preview ended on 14 October; Lite keeps it at $9 a month, without custom domains, Supabase or a security scan.
For business buyers the useful material is on the Enterprise card: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, audit logs, data retention controls and dedicated infrastructure. None of that is listed below Enterprise, and the general help centre does not say whether code from Free, Pro or Teams projects is used for training outside Forge. The gap between a fast prototype and a governed production app is where Replit and v0 compete hardest, and where Bolt's per-message billing hurts most.
Where it earns its place
A product manager at a 50-person SaaS company
Show customers a clickable prototype of a new onboarding flow by Friday
Prompt the flow, attach design screenshots and publish to a bolt.host URL. Pro at $18 a month on annual billing removes the daily cap; 10M tokens is plenty for a contained prototype, less so once it grows into a real app.
A front-end lead at an eight-person agency
Build client microsites on the agency's own component library
Teams at $27 a member annually ($216 a month for eight) adds private NPM registries and design-system knowledge so output uses house components. Each seat's tokens are separate, so admins need to watch the per-member balance table.
A developer shipping a small paid web app with a database
Go from idea to a live site with sign-in and Stripe payments
Use the built-in database or connect Supabase on Pro, sync to GitHub for backup and publish to a custom domain. If the site exceeds its hosting allowance it stops displaying publicly until the next cycle, so raise limits before launch.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Sign in, prompt in the chat box and publish to a bolt.host address in one session; custom domains need Pro.
- Integrations
- GitHub, Figma, Supabase, Stripe and Netlify; MCP connectors on Pro and above; private NPM registries on Teams.
- Data and privacy
- Forge prompts are used to train open-source models; SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, audit logs and retention policies are listed for Enterprise only; training use elsewhere is not published.
- Cost at scale
- Ten Teams seats cost $270 a month on annual billing ($300 monthly), each with its own 10M-token starting allowance; reload tokens never expire but cost varies by tier and is shown only at checkout.
- Limits
- Free: 300K tokens a day, 10MB uploads, 333K web requests a month; Pro: 100MB uploads, 1M web requests; hosted sites go dark when the hosting limit is hit.
What's good
- Code runs live in the browser, so changes appear immediately
- Bolt Cloud covers hosting, database, auth and storage on every plan
- GitHub sync and the option to claim the database into your own Supabase account
- Teams adds private NPM registries and design-system rules
- Enterprise lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and audit logs
What's not
- Token cost per message rises as projects grow
- Teams tokens are per member and cannot be pooled
- Forge requires agreeing to training use of your data
- Training policy outside Forge not published in the help centre
- Poor public reviews, mostly about tokens spent fixing the AI's own bugs
Best for
Developers and technical founders who want a quick, editable full-stack prototype in the browser.
Alternatives
Head to head
Bolt.new: common questions
- Is Bolt.new worth it?
- Bolt gets a working web app on screen faster than almost anything, then bills you more for every fix as the project grows. We rate it 3.8 out of 5.
- How much does Bolt.new cost?
- Free: 300K tokens/day, 1M/month; Lite $9/month (Forge only, waitlist); Pro $18/month annual or about $25 monthly, from 10M tokens; Teams $27/member/month annual ($30 monthly); Enterprise custom.
- What are the downsides of Bolt.new?
- Token cost per message rises as projects grow; teams tokens are per member and cannot be pooled; forge requires agreeing to training use of your data; training policy outside Forge not published in the help centre; poor public reviews, mostly about tokens spent fixing the AI's own bugs.
- Who is Bolt.new best for?
- Developers and technical founders who want a quick, editable full-stack prototype in the browser.
- How much does Bolt.new cost for a team or in production?
- Ten Teams seats cost $270 a month on annual billing ($300 monthly), each with its own 10M-token starting allowance; reload tokens never expire but cost varies by tier and is shown only at checkout.
- Is Bolt.new safe for company data?
- Forge prompts are used to train open-source models; SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, audit logs and retention policies are listed for Enterprise only; training use elsewhere is not published.
- What are the best Bolt.new alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are v0, Replit, Base44 and Emergent.
Answers checked Oct 22, 2026.