Bolt.new

What is Bolt.new?

Bolt.new is a browser-based AI app builder from StackBlitz. Instead of starting with an empty code repository and setting up a development environment, users describe a website or application in a prompt. Bolt then generates a project that can be run, inspected, and revised in the browser.

The product is focused on JavaScript-based web development. It can produce frontend interfaces, Node.js-backed functionality, dashboards, internal tools, landing pages, SaaS prototypes, booking systems, online stores, and other web applications. Depending on the project and supported services, it can also help add authentication, databases, payments, and hosting configuration.

This makes Bolt.new different from a general-purpose chatbot. Its output is not limited to an explanation or a code snippet: the main workflow is a runnable project with a live preview and editable source code. It occupies a similar broad category to AI software-building products such as Replit, v0, and Lovable, although the exact development environments and supported workflows differ.

How the Bolt.new workflow works

A typical project starts with a description such as a request for a dashboard, marketing site, customer portal, or small business application. Bolt generates an initial project and opens it in its browser-based workspace. The user can then review the live result and ask for changes in conversational language.

1. Describe the project: Explain the desired pages, features, visual style, data, and user flows.
2. Review the generated application: Inspect the source code and use the live browser preview to see how the project behaves.
3. Iterate through prompts: Request changes to layouts, components, database structures, authentication, business logic, or integrations.
4. Connect services: Add supported tools and services such as GitHub, Supabase, Stripe, Netlify, Figma, private NPM registries, or MCP servers when appropriate.
5. Test and publish: Validate the application in the browser, then publish it to a Bolt-hosted URL or use a custom domain where the plan supports it.

This approach is useful for early product development because the user can move between requirements, implementation, and visual review without switching between a separate design tool, local editor, terminal, and hosting setup. It does not remove the need to understand the resulting application, particularly when handling authentication, payments, permissions, or production data.

What can you build with Bolt.new?

Bolt.new is most useful for projects that fit a browser-based JavaScript stack. Common applications include:

• Landing pages and marketing websites
• Interactive prototypes and minimum viable products
• Dashboards and internal business tools
• SaaS application concepts
• Booking and registration systems
• Online stores and payment-enabled applications
• Customer portals and authenticated web applications
• Design-driven interfaces imported from Figma
• Expo-compatible mobile application projects generated from the browser

The platform can provide both the visible interface and parts of the application logic, rather than only generating a static mockup. Users can also bring in GitHub repositories, project files, NPM packages, Storybook components, and other project-specific context. These capabilities make it more relevant to prototype development and iterative coding than to simple one-off website generation.

Who is Bolt.new for?

Bolt.new is designed for founders, entrepreneurs, designers, product managers, agencies, educators, small businesses, developers, and product teams. It can be particularly helpful when a team needs to test an idea, create an internal tool, or produce a functional first version before investing in a more conventional engineering process.

Non-developers may benefit from the conversational starting point and visual preview, but the resulting applications still require technical judgment. Developers can use Bolt as a browser-based coding and deployment environment, especially for projects that benefit from rapid scaffolding and frequent iteration. Teams with existing repositories can use integrations and project context to work closer to an established development workflow.

Bolt.new is less suitable for organizations that require a native desktop IDE, a backend centered on technologies outside its JavaScript and Node.js focus, or a fully autonomous engineering process. It is also not a general-purpose assistant for research, writing, or everyday conversation.

Important capabilities for real projects

Code generation with a live environment

Bolt generates a working project rather than presenting code in isolation. The in-browser runtime and preview allow users to see whether a requested change affects the actual application. This is useful for rapid interface work, but generated code should still be reviewed and tested like any other software.

Services, databases, and publishing

Supported connections can extend a generated project beyond its initial interface. Research for the product documents integrations including GitHub, Supabase, Stripe, Netlify, Figma, private NPM registries, Bolt Cloud, and MCP servers. Bolt Cloud provides hosting and database-related functionality, while eligible plans can support custom domains.

Project context and collaboration

Bolt can use project-specific materials such as existing repositories, design references, components, and reusable skills. Team-oriented plans add collaboration and administration features. Enterprise materials describe options such as SSO, role permissions, audit-related controls, private deployments, and deployment into customer AWS or Azure environments, although availability and commercial terms depend on the arrangement.

Model and agent choices

Bolt publicly documents Anthropic Claude Agent for Bolt v2 and also describes Standard and Max agents. The exact underlying model routing is not consistently disclosed. As a result, users should evaluate the product by the quality and controllability of its project workflow rather than assuming that every agent option represents a clearly identified model.

Pricing and access

Bolt.new has a free plan with public and private projects, website hosting, databases, and token-based usage limits. The researched free-plan limits include 300,000 tokens per day, 1 million tokens per month, a 10 MB file-upload limit, Bolt branding on websites, and up to 333,000 web requests.

The advertised paid entry point is the Pro plan at $25 per month when billed monthly. Teams is listed at $30 per month per member, and Enterprise pricing is custom. Annual billing is also available with advertised savings, so the effective price can vary depending on the billing choice. Paid plans provide larger token allowances and additional hosting, domain, collaboration, and administration features; Pro is documented as starting with 10 million tokens per month and no daily token limit.

Token consumption depends on project size, prompt complexity, and how much project context is processed. Large or repeatedly modified applications can therefore consume allowances more quickly than a simple landing page. Users evaluating Bolt should consider the token model alongside the headline subscription price.

Limitations and practical considerations

• JavaScript-centered development: Bolt is primarily aimed at JavaScript-based frontend and Node.js web projects. It is not a general environment for every backend language or software architecture.
• Generated code needs review: Applications involving authentication, payments, permissions, private data, or production deployment require testing and security review by someone who understands the project.
• Usage limits matter: Free and paid plans use token allowances, and larger codebases or long iterative sessions can increase consumption.
• Desktop browser focus: Bolt works best in desktop Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers. Mobile browsers are not fully supported according to the documented product information.
• Model routing is not always transparent: Some agent options are described without a consistently specified underlying model.
• Not a replacement for all engineering workflows: Teams needing highly customized infrastructure, a native local development setup, or extensive control over non-JavaScript services may find the platform restrictive.

Privacy and data considerations

Bolt describes client-side execution in isolated WebContainer environments during development, along with encryption at rest and in transit. Its security materials also describe SOC 2 Type II certification, GDPR and CCPA compliance, browser-level isolation, monitoring, and security scanning. These statements describe the platform's documented security posture, but they do not eliminate the need for careful configuration of application permissions, databases, credentials, and integrations.

Data handling depends on the applicable StackBlitz and Bolt terms. Team and Enterprise customers operating under an MSA or DPA are described as excluded from model training and data sharing. Specific general retention periods were not verified in the supplied research, although enterprise materials refer to configurable governance and retention policies. Organizations should confirm current contractual terms before placing sensitive project material or regulated data in the service.

Is Bolt.new a good fit?

Bolt.new is a strong fit for rapid web prototyping, early-stage product work, internal tools, design-to-code experiments, and small-to-medium applications where browser-based development and conversational iteration are valuable. It is also useful for developers who want quick scaffolding while retaining access to the generated source code.

It is a less obvious fit for teams that already require a deeply customized local toolchain, depend on non-JavaScript backend technologies, or need complete control over model selection and infrastructure. For those users, Bolt may still help with prototypes, but production development will likely require a more conventional engineering workflow alongside it.