Bolt.new Review: Pricing, Tokens and an Alternative (2026)
The short version
Bolt is the quickest AI app builder to a first preview that we know of, and the most developer-friendly, because it runs a real Node environment in your browser and hands you the code and a terminal. It bills in tokens, which is transparent and also why a long debugging session can eat a free day or a Pro month.
Pick Bolt if you code and want the quickest scaffold to finish yourself. Pick Coddy Build if you want the app and to understand it, billed in credits you see after each turn.
The prompt the button below sends
An invoice generator that exports a PDF
What is Bolt.new?
Bolt.new is StackBlitz's AI app builder. It runs a full Node.js environment inside the browser tab, so the AI writes, installs and runs your app without a server and the preview appears in seconds. It supports React, Vue, Svelte, Astro and more, imports from Figma, exports to GitHub, and deploys through Netlify or its own hosting.
We make Coddy Build, a competitor, so read this as a rival's view. The table marks the rows Bolt wins.
Bolt vs Coddy Build at a glance
From each product's own pages, 20 September 2026.
| Feature | Bolt | Coddy Build |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | Pro: $25 a month for 10M tokens; unused tokens roll over one month | Builder: $20 a month for 100 credits (a fifth off on annual billing) |
| Free tier | 300K tokens a day, 1M a month, hosting and databases included | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month |
| How the AI is billed | Tokens in and out; every file the model reads counts | A turn is billed on what it cost to run and shown after each turn; plan mode is free |
| Unused allowance | Pro tokens roll over for one month | Credits do not roll over |
| Speed to first preview | Seconds; the app runs in the tab | A live preview in a cloud sandbox, well under a minute |
| Frameworks | React, Vue, Svelte, Astro, Expo for mobile, and more | Next.js with Tailwind, exported as static HTML |
| Backend | Bolt Cloud or Supabase; choice of provider on Pro | A Supabase per app: Postgres, auth, storage, edge functions, browsable in the workspace |
| Can you read the code? | Yes, a full editor and terminal | Yes, a full file tree and code tab, and every change is explained |
| Code export | GitHub export and ZIP download | ZIP download or copy every file; no GitHub sync yet |
| Figma import | Yes | No |
| Custom domain | Yes on Pro | Yes on Builder plans |
| Publishing | Included, through Bolt hosting or Netlify | Free; credits are only spent on chat and code turns |
| What you learn | Everything is visible, nothing is explained unless you ask | Change summaries and concept cards explain each step and link to a Coddy course |
| Works on a phone | Limited; the in-browser environment wants a desktop | Yes, in the browser, and installable |
Shaded: the stronger side on that row.
Sources: Bolt pricing page, read on September 20, 2026. Coddy Build figures are from its own plans on the same day.
Bolt.new pricing
Bolt bills in tokens. Free gives 300K tokens a day and 1M a month, with hosting and databases included and a 10MB upload limit. Pro is $25 a month for 10M tokens with no daily limit, a 100MB upload limit, custom domains, a choice of database provider and AI image editing; unused Pro tokens roll over one month. Teams is $30 a month per member. Enterprise adds SSO, audit logs and support.
Tokens are transparent and unforgiving. Every message you send, every file the model reads to understand your app and every line it writes back counts, so a big project spends tokens faster with every turn. The free daily cap is generous for a first build and short for a debugging session.
Bolt's rollover is the fairest detail in this comparison. A quiet month on Pro is not wasted. No other builder here does that.
Coddy Build bills credits: $20 a month for 100 credits on the entry Builder plan, each turn priced on what it cost and shown right after, plan mode free. Credits do not roll over. Your app's backend and hosting are metered on a separate monthly balance, and publishing is free.
Where Bolt is better
- Speed. The app runs in your tab, so the first preview appears in seconds and every edit is instant.
- Any web framework, and mobile. React, Vue, Svelte, Astro and Expo. Coddy Build generates Next.js only.
- A real editor and terminal. Developers can drop out of the chat and fix things by hand.
- Figma import and GitHub export. Coddy Build has neither today.
- Token rollover on Pro and a choice of database provider.
Where Bolt falls short
- Tokens punish big projects. The more your app grows, the more the model reads on every turn, so the same fix costs more in month three than in week one.
- The free tier is a day, not a month. The cap resets, but one stuck bug can spend it before lunch.
- It assumes you can read code. When the AI loops on an error, Bolt's answer is the editor and the terminal.
- Nothing is explained. Bolt shows you everything and teaches you nothing.
- Desktop first. The in-browser environment is heavy and wants a wide screen.
Bolt vs Coddy Build
Both give you a working app from a description, with a live preview, a database, auth and a publish button. Bolt is built for a developer who wants the fastest scaffold and will finish it. Coddy Build is built for someone who wants the app and to understand it: a summary after every change, concept cards on unfamiliar terms, questions about any file without editing it, links to Coddy courses.
The billing follows the audience. Tokens are the right unit for a developer who knows what a context window is. Credits shown after each turn are the right unit for someone who does not, and plan mode is free rather than metered.
Where Coddy Build is behind: one framework, no native mobile output, no GitHub export or Figma import, no terminal, no rollover. If you are a developer, Bolt is the better tool today.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Preview and edits in seconds, in the tab
- Any web framework plus Expo for mobile
- Editor and terminal in the tab
- Figma import, GitHub export, ZIP download
- Pro tokens roll over one month
Cons
- Token cost grows with project size
- Free daily cap runs out inside one stuck bug
- Assumes you can read and fix code
- Explains nothing
- Wants a desktop screen
Is Bolt.new worth it?
Yes, if you write code, want the fastest scaffold to finish in your own editor, need a framework other than Next.js, or want a mobile app from the same tool.
No, if you do not read code, your app will grow past a weekend project, or you want the builder to explain what it is doing.
Pro at $25 a month with rollover is fair for a developer. For a non-developer, the token meter is the thing to watch.
Bolt.new alternatives
- Coddy Build. The same chat-to-app loop with every change explained, a Supabase per app, credits shown after each turn, free publishing, and a builder that works on a phone. One framework, no terminal, no GitHub sync yet.
- Lovable. More polished output and a managed backend, for shipping without reading code. See Lovable vs Bolt.
- v0. Vercel's generator, strongest on React and shadcn components, for developers building on Vercel.
- Replit. A full cloud IDE with an agent, any language, collaboration and deployments.
A Bolt alternative that explains what it builds
Coddy Build comes from the team behind Coddy, where people learn to code by writing it. Describe the app, watch it build, and read what each step did. The code is a tab, the backend is a Supabase you can open, publishing is free, and credits are shown after every turn.