COMPARISON · Last verified: September 2026
Bolt vs Cursor
Ownership update
- Cursor is now part of SpaceX: Cursor announced on August 14, 2026 that SpaceX had completed its acquisition, which began with a SpaceXAI model-training partnership in April. Cursor's own models now include Grok 4.7 and Grok 4.6, built with SpaceXAI, and the plans compared below are still sold on cursor.com.
A browser-based AI app builder and an AI code editor, compared on verified pricing, features and fit.
🏆 Quick Verdict
Cursor (4.8/5 vs 4.3/5)
Both have free plans; paid from $20/mo (Cursor) vs $25/mo (Bolt)
⭐ Strongest At
Every tool has one thing it does better than its competitors. Here is each one's honest edge:
Prompt to a live app with nothing to install: Bolt writes the code, previews it, adds a database and hosts it on bolt.host, all from one browser tab.
Serious work in a real codebase: a VS Code-based editor with Tab autocomplete, plus agents that edit across files, run commands and work in cloud VMs.
📊 Quick Specs
Bolt vs Cursor: official demos
Watch each tool in action: official demos for Bolt and Cursor, side by side, before you decide.
Bolt
Cursor
Official videos via YouTube (Bolt.new; Cursor), embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim these videos.
What is Bolt?
Bolt (bolt.new) is an AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps, developed by StackBlitz. It runs entirely in your browser on StackBlitz's WebContainers technology, so there is nothing to install: you describe an idea in the chat, and Bolt's agent plans the project, writes the code and shows a live preview. You choose the Standard agent (fast and token-efficient) or Max (deeper reasoning for complex projects), and Bolt picks the models behind them. Bolt Cloud adds a database created when your app needs one, hosting on a free bolt.host address and domain management, with Supabase and Netlify as options. Mobile apps come through the Expo integration, and other integrations include GitHub sync, Figma, Stripe and MCP servers. Developers can edit files in Code view, which uses no tokens. Backends must be JavaScript-based (Node.js): Bolt's docs say PHP and Python are not compatible.
What is Cursor?
Cursor, built by Anysphere and part of SpaceX since August 2026, is an AI code editor and coding agent. Its desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux is based on the VS Code codebase and imports your VS Code extensions, themes, settings and keybindings in one click. Tab autocomplete predicts multi-line and cross-file edits, while Agent handles larger tasks: it searches the codebase, edits files, runs terminal commands and can drive a browser to test its work. Cloud Agents run in isolated cloud VMs and can be started from the web, the iOS app, Slack, GitHub, Linear or an API, and a CLI brings the agent to any terminal. Cursor also offers Projects (a coordinator agent, in beta), Bugbot code review and Origin code hosting (early beta). You choose the model, from Cursor's own Grok 4.7 and Composer 2.5 to Claude, GPT and Gemini models.
Key differences at a glance
Both tools turn prompts into working software, but for different people:
- -- Who drives: Bolt says no coding knowledge is required; Cursor is built for working in a codebase, from understanding code to reviewing changes.
- -- Where it runs: Bolt runs in a browser tab; Cursor is a desktop app, with its agents also on the web, iOS, Slack and a CLI.
- -- What is included: Bolt bundles a database, bolt.host hosting and domains; Cursor works on your repository and publishes from-scratch cloud projects through a connected Vercel account.
- -- Stack: Bolt focuses on JavaScript, with Node.js backends and Expo for mobile; Cursor is an editor based on the VS Code codebase that works in your existing repositories.
- -- Billing unit: Bolt sells monthly token allotments; Cursor includes model usage in each plan and bills extra usage at API rates.
- -- Models: Bolt picks the models behind Standard and Max; Cursor lets you choose Grok, Composer, Claude, GPT or Gemini.
- -- Score: Cursor rates 4.8/5 in our review; Bolt rates 4.3/5.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Here is how Bolt and Cursor compare on the capabilities that affect daily use:
Pricing comparison
Bolt prices plans by tokens. Free ($0) gives 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily cap, unlimited databases and bolt.host hosting (up to 333,333 web requests a month), with a Made in Bolt badge. Pro starts at $25 a month, billed monthly, for 10M tokens with no daily limit, rollover of unused tokens for one extra month, custom domains and no badge; larger Pro tiers add tokens at higher prices. Teams is $30 per member per month, billed monthly, adding centralized billing, admin controls and private NPM registries, and Bolt states that tokens are not shared among team members. Enterprise is custom-priced. Billed yearly, Pro starts at $18 a month and Teams is $27 per member (Bolt says yearly saves up to 28%). Bolt also announced a Forge research preview (open-source models) for September 14 to October 14, 2026, included with individual Pro plans until the preview ends, plus a $9-a-month, Forge-only Lite plan offered through a waitlist, with October 14, 2026 listed as the last day to sign up.
Cursor's Hobby plan is free, needs no credit card and gives limited use of Agent, Chat and Tab completions. Individual plans are Pro at $20 a month, Pro+ at $60 with 3x Pro's Agent limits, and Ultra at $200 with 20x. Teams is billed per user: $40 a month for a Standard seat or $120 for a Premium seat with 5x the Standard agent limits. Team usage does not transfer between members, and custom-priced Enterprise adds pooled usage. Each plan includes a set amount of model usage; past it you can add on-demand usage, billed in arrears at API rates, or upgrade. Cursor estimates that daily Agent users typically spend $60 to $100 a month. These are monthly prices; billed yearly, each paid plan is 20% cheaper (Pro $16, Pro+ $48, Ultra $160, Teams $32 or $96 per user a month).
What the entry plan buys. Bolt Pro's $25 removes the daily cap, lifts the allowance from 1M to 10M tokens and unlocks the Max agent, custom domains and the project security audit. Cursor Pro's $20 buys unlimited Tab completions, extended agent limits, Cloud Agents, the iOS app and Bugbot on usage-based billing. Bolt's price also covers hosting and a database.
A worked example. For a five-person startup, Bolt Teams costs 5 × $30 = $150 a month and Cursor Teams costs 5 × $40 = $200 a month with Standard seats ($600 with Premium), all billed monthly; billed yearly, the same team pays $135 on Bolt (5 × $27) and $160 on Cursor Standard (5 × $32). On monthly billing, a mixed team could put two developers on Cursor Teams ($80) and three non-developers on Bolt Teams ($90), for $170 a month. Both products assign usage per person, so one heavy user cannot borrow a teammate's allowance.
Pros & Cons
Bolt
- Nothing to install: prompt, preview, database and hosting in one tab
- No coding knowledge required, per Bolt, with Code view for developers
- Built-in database, bolt.host hosting and domain management
- Builds iOS and Android apps through Expo
- Larger projects use more tokens per message
- Free plan is capped at 300K tokens a day and shows a Made in Bolt badge
- JavaScript backends only; Bolt says PHP and Python are not compatible
- No public API, CLI or SDK, per Bolt's FAQ
- Teams tokens are per member and not shared
Cursor
- Editor based on VS Code, with one-click import of extensions and settings
- Agents run locally, in cloud VMs, or from the web, iOS, Slack and the CLI
- Wide model choice, from Grok 4.7 to Claude, GPT and Gemini
- Tab predicts multi-line and cross-file edits
- SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and AIUC-1 certifications, plus Privacy Mode
- Aimed at people who review diffs and manage a repository
- Daily Agent use typically costs $60 to $100 a month, per Cursor
- Third-party models bill at API prices, plus a $0.25 per million token rate on Teams and Enterprise
- Some VS Code extensions may be missing, since Cursor uses the Open VSX registry
- Publishing a from-scratch cloud project requires a Vercel account
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Bolt if you:
- → Want a working, hosted website or web app from prompts with nothing to install, or an iOS and Android app built through Expo
- → Would rather describe changes in chat than edit code yourself
- → Need a database, hosting and a custom domain in one place
- → Are validating an idea as a founder, product manager, marketer or agency
Choose Cursor if you:
- → Write, review or maintain code in an existing repository
- → Want AI inside a VS Code-style editor, with Tab autocomplete and multi-file agent edits
- → Want cloud agents running in parallel, started from Slack, GitHub, Linear or your phone
- → Care about picking the model for each task, from Grok to Claude, GPT or Gemini
- → Need team controls such as SAML/OIDC SSO, team-wide privacy mode and Bugbot reviews
Bottom Line
Bolt (4.3/5) is the faster route for non-developers and prototypers: describe the app, and Bolt builds it, stores its data and hosts it from one browser tab, free to start or from $25 a month. Cursor (4.8/5) fits once there is a codebase to own: a VS Code-based editor with local and cloud agents, model choice and team controls, from $20 a month. Cursor's cloud agents can now start a project from a prompt too, publishing through Vercel. The two also work in sequence: prototype in Bolt, sync the project to GitHub, then keep building in Cursor.
Frequently asked questions
Bolt vs Cursor: which one should I choose?
Choose Bolt if you want to describe an app and get a working, hosted result without installing anything or writing code; it runs in the browser and bundles a database, hosting and domains. Choose Cursor if you write or maintain code: it is a VS Code-based editor with Tab autocomplete and agents that edit across files, run commands and work in the cloud. Cursor scores 4.8/5 in our review and Bolt scores 4.3/5.
Is Bolt or Cursor cheaper?
For one person, Cursor Pro is $20 a month and Bolt Pro starts at $25, both billed monthly, though Bolt's price includes hosting and a database. For five people, Bolt Teams is $150 a month ($30 per member) and Cursor Teams is $200 ($40 per user for Standard seats, or $120 per user for Premium). Billed yearly, Bolt Pro drops to $18 a month and Cursor Pro to $16.
Do Bolt and Cursor have free plans?
Yes. Bolt's Free plan gives 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily cap, unlimited databases and bolt.host hosting, but sites carry a Made in Bolt badge and Bolt says custom domains aren't available on the Free plan. Cursor's Hobby plan needs no credit card and gives limited use of Agent, Chat and Tab completions with the Auto model.
Do I need to know how to code to use Bolt or Cursor?
For Bolt, no: its documentation says no coding knowledge is required, since you describe changes in chat, and developers can still edit files in Code view. Cursor is aimed at developers: its agents propose diffs, run terminal commands and open pull requests that you review.
Can I move a Bolt project into Cursor?
Yes. Connect GitHub in Bolt and it syncs your project to a repository, handling the Git steps for you. Then open that repository in Cursor on your computer, or point Cursor's cloud agents at it. Bolt says you own the code you create, including for commercial projects, and that code in GitHub can be published with Bolt hosting, Netlify or another service.
Is Bolt or Cursor more secure?
Both publish security credentials, so compare the controls you need. Bolt is SOC 2 Type II compliant and runs a project security audit on paid plans without using tokens; Enterprise adds SSO and audit logs. Cursor lists SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and AIUC-1 certifications, its Privacy Mode guarantees your code is not used for training by Cursor or its model providers, and Teams adds SAML/OIDC SSO.
Is Cursor owned by SpaceX now?
Yes. Cursor announced on August 14, 2026 that SpaceX had acquired it, completing a process that began with a SpaceXAI model-training partnership in April. Cursor's own models now include Grok 4.7 and Grok 4.6, built with SpaceXAI, alongside Composer 2.5 and models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. Bolt is a separate product, developed by StackBlitz.