COMPARISON · Last verified: September 2026
Bolt vs Lovable
Two AI app builders compared on verified pricing, hosting, code access and fit.
🏆 Quick Verdict
Lovable (4.4/5 vs 4.3/5)
Both have free plans; Pro is $25/mo billed monthly on each
⭐ Strongest At
Every tool has one thing it does better than its competitors. Here is each one's honest edge:
Hands-on control: a JavaScript dev environment in the browser where you edit code directly, import a GitHub repo and build iOS or Android apps with Expo.
Prompt to hosted web app with little setup: a built-in backend, hosting on lovable.app, Git sync on every plan and credits shared by the whole team.
📊 Quick Specs
Bolt vs Lovable: official demos
Watch each tool in action: official demos for Bolt and Lovable, side by side, before you decide.
Bolt
Lovable
Official videos via YouTube (Bolt; Lovable), embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim these videos. The Lovable video introduces Lovable 2.0 (April 2025), so some screens are older than this page.
What is Bolt?
Bolt (bolt.new) is an AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps, developed by StackBlitz. You describe what you want in the chat, and Bolt's agent plans the project, writes the code and shows a live preview. It runs on WebContainers, StackBlitz's technology for running Node.js in the browser, so there is nothing to install. Bolt focuses on JavaScript, with Node.js backends and frontend frameworks such as React and Vue. You choose the Standard agent for everyday work or Max for complex tasks (Max needs a paid plan), and Bolt picks the underlying models. Bolt Cloud bundles hosting on a free bolt.host address, a database with authentication, file storage and server functions, and domain management; paid plans can use Supabase as the database, and you can connect Netlify for publishing instead. Projects can start from a prompt, a Figma frame, a Google Stitch design or a GitHub repository, and mobile apps are built on Expo. Bolt is SOC 2 Type II compliant.
What is Lovable?
Lovable is a full-stack AI development platform: you describe an app in plain language, and it generates the frontend, backend, database, authentication and integrations as editable code. Apps created since May 13, 2026 use TanStack Start with server-side rendering, older apps use React and Vite, and Lovable styles apps with Tailwind. Its built-in backend, Lovable Cloud, uses Supabase's open-source foundation for the database, authentication, storage, realtime updates and edge functions, and Lovable hosts every published app on a lovable.app address with HTTPS. You can connect your own Supabase project instead, on any plan. Plan mode helps you settle on an approach before code is written, Build mode implements and verifies changes, and a preview toolbar lets you select elements or edit text on the live preview. Git sync keeps a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository in two-way sync. Lovable lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 compliance.
Key differences at a glance
The two now overlap heavily, so the differences are in the details:
- -- Billing basis: Bolt Teams costs $30 per member per month billed monthly, with separate tokens per member; Lovable prices a workspace by its credits, shared by unlimited members.
- -- Code on the free plan: Bolt's docs say free users can edit files in Code view, which uses no tokens; Lovable's code editor is read-only on Free.
- -- Existing code: Bolt imports existing GitHub repositories, including Lovable projects; Lovable says there is currently no way to start a project from existing code.
- -- Mobile: Bolt builds iOS and Android apps with Expo; Lovable builds web apps.
- -- Hosting limits: Bolt's free hosting stops at 10 GB and 333,333 requests a month; Lovable says no plan caps visitors, requests or bandwidth, though backend and AI activity uses credits.
- -- Git: Lovable syncs both ways with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan; Bolt commits to GitHub automatically and pulls outside changes every 30 seconds.
- -- Score: Lovable rates 4.4/5 in our review; Bolt rates 4.3/5.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Here is how Bolt and Lovable compare on the capabilities that affect daily use:
Pricing comparison
Bolt meters AI usage in tokens, and larger projects use more tokens per message because Bolt syncs your project files to the AI. The Free plan gives 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily limit, Bolt branding on published sites and hosting with up to 333k web requests. Pro starts at $25 a month billed monthly, or $18 a month billed yearly (Bolt says yearly billing saves up to 28%), for 10M tokens a month with no daily limit; higher Pro tiers add tokens. Pro removes the branding and adds custom domains, private site sharing, a choice of database provider and AI image editing, and unused tokens roll over for one extra month. Teams costs $30 per member per month billed monthly ($27 per member per month billed yearly) and adds centralized billing, admin controls and private npm registries; each paid member gets their own token allotment. Enterprise is custom-priced, with SSO and audit logs.
Two Bolt offers are time-limited. Individual Pro plans include Bolt Forge, an agent that runs open-source models such as GLM 5.3 and Kimi K3, during a research preview scheduled for September 14 to October 14, 2026, if you agree that de-identified sessions help train open models. Bolt also offers a Lite plan at $9 a month that runs on Forge alone, with sign-ups set to close on October 14, 2026.
Lovable prices each workspace by its credits rather than by seats, and every plan allows unlimited members. Free includes 5 build credits a day (up to 30 a month), monthly grants of 20 Cloud credits and 4 AI credits, workspace-private projects, Git sync and publishing to lovable.app. Pro is $25 a month billed monthly, or $21 a month billed annually, for 100 monthly credits, and adds rollover, top-ups, custom domains, badge removal, code editing and download, and user roles. Business is $50 a month billed monthly, or $42 a month billed annually, for 100 credits, and adds SSO, role-based access, internal publishing, a security center and API access. Both scale up to 10,000 credits a month, and Enterprise is volume-based. Verified students and teachers get 50% off the 100-credit Pro plan, billed monthly, for up to 12 months.
What the entry plan buys differs: $25 on Bolt is 10M tokens a month for one person, while $25 on Lovable is 100 monthly credits, plus 5 daily build credits, for a whole workspace. The units differ: Bolt counts AI tokens, while Lovable prices each task in credits (its pricing page lists a button style change at 0.50 credits and adding sign-up and login at 1.20). Worked example: five people on Bolt Teams pay 5 × $30 = $150 a month billed monthly, or 5 × $27 = $135 a month billed yearly, each with their own tokens. The same five can share one Lovable Pro workspace for $25 a month billed monthly; if Pro's 100 monthly credits and 5 daily build credits run short, the 400-credit tier is $100 a month billed monthly, and a team that needs SSO starts on Business at $50 a month billed monthly.
Pros & Cons
Bolt
- Full JavaScript dev environment in the browser, with nothing to install
- Edit code directly in Code view without spending tokens
- Imports GitHub repos, Figma frames, Google Stitch designs and Lovable projects
- Builds iOS and Android apps with Expo
- Standard and Max agents, plus a choice of database provider on Pro
- Free plan: 300K tokens a day, and free sites go offline for the month past 10 GB or 333,333 requests
- Teams is billed per member, with separate tokens for each
- Backends must be JavaScript; Bolt's docs say PHP and Python are not compatible
- Max, custom domains and badge removal need a paid plan
Lovable
- Built-in backend and hosting with no extra accounts to set up
- Credits shared by unlimited members instead of per-seat pricing
- Two-way Git sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, even on Free
- Server-side rendering on new apps helps search and link previews
- Editing and downloading the codebase require a paid plan
- Builds web apps; app stores need a Capacitor wrapper built outside Lovable
- Per its FAQ, a project cannot start from existing code
- Lovable picks the AI model, with no setting to switch it
- Since September 9, 2026, Free and Pro content may be used for model training unless you opt out
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Bolt if you:
- → Want to edit code yourself or bring in an existing GitHub repo
- → Need an iOS or Android app built with Expo
- → Build in JavaScript and want to pick the Standard or Max agent
- → Work alone and want 10M tokens a month for $25 billed monthly, or $18 a month billed yearly
Choose Lovable if you:
- → Want hosting, a database and sign-in handled for you
- → Are a team that prefers one shared credit balance to per-seat pricing
- → Want your code in GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket from day one, even on Free
- → Need SSO or role-based access on Business, from $50 a month billed monthly
Bottom Line
Bolt and Lovable now overlap heavily: both build full-stack apps from prompts, host them, include a database and start Pro at $25 a month billed monthly. Lovable (4.4/5) fits founders and teams who want a hosted web app with a built-in backend, shared credits and Git sync from the free plan. Bolt (4.3/5) fits builders who want hands-on control: direct code editing, GitHub imports, a choice of agent, and iOS and Android apps through Expo. For an app-store app, start with Bolt; for the least setup on a web app, start with Lovable.
Frequently asked questions
Bolt vs Lovable, which one should I pick?
Pick Lovable if you want a hosted web app with little setup: its built-in backend covers the database, sign-in and storage, apps are hosted on lovable.app, Git sync works on every plan, and unlimited members share one credit balance. Pick Bolt for hands-on control: direct code editing, GitHub imports, a choice of the Standard or Max agent, and iOS or Android apps through Expo.
Is Bolt or Lovable cheaper?
Both Pro plans start at $25 a month billed monthly; billed yearly, Bolt Pro is $18 a month and Lovable Pro is $21. The bigger difference is the billing basis: Bolt Teams is $30 per member per month billed monthly, with separate tokens for each member, while Lovable prices the whole workspace by its credits. Five people pay $150 a month on Bolt Teams, or can share one 100-credit Lovable Pro workspace for $25 a month billed monthly.
Do Bolt and Lovable have free plans?
Yes. Bolt's Free plan gives 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily limit, the Standard agent and publishing to a bolt.host address with a Made in Bolt badge. Lovable's Free plan gives 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus workspace-private projects, unlimited collaborators, Git sync and publishing to lovable.app. Custom domains need a paid plan on both.
Can Bolt or Lovable build mobile apps?
Bolt can. Ask for a mobile app and Bolt uses Expo, so the same code runs on iPhone and Android; you test with Expo Go and publish to the App Store and Google Play with Expo's EAS tools and developer accounts. Lovable builds web apps that can be mobile friendly, and for an installable app it suggests a Progressive Web App or a Capacitor wrapper, because it does not generate React Native projects.
Where do Bolt and Lovable host my app?
Both host apps themselves. Bolt publishes to a free bolt.host subdomain through Bolt Cloud, and you can connect your own Netlify account instead. Lovable hosts every published app on a lovable.app address with HTTPS, and because you own the code, you can also host the frontend on Netlify, Vercel or your own servers. Custom domains need a paid plan on both.
Can I move a project from Lovable to Bolt, or the other way?
From Lovable to Bolt, yes: Bolt's help center describes syncing the Lovable project to GitHub and importing that repository into Bolt. The other direction is harder, since Lovable's FAQ says there is currently no way to start a project from existing code on GitHub. Both vendors say you own the code you create.