Bolt.new
C Tier · 6.5/10
AI full-stack web app builder by StackBlitz -- describe what you want and it writes the code in the browser
Score Breakdown
The Good and the Bad
What we like
- +The initial magic is real -- you can go from a text prompt to a working web app in minutes, not hours
- +Runs entirely in the browser via WebContainers, so there's nothing to install or configure locally
- +Free tier gives you enough tokens to build a simple prototype and see if the approach works for you
- +Supports multiple frameworks (React, Next.js, Astro, etc.) and can scaffold full-stack apps with databases
What could be better
- −Falls apart on anything beyond ~1,000 lines of code -- the AI forgets context, duplicates components, and introduces bugs
- −Token consumption is brutal -- a single auth bug can burn 3-5M tokens across retry attempts
- −Deploying to production is painful for non-developers -- the gap between prototype and real app is still huge
- −1.4 stars on Trustpilot -- customer support is essentially nonexistent when things go wrong
- −Making small changes frequently breaks unrelated parts of your app
Pricing
Free
- ✓1M tokens/month
- ✓300K daily limit
- ✓Public/private projects
- ✓Website hosting
Pro
- ✓10M tokens/month
- ✓Token rollover
- ✓Custom domains
- ✓No Bolt branding
Teams
- ✓Everything in Pro
- ✓Team collaboration
- ✓Shared projects
- ✓Priority support
Known Issues
- Projects degrade badly past 10+ components -- AI starts hallucinating, duplicating files, and modifying code you didn't ask it to touchSource: Reddit r/webdev · 2026-02
- Token burn rate is a consistent complaint -- users report spending 5-8M tokens on Supabase auth issues aloneSource: Trustpilot · 2026-01
- Customer support is unresponsive -- users report waiting weeks with no reply to emails or Discord messagesSource: Trustpilot · 2026-03
Best for
Non-developers who want to quickly prototype a web app idea and don't need production quality. Also useful for developers who want to scaffold boilerplate fast and then take over manually.
Not for
Anyone trying to build a production app purely with AI prompts. Once your project gets complex, you'll need to write real code. Developers are better off using Cursor or Claude Code.
Our Verdict
Bolt.new is the most impressive AI app builder demo you'll ever see -- and the most frustrating production tool you'll ever use. The first 15 minutes are magical: describe an app, watch it appear. But past a basic prototype, the AI loses context, burns tokens, and breaks things faster than it builds them. Use it to prototype ideas quickly, then port the code to a real development environment. Don't try to build your startup on it.
Sources
- Bolt.new official site (accessed 2026-04-02)
- Trustpilot reviews (accessed 2026-04-02)
- Reddit r/webdev (accessed 2026-04-02)
- Product Hunt reviews (accessed 2026-04-02)