Comparison
Lovable vs Bolt: which AI app builder should you use?
Lovable is the design-first builder with a managed backend; Bolt is the code-first one that runs in your browser and ships mobile apps. Where each wins.
Lovable and Bolt both turn a chat into a running web app, and they lean in different directions. Lovable, valued at $13.3 billion in August 2026, builds on TanStack Start with its own Lovable Cloud backend or Supabase, scans every publish for security problems, and suits non-technical founders who want hosting, sign-in and a database handled. Bolt, from StackBlitz, runs a full Node environment inside your browser, can import an existing GitHub repository, and builds native mobile apps through Expo, which Lovable doesn't. Both start free and at $25 a month; Lovable charges credits per message, and Bolt charges tokens that grow with the size of your project. In a shared project, Lovable charges the owner's workspace and Bolt charges whoever sends the prompt.
Key takeaways
- Lovable: a managed backend, design-led building, a security scan on every publish, and unlimited members sharing credits.
- Bolt: native mobile apps through Expo, importing a repository, and the person who prompts paying.
- Both are $25 a month for Pro: Lovable for 100 credits plus 5 a day, Bolt for 10 million tokens.
- Neither runs Python: Lovable's stack is fixed, and Bolt supports JavaScript with Node.js only.
| Lovable | Bolt | |
|---|---|---|
| Stack | TanStack Start and PostgreSQL | Any JavaScript front end with Node.js |
| Backend | Lovable Cloud (built on Supabase) or Supabase | Bolt Cloud (Netlify and Supabase) or Supabase |
| Native mobile apps | No | Yes, through Expo |
| GitHub | Two-way sync; no repo import | Two-way sync; imports a repo |
| Free plan | 5 credits a day, up to 30 a month | 300,000 tokens a day, 1 million a month |
| Pro | $25 a month for 100 credits | $25 a month for 10 million tokens |
| Team pricing | No seat fees; shared credits | Teams $30 per member; tokens not shared |
| Who pays in a shared project | The owner's workspace | Whoever sends the prompt |
| Security | Scan on every publish | Security audit on paid plans |
What does each build?
Lovable has built every new app on TanStack Start, which renders pages on the server, since May 13, 2026; older apps are React with Vite. The database is PostgreSQL, through Lovable Cloud, which is built on Supabase and includes sign-in, storage, server functions, an AI gateway and hosting, or through your own Supabase. You can't pick another framework or database. It doesn't build native mobile apps; the docs suggest a web app you install, or wrapping it outside Lovable. Two-way sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket works on every plan, but you can't import an existing repository.
Bolt runs WebContainers, a Node environment inside your browser, and supports any JavaScript front end with a Node.js backend, but not Python or PHP. Bolt Cloud, built on Netlify and Supabase, adds hosting, domains, a database, sign-in, storage and server functions, or you can connect Supabase. It builds native iOS and Android apps through Expo and publishes them to the app stores, and it can import an existing GitHub repository.
How do Lovable and Bolt charge?
Lovable (plans): Free gives 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month. Pro is $25 a month for 100 credits, and Business $50, both with 5 extra credits a day and larger bundles above. A planning message costs 1 credit; building costs what the work takes, from about half a credit to restyle a button to 2 credits for a landing page with images. Every plan gets a monthly allowance for the backend, and backend use draws on the same credit balance. Plan credits last two months.
Bolt (pricing): Free gives 300,000 tokens a day and 1 million a month. Pro is $25 for 10 million tokens, with larger tiers above, and Teams $30 per member, with tokens not shared between members. Most tokens go on reading your project's files, so a message costs more as the project grows. Paid tokens roll over for two months. Every tier is in Bolt pricing.
How do teams work in each?
- Lovable: unlimited members on every plan, sharing the workspace's credits, with per-member limits an admin can set and roles from Pro up. Collaborators edit in real time, a teammate can work in a draft that someone with edit access accepts, and since September 8, 2026 extra instructions are taken as follow-ups during a run rather than through a prompt queue. Collaborators spend the owner's workspace credits.
- Bolt: multiplayer, since April 2026, needs the project set to public. Everyone shares one chat, Bolt runs one prompt at a time with up to 20 queued, and the person who sends a prompt pays for it. Only the owner can connect GitHub or MCP (Bolt).
For a team, the options are compared in Lovable alternatives for teams.
How do they handle security and your data?
Lovable scans every publish for missing row-level security, loose access rules, dependencies and exposed MCP servers, and runs deeper scans on demand (Lovable). Its record: in 2025, CVE-2025-48757 found 170 or more Lovable-built apps exposing data through missing row-level security, and in April 2026 a researcher showed that free accounts could read chats on other users' public projects, which Lovable traced to a February permission change, reverted, and fixed by making public-project chats private (The Register). Business plans keep your data out of model training by default.
Bolt runs a security audit on paid plans. For content created from October 7, 2026, a setting that lets your content train models is on by default, except in the EU, UK and Switzerland.
What about Replit?
Replit is the third option people compare: Core at $20 a month for up to five builders, and Pro at $100 for up to 15, with pooled credits and 10 agents running in parallel. Hosting is included, and it builds native mobile apps through Expo and uploads them to the App Store. Its pricing page no longer shows a free plan. Poly vs Replit.
Which should you pick?
- A non-technical founder who wants the backend handled and security checked: Lovable.
- A mobile app, or an existing codebase to import: Bolt.
- A team where everyone shares one pool and nobody pays per prompt: Lovable.
- A team where each person pays for their own prompts: Bolt.
- A larger team running agents in parallel: Replit.
- A small group building one thing together live, approving each change and seeing who spent what: Poly (usepoly.co), which publishes a static snapshot rather than a hosted backend. What is Poly?
New to this? What is vibe coding?
Common questions
Is Lovable better than Bolt?
For non-technical founders who want hosting, sign-in and a database handled, and a security scan on every publish, usually yes. For mobile apps, importing an existing repository or a code-first workflow, Bolt fits better.
Which is cheaper, Lovable or Bolt?
Both charge $25 a month for Pro. Lovable gives 100 credits plus 5 a day; Bolt gives 10 million tokens, and its messages cost more as a project grows. Free plans: 5 Lovable credits a day, or 300,000 Bolt tokens.
Can Lovable or Bolt build mobile apps?
Bolt builds native iOS and Android apps through Expo and publishes them to the app stores. Lovable builds web apps only; its docs suggest an installable web app or wrapping it outside Lovable.
Can I move a project from Lovable to Bolt?
Yes. Lovable syncs your code to GitHub on every plan, Bolt can import a GitHub repository, and Bolt publishes a guide for importing from Lovable.