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It's a split decision.
Choose Bolt.new if you want to build apps by chatting and value bundled hosting and databases: Pro starts at $25/month. Choose Builder.io if your team needs visual editing of production UI, content publishing, and Git-based review; Pro is $24/user/month, while Team is $40/user/month. Bolt Teams costs $30/user/month. Both offer free plans, but their included usage differs: Bolt meters tokens and Builder meters credits. Annual prices are not published, so these are listed monthly rates.
01Side by side
| Bolt.new | Builder.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $25/month for Pro | $24/user/month for Pro |
| Free plan | 300K daily tokens; 1M monthly | 15 daily credits; 60 monthly |
| Best for | Chat-building apps, websites, slides, and prototypes | Editing production UI and publishing content with a team |
| Core strength | Built-in hosting, databases, authentication, and user management | Visual editing, agentic CMS, and Git review workflows |
| Learning curve | Build by chatting with AI | Edit on a visual canvas; changes use Git review |
| Integrations/data | Bolt Cloud includes hosting and unlimited databases | Git providers, Figma plugin, and VS Code extension |
| Team/seat costs | Teams plan: $30 per user/month | Team plan: $40 per user/month |
| Support | Enterprise includes 24/7 priority support | Enterprise includes premium support SLAs |
Bolt.new Choose Bolt.new if
- Choose Bolt.new if you want chat-based app building.
- Choose Bolt.new if bundled hosting and databases matter.
- Choose Bolt.new if a $30/user/month team plan fits.
Builder.io Choose Builder.io if
- Choose Builder.io if teams edit production UI visually.
- Choose Builder.io if content needs preview, approval, and publishing.
- Choose Builder.io if changes should pass through Git review.
02Pricing compared
Bolt.new is the lower-cost paid option for a solo builder: Pro is $25/month, with a 10M-token monthly starting allowance, 100MB uploads, up to 1M web requests, and custom domains. Builder.io Pro is $24 per user/month, but includes 500 monthly credits per user; on-demand credits cost $25 per 500. Builder Team is $40 per user/month, while Bolt Teams is $30 per user/month. Both have free plans, but they meter usage differently. Bolt Free includes 300K tokens daily and 1M monthly; Builder Free includes 15 credits daily and 60 monthly, with one user included and up to five users. Bolt advertises annual savings of up to 28%, but exact annual prices aren't published. Builder offers annual billing, but its annual rates aren't published either.
03Features and depth
Bolt.new is aimed at building apps, websites, slides, and prototypes through an AI chat. It bundles backend infrastructure, including hosting and databases, plus built-in authentication and user management. Its hosting includes analytics, custom domains, and SEO optimization. The homepage claims 98% fewer errors through automatic testing and refactoring, and says it can handle projects described as 1,000 times larger than before; those are product claims, not independent measurements.\n\nBuilder.io takes a different route: it connects a visual editor to production UI, components, and design tokens, while teams can create and publish content through its agentic CMS. It also lists A/B testing, personalization, and Git-based review workflows. That makes Builder.io more focused on editing and shipping changes within an existing codebase than on getting a standalone app built from a chat. Bolt bundles more backend pieces; Builder.io offers more workflow controls for content and UI changes.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Bolt.new's chat-first workflow may suit people who want to describe an app rather than start by editing code. But usage is metered in tokens, and the published review notes Reddit threads reporting wasted tokens and stalled projects. The Free plan also has a 10MB upload cap and Bolt branding on websites; Pro raises uploads to 100MB and removes the daily token limit.\n\nBuilder.io asks teams to work with a codebase, visual editor, design systems, and Git review process. That is a more structured setup, especially for nontechnical users, but fits teams already using those workflows. Its free plan is limited to one design system and 60 monthly credits. The published review describes it as worth considering for visual editing tied to code review, not as a friction-free builder.
Questions people ask
Is Bolt.new profitable?
The published product and pricing information doesn't establish whether Bolt.new is profitable, and it gives no revenue or cost figures. We can compare its listed plans instead: Bolt Free costs $0, Pro is $25/month, and Teams is $30 per user/month.
Is Bubble.io actually good?
We can't judge Bubble.io from the published information: it includes no Bubble features, pricing, or user feedback. For this comparison, Bolt.new is the chat-based app builder with bundled backend services, while Builder.io focuses on visual editing, content publishing, and Git review workflows.
How much does Builder.io cost?
Builder.io has a free plan, Pro at $24 per user/month, and Team at $40 per user/month. Pro and Team include 500 monthly credits per user. On-demand credits cost $25 per 500. Enterprise pricing is custom, and the listed information doesn't publish annual rates or the price of extra seats.
What is an alternative to Bolt.new?
Builder.io is an alternative if your priority is visual editing of production UI, content publishing, and changes reviewed through Git. Its Pro plan is $24 per user/month, compared with Bolt.new Pro at $25/month. The products have different workflows, so Builder.io isn't a like-for-like chat-based app builder.