Lovable and Bolt.new both start at $25 a month, but they bill in units that do not convert: credits per message against tokens per read and build. Lovable suits builders who want cost shown per message and Git sync on every plan. Bolt.new suits builders who want to import an existing repository and claim a built-in database into Supabase later. Both let you leave with your code; the backend takes more work.
In Lovable vs Bolt.new, pick Lovable if you want cost shown in credits per message, Git sync on every plan and a security scan on each publish, and pick Bolt.new if you want to import an existing GitHub repository, start on a built-in database you can later claim into Supabase, or ship a mobile app through Expo. Both start at $25 a month and both let you take the code with you. They differ in how they bill, how the backend leaves, and what stops when the allowance runs out.
This comparison is built from each company's documentation, pricing pages and changelogs, checked October 2026. It is not a hands-on build, and it reports no measured credit or token burn of our own. Sources: Lovable's pricing, subscription plans, credits, Cloud, Git sync, external hosting and changelog pages; Bolt's pricing, tokens, hosting plans, database, Supabase, GitHub and release notes pages.
A builder is one decision inside a larger one. If you are still working out the stack, the costs and the launch order for a paid product, start with our guide to building an AI SaaS in 2026 and come back here when a prompt-built first version is on the table.
Lovable vs Bolt: the verdict in one picture
- You want the cost of each message shown in credits
- You want Git sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on the free plan
- You want a security scan that runs on every publish
- You are happy to choose the backend once, at the start
- You have an existing GitHub repository to import and keep building
- You want a built-in database now and Supabase ownership later
- You want a mobile app, which Bolt builds through Expo
- You want to choose between a faster and a deeper agent per task
Head-to-head comparison
| Lovable | Bolt.new | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Credits: one balance for building, Cloud hosting and in-app AI | Tokens: used when Bolt reads, plans and builds your project |
| Free plan | 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus small Cloud and AI grants | 300K tokens a day, 1M a month; Standard agent only |
| Entry paid plan | Pro: $25 a month for 100 credits, or $250 a year | Pro: $25 a month for 10M tokens; yearly billing saves up to 28% |
| Unused allowance | Monthly plan credits expire two months after issue | Paid tokens stay valid for two months; free tokens do not roll over |
| Built-in backend | Lovable Cloud: database, auth, storage, edge functions, jobs | Bolt Cloud: database, auth, file storage, server functions, analytics |
| Your own Supabase | Connect it at the start; no automatic migration in either direction | Pro and Teams plans; a Bolt database can be claimed into Supabase |
| Git | Two-way sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on all plans; export only | Two-way sync with GitHub; can import an existing repository |
| Code download | ZIP download and code editing on paid plans | ZIP through Export, then Download; Code view edits use no tokens |
| Publishing | Free lovable.app address; custom domains on paid plans | Free bolt.host address; custom domains on paid plans |
| Planning without edits | Plan mode: 1 credit a message, with a plan you can edit | Plan Mode: uses fewer tokens because it changes nothing |
| Security check | Quick scan on every publish and Deep scan on demand, both free | Security audit from the Publish menu on paid plans; uses no tokens |
Two rows carry most of the decision. The billing row explains why price comparisons mislead, and the Supabase row explains how each tool treats the day you want to leave. The rest of this page takes those two in turn, then covers the places each product stops without much warning.
Lovable and Bolt.new pricing (checked October 2026)
Source: Lovable subscription plans docs and bolt.new/pricing, monthly billing, checked October 2026
Lovable
Lovable Pro starts at $25 a month for 100 credits, or $250 a year, and climbs through tiers: 200 credits for $50, 400 for $100, up to 10,000. Business starts at $50 a month for the same 100 credits and adds SSO, internal publishing and a security center. Free, Pro and Business also get 5 build credits a day; on Free they are capped at 30 a month. Workspaces have unlimited members, so you pay for credits, not seats.
A credit is not a message. Build mode is usage-based, and Lovable's docs give examples: 0.50 credits for a button style change, 0.90 to remove a footer, 1.20 to add authentication. Plan mode costs 1 credit a message. Top-ups cost $15 per 50 credits on Pro, which is 30 cents a credit against 25 cents inside the plan, so the right tier is cheaper than topping up.
Bolt.new
Bolt Pro is $25 a month for 10 million tokens with no daily limit, and the pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 28 percent. Bolt's billing docs show higher Pro tiers in their examples, 26 million tokens for $50 and 55 million for $100. Teams is $30 per member a month, and each member gets their own allowance; tokens are not shared. The free plan allows 300,000 tokens a day up to 1 million a month.
Bolt publishes no per-message examples, and its tokens page explains why: most usage comes from Bolt reading, understanding and syncing your project files, so a larger project uses more tokens per message. The same prompt can cost more in month three than in week one. Token reloads exist, but only on the highest monthly Pro tier or an annual Pro plan.
Credits vs tokens: which one burns faster?
Nobody can tell you from the pricing pages, and anyone who gives a single conversion rate is guessing. The units measure different things. What the docs do support is simple arithmetic and a list of what costs nothing.
- Lovable arithmetic (illustrative). At the published example costs, 100 credits covers 200 button-sized changes or about 83 authentication-sized ones. Real projects mix both, plus Plan mode messages at 1 credit each.
- Bolt arithmetic. There is none to do in advance, because cost per message depends on project size. Bolt's advice is to keep the project small, clear context and point the agent at specific files.
- Free in Lovable. Chat within a daily allowance, the Quick and Deep security scans, and 10 free fixes that each reset 24 hours after use.
- Free in Bolt. Publishing and updating by button, restoring from version history, the security audit and its fixes, and editing code yourself in Code view.
The honest way to compare is to run your own prompts through both free plans, over a day or two.
- 1Write five prompts in advance
One first version, one new page, one form with validation, one style change and one bug fix. Use the same five on both tools.
- 2Find the meters
In Lovable, open More options under a response to see Credits used. In Bolt, open My Subscription to see your token balance.
- 3Run them on the free plans
Lovable gives 5 build credits a day and Bolt 300K tokens a day. If a daily limit stops you, finish the next day.
- 4Record cost and result
After each prompt, note what it used and whether the result worked the first time. A cheap message that needs three retries is not cheap.
- 5Project a month
Multiply by the changes you expect to make in a month and set that against 100 credits or 10M tokens.
The export story: who lets you leave?
Both let the code go. The backend is where the two differ. Lovable states the principle plainly in its docs: your apps, code and content are yours, and you can host them anywhere.
| Lovable | Bolt.new | |
|---|---|---|
| Code out | Git sync on every plan; ZIP on paid plans | GitHub sync; ZIP through Export, then Download |
| Code in | Not supported: connecting always creates a new repository | Import a repository you own, or a public one by URL |
| Run it elsewhere | Any static host for React and Vite apps; a server host for TanStack Start apps | Unzip, then npm install and npm run dev; publish through Netlify or another service |
| Database out | Export from Cloud and restore with pg_restore; one export every 24 hours | Claim the Bolt database into your Supabase organisation (Pro or Teams) |
| Database back in | Supabase to Cloud is not supported | No supported flow from Supabase back to a Bolt database |
| What stays behind | Managed AI calls, app connectors, managed OAuth and user sessions | The ZIP holds project files; the docs do not say it includes database rows or secrets |
Lovable's exit is documented in detail and is manual. If you built on Lovable Cloud, the docs lay out an order: create a Supabase project, apply the migration files, export and restore the database, reconfigure sign-in, move storage files, then set secrets and deploy functions. User accounts and password hashes are in the export; sessions are not. If you know you will want your own Supabase account, connect it when the project starts, because there is no automatic migration later; our Lovable tutorial builds an app that way from the first prompt.
- 01Code into Git
Sync the project to a repository you own.
- 02Schema
Apply the migration files in order on the new project.
- 03Data
Export the database and restore it. Git never holds your rows.
- 04Sign-in
Reconfigure providers and redirect URLs. Sessions do not carry over.
- 05Files and functions
Upload storage files, set secrets, deploy functions.
- 06Switch
Test on a separate deployment, then point the app at it.
Source: Lovable docs, "Deploying and hosting outside Lovable", checked October 2026
Bolt's exit is shorter for the database and thinner on detail. A Bolt database can be claimed into your own Supabase organisation from the Database panel, under Advanced, then Claim. It needs a Pro or Teams plan and Supabase org owner permissions, and there is no supported way back. Bolt also accepts code coming in: you can import a repository, and it even documents importing a Lovable project through GitHub. Our Supabase tutorial shows what you are taking ownership of once the database is yours.
Where does each one stall?
Every builder has points where work or a live app stops. These are the ones each company documents, side by side.
| When | Lovable | Bolt.new |
|---|---|---|
| The allowance runs out | Building stops and a running message pauses; backend services pause shortly after the balance hits zero | Prompting stops until the daily reset or an upgrade; Code view still works |
| Traffic outgrows the plan | Hosting beyond the included grant draws credits from the same balance | Free sites stop serving until the next cycle; Pro sites pause at the spending cap you set |
| A task runs long | A check-in pauses a message at 20 credits by default (beta) | Every Attempt fix uses tokens; very large prompts can produce partial builds |
| You change backend | No automatic migration between Cloud and Supabase; the Cloud region is locked once enabled | Connecting Supabase over a Bolt database replaces the connection and may lose data; claim it first |
| You edit after launch | The live site is a snapshot until you click Publish changes; Git pushes never publish | Changes reach the live site only when you click Update |
A few one-sided quirks are worth knowing before you commit:
- Bolt: a database in an unpublished project may be paused after six days of low use, and Version History does not restore databases.
- Bolt: disconnecting a project from GitHub is permanent, and reconnecting means contacting support.
- Lovable: removing Cloud deletes the backend permanently, and database exports are limited to one every 24 hours.
- Lovable: reconnecting a disconnected project creates a new repository, and force-pushing the synced branch replaces Lovable's copy.
None of these is a defect. They are the terms of a managed platform, and they matter most at the moment a prototype turns into something people rely on. Our guide to taking a vibe-coded app to production covers the checks that apply whichever builder you choose, and the AI SaaS Builder program covers what comes after the prototype: Supabase, authentication, deployment, launch and Stripe billing.
Bolt.new vs Lovable on Reddit: how to read the threads
If you search "lovable vs bolt.new reddit", read the date on a thread before the opinion in it. Both products changed how they bill and build during 2026, so a thread from spring describes a different tool.
- MayBolt replaces its model picker with Standard and Max agents
Lovable apps created from 13 May use TanStack Start in place of React and Vite.
- JuneLovable moves to one credit balance
Building, Cloud hosting and in-app AI draw from the same credits from 1 June.
- JulyBolt adds a security audit to the Publish menu
Databases in published Bolt projects are no longer paused for inactivity.
- AugustBolt retires its v1 Agent and Discussion Mode
Plan Mode replaces it. Lovable starts running a security scan on every publish and adds credit check-ins.
- SeptemberLovable makes chat free within a daily allowance
Bolt adds Forge, an agent on open-source models, as a research preview.
- OctoberLovable records Cloud database changes as migration files
Structure changes are saved in the project code.
Source: Lovable changelog and Bolt release notes, checked October 2026
Three questions sort a useful thread from noise: which plan was the poster on, did they use the built-in backend or their own Supabase, and did they share numbers or only a verdict.
Alternatives worth a look
If the app is an internal tool with roles and CRM imports, read our Lovable vs Base44 comparison. If you are comfortable in an editor, an AI coding tool gives you more control for the same money; our Cursor tutorial and Claude Code guide cover that route. One workable path is to start in Lovable or Bolt, sync to GitHub, and continue in an editor once the product has users.
Lovable vs Bolt.new: FAQ
Is Lovable or Bolt.new better in 2026?
Neither wins outright. Pick Lovable if you want cost shown in credits per message, Git sync with GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket on every plan, and a security scan on each publish. Pick Bolt.new if you want to import an existing GitHub repository, start on a built-in database you can later claim into Supabase, or build a mobile app through Expo. Both start at $25 a month, checked October 2026.
Is Bolt.new cheaper than Lovable?
The entry price is the same: $25 a month for Lovable Pro with 100 credits or Bolt Pro with 10 million tokens, checked October 2026. The units do not convert. Lovable prices each message by the work done and publishes example costs; Bolt says most token use comes from reading and syncing project files, so larger projects use more per message. Measure both on your own prompts before you pay.
Can I export my code from Lovable and Bolt.new?
Yes, from both. Lovable syncs code to a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository you own on every plan, and offers a ZIP download on paid plans. Bolt syncs with GitHub and offers a ZIP through Export, then Download. One difference matters: Bolt can import an existing repository, while Lovable's Git sync is export only and always creates a new repository.
Do Lovable and Bolt.new both use Supabase?
Both lean on it. Lovable's built-in backend, Lovable Cloud, uses Supabase's open-source foundation, and you can connect your own Supabase project instead. Bolt describes Bolt Cloud as powered by platforms like Netlify and Supabase; its built-in Bolt Database is on every plan, while connecting your own Supabase needs a Pro or Teams plan. Bolt can also claim a Bolt database into your Supabase organisation.
What happens when I run out of Lovable credits or Bolt tokens?
In Lovable, building stops, a message in progress pauses, and the docs say backend services pause shortly after the balance hits zero, although published sites stay live. In Bolt, prompting stops until the free daily reset or an upgrade, but you can still edit code in Code view without tokens. On Bolt's free plan a site that exceeds its hosting limits goes offline until the next cycle.
Can I move a project from Lovable to Bolt.new?
Bolt documents the route for code: sync the Lovable project to GitHub, then import that repository from the Bolt homepage, where it loads on the main branch. The guide does not cover the database, users, storage or secrets, so plan the backend move separately. If the Lovable project uses your own Supabase project, the data already sits in an account you control.
Which has the better free plan, Lovable or Bolt.new?
They limit different things. Lovable's free plan gives 5 build credits a day up to 30 a month, with Git sync but no code editing, ZIP download or custom domain. Bolt's free plan gives 300,000 tokens a day up to 1 million a month, with the Standard agent only, Bolt branding, no custom domain and no Supabase connection. Both publish to a free subdomain. Checked October 2026.
Picked a builder? Plan what happens after the prototype.
All Access includes AI SaaS Builder, which covers idea validation, Supabase and Row Level Security, deployment, launch and Stripe billing, plus the other three programs, live coaching and the private community in one subscription.
Compare notes in the free Discord
Share the five prompts you tested and what each builder used, and see what other builders measured.