Bolt.new Explained: What It Is, How It Works
By Yuntao Zou, Founder, VentiMap@TaoMachina
Bolt.new is an AI app builder from StackBlitz. You describe a website or application, and Bolt generates it in a browser workspace. You can ask for changes in chat, edit the code and publish the result. In this article, Bolt means bolt.new, the software builder.
Looking to build a business around your idea? VentiMap researches it, builds the product and website, connects payments and keeps ongoing work moving through a Manager. Your first business report is free.
What can you build with Bolt.new?
Bolt supports projects such as business websites, online stores, booking tools, dashboards and subscription apps. Its web projects use JavaScript-based tools, and mobile projects use Expo. You can begin with the user journey: what someone enters, what the app does and what they receive.
How does Bolt.new work?
- Describe the app and the action its customer should complete.
- Let Bolt create the project, then try it in the browser preview.
- Ask for changes in chat or work directly on the code.
- Connect the services you need, publish and share the live address.
For a booking tool, the first useful flow might be choosing a service, selecting a time and receiving a saved confirmation. Starting with that complete flow gives you something concrete to try before adding more screens.
Is Bolt.new free? What do the paid plans cost?
| Plan | Monthly price | Tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 million per month; 300,000 daily limit |
| Pro | $25 | Starts at 10 million per month |
| Teams | $30 per member | Individual member allowances |
Tokens measure the AI work involved in reading and changing a project. A short edit and a larger feature can use different amounts. Bolt offers larger paid allowances, and paid rollover lasts one additional month with an active subscription.
Does Bolt include hosting and a domain?
Bolt Cloud includes hosting, and free and paid users can publish at a bolt.host address. Connecting a custom domain requires a paid plan. Hosting has its own usage limits alongside the tokens used to build the app.
Who owns the code? Can you download it?
Bolt says the code you create belongs to you and can be used commercially. That includes projects made on its free plan.
You can download a project as a ZIP file and continue working on it outside Bolt. GitHub integration also supports keeping the code in a repository.
From an app idea to a business with VentiMap
VentiMap starts with the business: who it serves, what it sells and how people will find it. Describe your idea and choose Read my report. The report gives you an audience, offer and plan; your AI team then carries the work into the product, website, payments and ongoing business tasks.
Your Manager is where you direct the work, and the Work Map shows its progress. VentiMap monthly plans start at $20, with 0% taken from your product sales. Stripe processing fees are separate.
Our Bolt or VentiMap comparison explains the two workflows side by side.
Bolt.new questions, answered
Is Bolt.new legit?
Yes. Bolt.new is the AI software builder from StackBlitz, with a browser workspace, publishing, subscriptions and downloadable projects. The name here refers to bolt.new, rather than other companies called Bolt.
Can I use Bolt.new without coding experience?
Yes. You can describe what you want in chat and try the result in the preview. Bolt also gives you access to the code for direct changes.
Does Bolt.new build mobile apps?
Bolt supports mobile-app projects through Expo as well as websites and web applications.
Can I sell an app built with Bolt.new?
Yes. Bolt allows commercial use of the code you create. The app, its customer payments and the subscription you pay to use Bolt are separate parts of your business.
What is a Bolt.new alternative for starting a business?
VentiMap takes your idea through business research, a product and website, payments and ongoing work. You direct a Manager, see progress on the Work Map and start with a free report.
Start your business on VentiMap with one sentence about the idea. Read your first report free.