Bolt

What is Bolt?

Bolt is a browser-based full-stack app builder from StackBlitz. You describe a web application in plain English, and Bolt builds it — writing the code, installing packages, running a development server, and showing you a live preview, all inside your browser tab. No local setup, no terminal, no Node.js installation required.

What makes Bolt different from similar tools is that it runs a real WebContainer — an actual Node.js environment executing inside your browser. The preview isn't a simulation; it's a live running app. You can read and edit the generated files directly if you want to, making Bolt useful for both complete beginners and developers who want to prototype without the friction of local setup.

Plans

No account required to try it — just go to bolt.new and start typing.

The magic moment

Go to bolt.new. Type:

Build a personal budget tracker with:
- A form to add expenses (name, amount, category)
- A running total at the top
- A list of all expenses with delete buttons
- A bar chart showing spending by category

Within about 60 seconds, a complete working app appears in the right panel. Click around — the form works, the total updates, the chart reflects your data. Then type "Make the chart a pie chart instead" and watch it update. The immediacy of a real, working result is Bolt's entire appeal.

Step-by-step: your first app

1. Go to bolt.new — no account needed
2. Type a description with specific features in the prompt box
3. Watch the file tree build on the left and the live preview appear on the right
4. Use the chat to request changes: "Add a filter to show only food expenses" or "Change the colour scheme to dark mode"
5. Click any file in the file tree to read or edit the generated code directly
6. Sign up for a free account when prompted to save your project
7. Use the Deploy button to publish to a live URL

Total time to working prototype: under 5 minutes.

Writing better prompts for Bolt

The more specific your initial prompt, the less back-and-forth iteration you need.

Less effective:

Build me a CRM tool

More effective:

Build a simple CRM with:
- A contacts list with name, email, company, and status (lead/customer/inactive)
- An "Add Contact" form
- Search and filter by status
- A detail view when clicking a contact
- Clean, professional design with a sidebar navigation

Start detailed and refine from there. Bolt handles big initial prompts better than most tools.

What Bolt builds well

• Web apps and tools — task managers, trackers, calculators, dashboards
• Multi-page sites — landing pages, portfolio sites, documentation
• Data-driven apps — apps that manage lists of things with filtering and sorting
• Interactive prototypes — demos you can click through and share via URL

How Bolt compares to Lovable

Bolt and Lovable are the two main browser-based app builders. They're similar enough that people often try both:

If you want to learn from the code Bolt writes, Bolt is the better choice. If you want the most polished, database-backed result with minimal friction, try Lovable. Most people experiment with both on the same project idea.