First Impressions of Bolt.new – A Promising AI-Powered Website Builder

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Today was my first day trying out Bolt.new, an AI website builder designed to generate complete full-stack applications with minimal input. As someone who frequently prototypes ideas and builds MVPs, I was genuinely impressed by what it offers — particularly in comparison to other tools in the same space like Lovable.dev, and the website builders offered by hosting providers like Hostinger and GoDaddy.

⚡ What Stood Out

1. Lightning-Fast UI Generation

Bolt.new significantly outperforms Lovable.dev in terms of speed. The build times are remarkably fast — I was able to scaffold functional UIs and get working code in minutes. For teams or solo developers racing to validate ideas, this is a huge win.

2. Solid Code Quality

One of the more surprising aspects was the quality of the code it generates. It adheres well to DRY principles, follows modern naming conventions, and has clean, readable layout and structure. It leverages Tailwind CSS for styling, which results in clean and maintainable UI code. I found myself easily jumping into the project and re-structuring it without friction — something I can’t say about every AI-generated codebase.

3. Full-Stack Ready: Supabase + Stripe

Out of the box, Bolt integrates seamlessly with Supabase and Stripe. This makes it incredibly convenient to build end-to-end solutions with authentication, database, and payments already wired up. For lightweight SaaS tools or internal dashboards, it delivers real value.

4. Framework Flexibility

Bolt supports a wide range of JavaScript libraries and frameworks, including React, Astro, Vite, Next.js, Svelte, Vue, and Remix. Whether you're a frontend-heavy team or building a dynamic SSR application, there’s a stack for you. If I were kicking off a greenfield project with a small team, I’d seriously consider it as a starting point.

5. Quick Hosting via Netlify

Deploying the generated project was incredibly easy. I clicked a single "Deploy" button, and within seconds the app was live on Netlify. The hosting workflow was seamless, which makes sharing prototypes or launching MVPs even faster.

6. Fair Pricing and Freemium Access

The pricing model is generous considering the output. With the freemium package, you can build and export complete apps — though with a limited number of prompts per day. For early-stage builders, that’s more than enough to get going.

And here’s what I was able to generate using just three prompts on the free tier:
👉 View the result

⚠️ What Could Be Improved

1. Bland UI Design

While the tool excels in speed and code quality, the UI it generates feels generic and uninspired — especially when compared to Lovable.dev, which tends to create more vibrant, engaging layouts with the same input prompts. If visual polish is critical, you’ll likely still need a designer in the loop.

2. Limited Daily Prompts

The freemium model is fair, but I was only able to use three prompts before hitting the paywall. For exploratory use or rapid prototyping, that cap felt limiting. I’d love to see more generous daily limits or an extended trial window.

3. Confusing Branding

One odd gripe: the name “Bolt” is already widely associated with a ride-hailing service. It’s a minor point, but brand confusion could become a hurdle in broader adoption — especially when searching online.

4. Code Export Workflow

To access the generated code, I had to open it via Stackblitz before pushing it to GitHub. A direct GitHub integration would streamline the workflow and make it easier to version and deploy code quickly.

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Final Thoughts

This was my first hands-on experience with Bolt.new, and I’m genuinely impressed. If they can refine the UI generation and streamline code exports, it could become a go-to tool in the developer productivity stack. I’d gladly trade some of my UI design budget for a subscription to Bolt — the code quality alone is worth it.

I’d strongly recommend Bolt.new to founders, indie hackers, and engineering teams starting new web projects. It offers a great starting point with clean code you can confidently build on and scale. Definitely keeping an eye on how this platform evolves.

Have you tried Bolt.new yet? I’d love to hear how it compares for you.

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