Tested on 16 Oct 2026 · Last updated 16 Oct 2026 · test v1 · 1 run · free plan

Bolt review (2026 hands-on test)

Bolt scored 100/100 on our v1 test (16 Oct 2026, free plan, one run): it built a working multi-user to-do app with login and a database in about 6 min, with zero fix prompts, and one user could not see another user's data. It used about 101K of 1M monthly free tokens (about 10%).

Honest limits: one run (depth Tier B), one fairly easy task, free plan only. v1 couldn't separate the top tools, so Bolt's official tier waits for the harder v2 test. Tools change weekly; this describes Bolt on 16 Oct 2026. Payment never buys rank.

Test results (Observed)

Score (v1)100/100 · tier pending v2
Prompt → live appabout 6 min
Fix prompts0
Free-plan usageabout 101K of 1M monthly free tokens (about 10%)
Setup stepsNone. Bolt Database + auth (Supabase-backed) applied automatically.
Sign-up flowNo email confirmation; sign-up logs straight in.
Data isolation (user B sees user A?)No leak

What broke (Observed)

  • Mobile bug: edit and delete buttons only appear on mouse hover, so they are invisible on touch screens (375×812 emulation).
Bolt app published live
Published
Bolt: second user sees none of first user data
User B sees none of A's data
Bolt on a phone-sized screen: edit/delete hidden behind hover
Bolt on a phone-sized screen: edit/delete hidden behind hover

Free plan limits and pricing

  • Free plan (Reported, checked 16 Oct 2026): 300K tokens a day, 1M a month.
  • Builds that fit (Inferred from our usage): about 2 a day, about 9 a month.
  • Cheapest paid plan (Reported): Pro: $25 a month for 10M tokens. Our app's usage at that rate: about $0.25 (Inferred). Official pricing
  • Full method and receipts: cost per working app.

Try BoltOfficial site, not an affiliate link.

Bolt alternatives we tested the same way

  • Lovable review: 100/100, under 4 min, 2.10 credits (42% of the daily 5 free credits).
  • Base44 review: 100/100, about 3.5 min, 1 of 25 monthly free message credits (4%).
  • v0 review: 95/100, about 15 min, $3.81 of a one-time $5 free credit (76%).

Evidence labels: score, time, usage and bugs are Observed in our own run (screenshots above). Allowances and prices are Reported by Bolt; builds-that-fit and dollar figures are Inferred (our arithmetic). What the labels mean. Disclosures: no tool paid us; commission size never changes a score or tier.

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FAQ

Is Bolt good for building an app?

Bolt scored 100/100 on our v1 test (16 Oct 2026, free plan, one run): it built a working multi-user to-do app with login and a database in about 6 min, with zero fix prompts, and one user could not see another user's data. It used about 101K of 1M monthly free tokens (about 10%). One run on one fairly easy task, so treat it as one data point. Our harder v2 test is next.

What broke when we tested Bolt?

Mobile bug: edit and delete buttons only appear on mouse hover, so they are invisible on touch screens (375×812 emulation).

How many apps can you build on Bolt's free plan?

The free plan gives 300K tokens a day, 1M a month (Reported, checked 16 Oct 2026). Our build used about 101K of 1M monthly free tokens (about 10%) (Observed), so it fits about 2 a day, about 9 a month builds of that size (Inferred; real builds vary).

How much does Bolt cost?

Cheapest paid plan as of 16 Oct 2026 (Reported): Pro: $25 a month for 10M tokens. At that rate our one working app was worth about $0.25 of usage (Inferred).

What are the best Bolt alternatives?

We ran the same test on Lovable (100/100, under 4 min), Base44 (100/100, about 3.5 min), v0 (95/100, about 15 min). See the side-by-side comparisons below.