Bolt.new lets you describe an app in plain English and watch it get built in real time — right in your browser. No downloads, no setup, no coding knowledge required. This guide covers everything you need to know to get the most out of it.
Bolt.new is a browser-based AI app builder made by StackBlitz. Think of it like having a developer sitting next to you. You describe what you want — "build me a recipe website" or "create a dashboard with charts" — and Bolt writes the code, installs everything it needs, and shows you a live preview. All of this happens inside your web browser. Nothing to install on your computer.
It can build full-stack apps, meaning it handles both the part people see (the design, buttons, pages) and the behind-the-scenes stuff (databases, user accounts, server logic). You type what you want, watch it work, and get a real app you can deploy to the internet.
If other AI tools are like texting a developer and waiting for them to send you a finished project, Bolt is like watching that developer build it live on a shared screen — and you can jump in to make changes at any time.
You have never written a line of code and don't want to. Bolt handles everything for you.
No downloads, no terminal commands, no environment setup. Just open your browser and go.
You have an idea and want to see it working in minutes, not days. Perfect for testing concepts quickly.
Need a website, internal tool, or simple app but don't want to hire a developer for a basic version.
Pricing: Bolt.new has a free tier with limited tokens (tokens are like credits — each prompt uses some). If you run out, you can wait for them to refresh or upgrade to a Pro plan for more tokens and faster builds.
Open bolt.new in Chrome, Safari, or any modern browser. No downloads, no sign-up required to try it out.
To save your projects and deploy them, sign in with your Google or GitHub account. This takes about 10 seconds.
Describe your app in the prompt box. Be specific — mention pages, features, colors, and style. The more detail you give, the better the result.
Bolt writes the code, installs packages, and assembles your app while you watch. A live preview appears on the right side of the screen so you can see it taking shape.
Click through your app in the preview, request changes with follow-up prompts, and when you're happy, deploy it to the internet with one click.
Everything runs in your browser. No installing software, no terminal, no configuration files.
See your app update live as Bolt builds it. Click buttons, test forms, and navigate pages instantly.
Builds the frontend (what users see) and backend (server, database, login) all in one go.
Push your app live to the internet through Netlify with a single click. Get a real URL you can share.
Bolt installs the tools and libraries your app needs automatically. No need to know what npm is.
Edit code directly in the browser if you want to. Great for small tweaks or learning how things work.
A built-in command line right in your browser, in case you need to run something manually.
Connect a real database to your app. Store user data, content, orders — anything your app needs to remember.
Made a mistake? Roll back to any previous version of your project. Like an undo button for your entire app.
Export your code to your computer anytime. You own everything Bolt creates — take it wherever you want.
Copy these prompts directly into Bolt.new. The more detail you include, the better your results will be. Feel free to tweak them to match your idea.
1. Build a landing page
"Build a modern landing page for a dog walking business called 'Happy Paws'. Include a hero section with a headline and call-to-action button, a section showing 3 services with icons, customer testimonials, a pricing table with 3 tiers, and a contact form. Use warm colors and friendly fonts. Make it fully responsive for mobile."
2. Create a full-stack app with user accounts
"Build a task management app where users can sign up, log in, create projects, and add tasks to each project. Each task should have a title, description, due date, and status (to do, in progress, done). Use Supabase for the database and authentication. Include a clean dashboard that shows all projects."
3. E-commerce store
"Create an online store for handmade candles. Include a product listing page with images, prices, and an 'Add to Cart' button. Add a shopping cart page that shows selected items and a total. Include a checkout page with a form for shipping details. Use a cozy, warm color palette with cream and soft orange."
4. Dashboard with charts
"Build a sales dashboard with a sidebar navigation. Include a summary row with 4 stat cards (total revenue, orders, customers, average order value). Add a line chart showing monthly revenue, a bar chart showing sales by category, and a table of recent orders. Use a professional dark theme."
5. Blog with content management
"Build a blog website where an admin can create, edit, and delete blog posts. Each post has a title, featured image, category, and content. The public-facing site should show a list of posts with a featured image and excerpt, and a full post page. Add category filtering. Use Supabase for the database."
6. Portfolio website
"Create a personal portfolio website for a freelance graphic designer. Include sections for: hero with name and tagline, about me, a filterable project gallery with images and descriptions, skills section, testimonials from clients, and a contact form. Use a minimalist black and white design with one accent color."
7. SaaS starter app
"Build a SaaS starter template with: a marketing landing page, user registration and login with Supabase auth, a user dashboard with sidebar navigation, account settings page where users can update their profile, and a pricing page with 3 tiers. Use a modern design with purple as the primary color."
8. Add a specific feature
"Add a dark mode toggle to the app. Put a sun/moon icon button in the top right corner of the navbar. When clicked, it should switch all colors to a dark theme. Remember the user's preference so it stays the same when they come back."
9. Fix an issue
"The contact form is not working. When I click the submit button, nothing happens. Please fix the form so it validates all fields, shows an error message if something is missing, and shows a success message after submitting."
10. Redesign a component
"Redesign the pricing section. Make it more visually appealing with card-style pricing tiers, a highlighted 'most popular' option in the middle, hover effects, and a gradient background behind the section. Add a toggle to switch between monthly and yearly pricing."
11. Build a booking system
"Build an appointment booking app for a hair salon. Show available time slots on a calendar view. Customers can pick a service (haircut, coloring, styling), choose a date and time, and enter their name and phone number. Store bookings in Supabase. Show an admin page that lists all upcoming appointments."
Don't just say 'build me a website.' Describe the pages, the colors, the features, and the vibe you want. Bolt does its best work when it understands the full picture from the start.
After every change, click through your app in the preview panel. Test buttons, fill out forms, try different pages. Fixing things right away is much easier than fixing them later.
Instead of asking for 5 things in one prompt, make 5 separate requests. This gives Bolt more focus and makes it easier to undo a change if something goes wrong.
Export your project to your computer as a backup. If something breaks badly, you'll have a working copy to fall back to. Think of it like saving your game.
Whenever your app needs to store data — user accounts, blog posts, orders — tell Bolt to use Supabase. It's the easiest way to add a real database in Bolt.
Start with the core features and get those working perfectly. Then add extras one by one. Trying to build everything at once leads to more bugs and confusing results.
Your first result won't be perfect — and that's fine. Use follow-up prompts like 'make the header bigger' or 'change the button color to blue' to refine things step by step.
Give it a moment — Bolt needs time to compile your app. If it still doesn't load after 30 seconds, check the console panel at the bottom for error messages. Try asking Bolt: 'The preview isn't loading. Can you check for errors and fix them?'
Free accounts have a limited number of tokens (credits) per day. You can wait for them to refresh, upgrade to a Pro plan, or start a brand new session. Tip: write detailed first prompts so you use fewer follow-ups.
Sometimes a library Bolt tries to use doesn't install correctly. Ask Bolt: 'The package install failed. Can you fix the dependencies and try again?' It can usually resolve this on its own.
Check the build error messages Bolt shows you. Common causes: missing files, broken code from a recent change, or unsupported features. Try asking: 'The deploy failed. Can you check the build errors and fix them?' If that doesn't work, simplify your app and try again.
Resize the preview panel to a narrow width to simulate a phone screen. If things look off, ask Bolt: 'The layout breaks on mobile. Can you make all sections responsive and stack vertically on small screens?'
Try refreshing the preview. If that doesn't help, check that Bolt actually finished applying the change (look for a checkmark). Sometimes you need to wait for the build to complete before changes appear.
Wondering how Bolt stacks up against other AI building tools? Here is a quick comparison to help you decide.
Both run in the browser and let you build apps by describing what you want. Lovable tends to focus more on clean UI and design-first workflows, while Bolt gives you more control with a code editor, terminal, and file browser. If you want a polished look fast, try Lovable. If you want to peek under the hood and tweak things, Bolt is great.
Claude Code runs in your computer's terminal (the command line), which means you need some comfort with your local setup. Bolt runs entirely in your browser — nothing to install. Claude Code is more powerful for complex, multi-file projects, while Bolt is friendlier for quick builds and visual feedback.
Cursor is a downloadable code editor with AI built in. It's like a supercharged version of VS Code. Bolt requires zero installation. If you're comfortable with a code editor and want deep control, Cursor is excellent. If you want the fastest path from idea to working app without any setup, Bolt wins.
Replit is a browser-based coding environment with AI features. It's aimed more at people who want to learn to code or work alongside AI. Bolt is more AI-first — you describe what you want and it builds the whole thing. Replit gives you more hands-on control but requires more technical knowledge.
