Where Bolt.new's free tier stops
Bolt.new gives the free plan public and private projects, a 10MB file upload limit, website hosting with up to 333K web requests, and unlimited databases. Usage is metered in tokens: 300K a day and 1M a month. Bolt says most token use comes from syncing the project's file system to the AI, so the same prompt costs more as a project grows. Free sites carry Bolt branding. The Pro plan costs $25 a month, removes the daily limit, and starts at 10M tokens a month.
Switch table
| Bolt.new | Budibase | Base44 | v0 by Vercel | Lovable | Anima | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan usage | 300K tokens/day, 1M tokens/month | Unlimited actions, self-hosted | 5 messages/day, 25 message credits/mo, 100 integration credits/mo | 7 messages/day | 5 build credits/day (up to 30/mo), 20 Cloud credits/mo, 4 AI feature credits | 5 chat messages/day, 5 imports or clones, 5 code generations |
| Apps or projects | Public and private projects, unlimited databases | Unlimited apps, 1 workspace | Up to 5 apps | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Hosting | Website hosting, up to 333K web requests | Self-host on your own server | Not stated | Deploy to Vercel | Not stated | Not stated |
| Branding on free sites | Bolt branding on websites | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| First paid tier | Pro, $25/mo | Cloud, from $299/mo | Starter, $16/mo billed annually | Plus | Not stated | Not stated |
| Card required | - | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| First paid tier | - | Cloud, from $299/mo | Starter, $16/mo billed annually | Plus | Not stated | Not stated |
The alternatives
Budibase
FTV 70 / 100Budibase is a low-code platform for internal tools, automations, and AI agents. Its free plan is the open source edition that you host yourself. It includes 1 workspace, unlimited apps, unlimited automations, unlimited agents, unlimited users, and SSO. The open source plan lists unlimited actions, so no token or credit meter applies. The cost moves to setup and upkeep, because you install, host, and update it. Budibase builds internal tools with drag-and-drop screens, not full web apps from a chat prompt. Pick Budibase if you have a server and want no usage limits.
- Beats Bolt.new: Unlimited actions, apps, automations, agents, and users on a self-hosted install
- Falls short: You host and maintain it yourself, and it builds internal tools with a visual editor, not a prompt-to-app flow
- Who should switch: Switch to Budibase if you can run your own server and want internal tools without a token or credit budget.
Base44
FTV 57 / 100Base44 counts credits, not tokens. The free plan gives 25 message credits a month, with no more than 5 a day, plus 100 integration credits a month. It lets you build up to 5 apps. Authentication, a database, and analytics are part of the core features. Credit use varies with the action and the model, so 25 messages is a budget, not a fixed count of prompts. Bolt.new gives a larger raw allowance, but Base44 puts a user login and a database in every free app without extra setup. Pick Base44 if login and a database in every app matter more to you than raw allowance.
- Beats Bolt.new: Built-in authentication, database, and analytics on the free plan
- Falls short: A cap of 5 apps and 25 messages a month (5 a day), against Bolt.new's 1M tokens a month and unlimited databases
- Who should switch: Switch to Base44 if you want a small number of apps with user login already wired in.
v0 by Vercel
FTV 41 / 100v0's free plan has a limit of 7 messages a day. It includes free access to v0, deploys to Vercel, visual editing with Design Mode, and GitHub sync. The pricing page also lists $5 in one-time credits for new users. The message cap is the number to plan around, because Bolt.new states its limits in tokens and v0 states its limit in messages. Pick v0 if you want the result to land in a GitHub repository and on Vercel.
- Beats Bolt.new: GitHub sync and one-step deploys to Vercel on the free plan, plus a visual Design Mode
- Falls short: A limit of 7 messages a day, with no monthly credit on the free plan after the one-time $5
- Who should switch: Switch to v0 if your project will live on Vercel and you want the code in a GitHub repository from the first prompt.
Lovable
FTV 39 / 100Lovable resets a grant of 5 build credits every day, up to 30 a month. The free plan also gives 20 Cloud credits a month and 4 credits for AI features inside the apps you build. Daily credits expire at the end of each day and do not roll over. That suits short sessions spread over the month, and it punishes a weekend sprint. Bolt.new lets you spend 300K tokens in one day. Lovable limits you to 5 credits in one day. Pick Lovable if you build a little every day and want hosting usage tracked in its own pool.
- Beats Bolt.new: A fresh build grant every day, and separate pools for Cloud hosting and in-app AI features
- Falls short: A ceiling of 30 build credits a month, with daily credits that expire unused
- Who should switch: Switch to Lovable if you build in short daily sessions.
Anima
FTV 35 / 100Anima is built around design handoff. The free plan gives 5 chat messages a day in the AI Playground, 5 Figma design imports or website clones in the Playground, and 5 code generations in the Figma plugin. Every export, import, clone, and prompt-to-code run counts as a generation. It is a different job from Bolt.new. Anima turns a design or an existing site into code, and Bolt.new builds an app from a chat. Its daily limits are also far smaller than Bolt.new's token budget. Pick Anima if you start from a Figma file or a site you want to clone.
- Beats Bolt.new: Figma import, website cloning, and a Figma plugin for code generation
- Falls short: Limits of 5 chat messages and 5 imports or clones a day
- Who should switch: Switch to Anima if your starting point is a Figma design or an existing website, not a blank prompt.
Two quick picks
Base44
Base44 is the closest swap for a Bolt.new user who builds apps from a chat prompt. It also meters usage, gives a free plan with a backend and a database, and costs $16 a month billed annually on its first paid plan, against Bolt.new's $25 Pro plan.
Budibase
Budibase has no usage meter on its open source plan. It lists unlimited actions, apps, automations, agents, and users, in exchange for running it on your own server and building internal tools with a visual editor.
Frequently asked questions
How many tokens does Bolt.new's free plan include?
300K tokens a day and 1M tokens a month. Bolt says larger projects use more tokens per message, because the project's files sync to the AI with each message.
Does Bolt.new put its branding on free sites?
Yes. The free plan adds Bolt branding to websites. The Pro plan, at $25 a month, removes it.
What does Bolt.new's free plan include besides tokens?
Public and private projects, a 10MB file upload limit, website hosting with up to 333K web requests, and unlimited databases.
Which alternative has the daily reset closest to Bolt.new's?
Lovable grants 5 build credits each day, up to 30 a month. Bolt.new's daily figure is 300K tokens, so the two reset daily but count different units.
Which alternative starts from a Figma design?
Anima. Its free plan includes 5 Figma design imports or website clones and 5 code generations in the Figma plugin.
Which alternative has no usage limit?
Budibase, if you host it yourself. Its open source plan lists unlimited actions, apps, automations, agents, and users.
Bottom line
Base44 is the closest swap if you want to keep building apps from a chat prompt, with a backend and a database already in the free plan. If tokens are the problem, Budibase's self-hosted plan lists unlimited actions, though it builds internal tools and not apps from a prompt. Choose v0 when the code needs to end up on Vercel and in GitHub.
Read the full listing for Bolt.new. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more alternatives on /alternatives, or head-to-head comparisons on /compare.