Bolt.new vs Softr

A side-by-side look at Bolt.new and Softr — pricing, features and where each one wins. Both are reviewed independently on Curata AI.

Bolt.newSoftr
SummaryAI-powered full-stack app builder that turns a prompt into a live website, app or mobile prototype in the browser.No-code web app builder that turns Airtable or Google Sheets data into client portals and internal tools.
PricingFreemiumFreemium
CategoryCodingCoding
PlatformsWebWeb
Key features
  • In-Browser Node.js Runtime (WebContainers)
  • Bolt Agent (auto model routing: Standard / Max)
  • Full-Stack App, Website & Mobile Generation
  • Bolt Cloud (databases, auth, hosting, SEO)
  • Figma & GitHub Import
  • One-Click Netlify Deployment
  • Mobile Preview via Expo (iOS/Android, QR code)
  • Design System-Aware Generation
  • Airtable/Google Sheets as Backend
  • Client Portals & Internal Tools
  • Unlimited Apps & Editors
  • App-User-Based Pricing
  • Progressive Web Apps
Pros
  • Genuine in-browser Node.js runtime (WebContainers) — zero local setup to start building
  • Multi-framework flexibility: React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Astro, Angular and more
  • Full, exportable code control rather than a black-box generator
  • Bolt Cloud bundles databases, auth, hosting and SEO instead of requiring separate services
  • Strong for fast, early-stage prototyping and sharing runnable demos
  • Mobile app generation via Expo extends it past web-only building
  • Fastest path from an existing Airtable/Google Sheets base to a usable web app
  • Unlimited apps and internal editors, even on paid plans
  • Generous free plan — unlimited published apps for up to 10 app users
Cons
  • Token consumption is the most common complaint — error-correction loops can burn through millions of tokens in a single session
  • The free plan's daily token cap can run out before a complex first build even finishes
  • Real-world cost on large or bug-prone projects can run well above the advertised plan price
  • Less production-hardened out of the box than a more opinionated builder like Lovable
  • Depends on an external data source (Airtable/Google Sheets) rather than an integrated database
  • Less suited to complex custom logic than a full app builder like Bubble or Base44
  • Cost scales with app-user count, which can add up for consumer-facing products

Which one should you choose?

Bolt.new

Best for: Founders, product managers, agencies and developers who want to go from idea to a running, deployable product fast.

Softr

Best for: No-code web app builder that turns Airtable or Google Sheets data into client portals and internal tools.

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Read the full Bolt.new review

Bolt.new (by StackBlitz) runs a full Node.js environment directly in the browser via WebContainers, and its Bolt Agent builds, tests and iterates on a website, web app or mobile prototype from a natural-language prompt. Bolt automatically routes each request to the best-fit model — a Standard tier for general development and a Pro-only Max tier for harder tasks — instead of locking you into one LLM, and claims 98% fewer errors thanks to automatic testing, refactoring and iteration. Generated projects can use React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Astro, Angular, SvelteKit, Remix and the wider npm ecosystem, with mobile builds via Expo (instant QR-code preview for iOS/Android). Bolt Cloud bundles the backend — unlimited databases, enterprise-grade auth and user management, SEO optimization and hosting with analytics — plus native integrations with Supabase, GitHub, Stripe and Figma import, and one-click deployment to Netlify. It's used by teams at Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, AWS, Meta, Shopify and others to go from idea to a running, deployable product without local setup.

Read the full Softr review

Softr builds web apps and progressive web apps on top of external data sources like Airtable and Google Sheets, rather than a proprietary database. It's aimed at teams that already manage data in a spreadsheet-style tool and want a client portal, internal tool or directory site on top of it without custom development. Pricing is based on app users (people who log into what you build) rather than internal editors or number of apps, which are both unlimited even on the free plan.