Bolt vs v0: any-stack app in the browser, or Next.js code that ships to Vercel?

Short answer: Bolt is a complete build environment in the browser: it writes the app, creates a database when it needs one, hosts it, and syncs both ways with GitHub. v0 is Vercel's agent for React and Next.js: the code it writes is the kind your developers already use, and it deploys to Vercel in one click, but you choose and wire up the backend. If you're a founder who needs the whole app, pick Bolt. If you're a designer or front-end team whose app will live on Vercel, pick v0. Neither company pays us; both sides come from published pricing and docs, checked November 1, 2026. More detail is in our Bolt and v0 reviews.

Side by side

Scores

Bolt is faster to a complete app because it provides the database and hosting. v0 is easier to leave, because its output is plain Next.js in your GitHub from the free plan up, and it's better set up for teams, with shared chats and central billing on Plus. They tie on depth, backend and pricing predictability, for different reasons.

The differences that matter

What you're paying for

The two meter differently, and it changes how you should work in each. Bolt charges tokens: every message reads your project, so the same request costs more in a big project than a small one. Bolt points to its own token-efficiency tips, and keeping a project lean is the obvious lever. Unused tokens on paid plans roll over for two months, and tokens bought as a reload don't expire.

v0 charges credits drawn by tokens at a rate that depends on the model. Plus gives $30 of credits per user a month and $2 more on each day you log in, which rewards people who use it a little most days. Unused credits expire after 65 days. ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers can connect their plan to cover eligible OpenAI-model responses, with v0 charging a small platform fee per request.

Neither publishes a typical cost per message. If you want to estimate a month, our build-cost calculator does it for the builders that do publish one, and lets you plug in your own Bolt figure.

The backend decision

This is the difference most people only discover later. Bolt creates a Bolt Database automatically, which is convenient, but an existing Bolt Database can't currently be migrated to Supabase and a full database export isn't documented. On Pro and Teams you can pick Supabase when you start a project, and if there's any chance you'll outgrow Bolt, you should.

v0 doesn't name a built-in database. It builds backend logic and connects to data platforms, so you decide where the data lives from the start. That's more work on day one and less on the day you leave.

Stack and code

v0 writes Next.js, React, Tailwind and shadcn/ui, can start from a screenshot or a Figma file, and syncs to GitHub on every plan, including Free. Bolt runs a full development environment in the browser, supports mobile apps through Expo, and its GitHub sync is two-way: Bolt commits automatically and pulls in outside edits every 30 seconds, so a developer can work in their own editor at the same time.

Security before launch

Both put a real app on the internet, so both need the same checks before real users arrive: who can read which rows, which keys are in the browser, and what an anonymous visitor can call. Our pre-launch security checklist covers them with the incidents behind each.

Which to pick

Comparing more than two? Lovable vs Bolt and v0 vs Lovable cover the other common pairs, and AI app builders compared puts all five builders in one table.