# Bolt.new — StackBlitz's prompt-to-app builder that runs a real Node.js environment inside the browser tab itself, no remote VM.

> Source: The Agents Index — https://theagentsindex.com/bolt-new (structured, researched, re-verified)
> Facts last verified: 2026-07-23

Bolt.new is an AI app-builder from StackBlitz that turns a text prompt into a live, deployed full-stack web app entirely inside the browser. It runs on WebContainers, StackBlitz’s own WebAssembly-based runtime that executes a full Node.js environment client-side instead of spinning up a remote VM, so a generated project boots, edits and previews without ever leaving the tab. The agent scaffolds React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte or Astro projects, wires in a database and auth, and deploys to Netlify in one click. Paid plans start at $25/month after a capped free tier.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Website | https://bolt.new |
| API | No |
| Best for | Founders, designers and developers who want a working, deployed full-stack app straight from a prompt or a Figma design, with zero local setup. |
| Not for | Teams that need a programmatic API to drive builds from their own code, or buyers who want assurance of responsive customer support before paying, given the vendor's current 1.5/5 Trustpilot record. |

## Verdict

Bolt.new’s WebContainers runtime is a genuine, verifiable technical edge — it runs Node.js natively inside the browser sandbox instead of proxying to a remote VM, which is why projects boot and preview instantly with zero local setup. Recent additions (MCP server connectors, Figma import, AI image editing) keep it moving fast, and a real free tier plus published pricing mean you can try it without a sales call. The honest catches: effort-based billing can run up fast on hard debugging loops, there is no public API to drive it from your own code, and its Trustpilot record (1.5/5 from 189 reviews) points to a real, unresolved customer-support problem worth weighing before you pay. Pick Bolt.new if you want the fastest prompt-to-deployed-app path and are comfortable self-serving through any support issues; pick Replit Agent instead if you want a similar zero-setup experience with a more conventional cloud-VM backend, or Cursor/Windsurf if you want an agent inside your own local toolchain rather than a hosted app factory.

## Strengths and weaknesses

- ✓ WebContainers runs a genuine Node.js environment natively inside the browser sandbox — 100% of execution happens client-side, not on a remote VM — a real, documented technical differentiator versus cloud-VM-based rivals.
- ✓ Backed by a $105.5M Series B led by Emergence Capital and GV, on top of StackBlitz’s multi-year browser-runtime engineering — real staying power, not a weekend hack.
- ✓ MCP server connectors (Notion, Linear, GitHub) and direct Figma-frame import, both shipped in the first months of 2026, cut real tool-switching out of the build loop.
- ✓ Scores well with everyday users: 4.5/5 across 46 Product Hunt reviews, praising the zero-setup prompt-to-deployed-app speed.
- ✗ Trustpilot rating is poor — 1.5/5 from 189 reviews — with recurring complaints about slow or unresponsive customer support on billing and account issues.
- ✗ Effort/token-based billing on paid tiers can burn through an allowance fast on complex, multi-file debugging loops — a repeated theme across Product Hunt and Reddit reviews.
- ✗ No public API for driving builds programmatically from your own code — MCP lets Bolt pull context FROM other tools, but nothing lets you call Bolt from yours.
- ✗ The open-source starter-kit repo (MIT-licensed) has not been pushed since December 2024 despite 8,000+ open issues — it is a frozen reference implementation, not an actively maintained self-host option; the real product only lives at the hosted bolt.new.
- ⚠ The Free tier's 300K daily / 1M monthly token cap is tight for building a complete application, per the vendor's own published limits.
- ⚠ Remaining v1 projects auto-migrate to the newer Bolt Agent on August 3, 2026; workflows tuned to v1 behavior should be re-checked after that date.

## Key features

- **Browser-native WebContainers runtime** — Runs a full Node.js environment inside the browser tab via WebAssembly — no remote VM, no server round-trip for preview or terminal output.
- **MCP server integration** — Built-in connectors for Notion, Linear and GitHub plus custom Model Context Protocol servers, added February 2026.
- **Figma-to-code import** — Drop a Figma frame directly into the chat as a design reference, reducing designer-to-code handoff friction.
- **AI image generation & editing** — Generate or edit images with transparent-background and automatic WebP conversion, without leaving the builder.
- **One-click Netlify deploy + GitHub org access** — Publish to a live URL in one click, or connect a GitHub repo; org admins can install the GitHub app at the organization level.
- **Bolt Slides** — An open-source presentation mode (launched July 2026) that builds decks as real, interactive web apps — 3D models, before/after sliders, clickable maps, collaborative boards and presenter mode — available on every plan and, via its open-sourced component library, usable from other coding agents too.

## Use cases

- **Idea to live MVP** — A founder describes an app in plain language and gets a working, deployed full-stack prototype with zero local setup.
- **Design-to-code handoff** — A designer imports a Figma frame straight into the chat so the agent builds against the real design instead of a text description of it.
- **Team-standardized builds** — A Teams-plan organization reuses shared project templates so every new build starts from the same structure and configuration.

## Integrations

Supabase (built-in database) · Netlify one-click deploy · GitHub (repo connect + org-level app install) · MCP servers: Notion, Linear, GitHub, plus custom · Figma frame import

## Sources

- https://bolt.new/pricing
- https://support.bolt.new/release-notes
- https://support.bolt.new/use-cases/slides
- https://webcontainers.io/
- https://blog.stackblitz.com/posts/introducing-webcontainers/
- https://github.com/stackblitz/bolt.new
- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/bolt.new
- https://www.producthunt.com/products/bolt-new/reviews
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/boltdotnew_today-were-announcing-1055m-in-funding-activity-7287877373394313216-i7Vx
- https://www.reddit.com/r/nocode/comments/1ii52d3/tried_boltnew_felt_like_a_god_then_reality/