Bolt.new nailed one specific thing: writing real full-stack code inside a browser tab. WebContainers run Node right on the page, changes show up instantly, and you can export the repo whenever you want. Spend two weeks with it, though, and you hit the wall everyone hits: tokens burn fast. The free tier gives 1M tokens per month with a 300K daily cap, and a serious project with a backend can drain that in days. Pro is $25/month starting at 10M tokens, and a single large refactor can eat seven figures of them. The other issue is structural: what Bolt hands you is a codebase. Deploying it, wiring up the database, and keeping it running in production are still your job.
If either of those is why you're shopping around, settle one question first: do you want a codebase, or a working application? The five options below map to different answers.
Lovable: the best-looking output in the same lane
Pro is $25/month for 100 credits; free users get 5 credits per day. It produces a React + Supabase codebase with GitHub sync. Per-message credits are easier to reason about than raw tokens, but a few rounds of debugging on a gnarly problem still adds up. If you're a non-technical founder who needs a polished MVP fast, or you care about UI quality and don't mind owning the code afterwards, this is the pick.
Replit: generation to hosting in one place
Core is $20/month (billed annually) with $25 of usage credits included. The Agent bills by "effort" per task, and a complex one can cost several dollars, which makes Replit the hardest of this group to budget for. In exchange you get IDE, database, and deployment on a single platform, so prototype-to-production never leaves the tab. Worth it if you want hosting handled and can live with a variable bill.
v0: UI only — don't treat it as a full-stack tool
Vercel's generator gives you $5 in monthly credits free; the paid tier is $20/month. The React / Tailwind / shadcn components it produces are the best we've seen from this kind of tool, and shipping them through Next.js on Vercel is painless. But it solves the interface, not the application; backend logic is on you. Frontend engineers who want to move faster on UI get the most out of it.
Dyad: local, open source, no subscription
An open-source app builder that runs on your own machine. You bring your own API key (or run local models via Ollama), so there's no credit anxiety and your code never leaves your laptop. Pro at $20/month with 200 credits is an optional add-on, not a requirement. The trade is that keys, deployment, and operations are all on you. Full disclosure: we haven't used Dyad in anger, so this section goes by the website and community threads. The design clearly targets privacy-conscious engineers who like owning the whole stack.
Yuan: when you want a working app, not a repo
Yuan takes a different bet from the four above: describe what you want in a sentence, and the AI generates a complete web application. Data tables, UI, an AI agent built into every app, and multi-session support are all part of the output. Publishing gives you a shareable link immediately, and visitors can use a published app without signing up. The gallery lets you browse what other people built and remix it into your own. Signing up gets you free credits with no credit card required; Free/Pro/Max subscriptions come with daily token quotas, and anything beyond that runs on metered credits, so one big refactor can't torch an entire month's allowance. Multilingual apps, scheduled tasks, AI image generation, and MCP connections are built in.
The honest downsides: no source export, not open source, web apps only (no native iOS/Android). If your endgame is taking over the codebase, go with Bolt or Dyad instead. For a deeper head-to-head with Lovable and v0, see this comparison.
Pricing snapshot (as of July 2026 — check each vendor's site)
| Tool | Free tier | Entry paid plan | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt.new | 1M tokens/month (300K daily cap) | Pro $25/mo, from 10M tokens, unused roll over | Exportable full-stack codebase |
| Lovable | 5 credits/day | Pro $25/mo, 100 credits | React + Supabase codebase |
| Replit | Starter free (very limited) | Core $20/mo (annual) with $25 credits; Agent billed by effort | App + code hosted on Replit |
| v0 | $5 credits/month | $20/mo with $20 credits | React/Tailwind UI component code |
| Dyad | Fully free (bring your own API key) | Pro $20/mo, 200 credits (optional) | Local codebase |
| Yuan | Free credits on signup, no card | Free/Pro/Max with daily token quotas + metered credits — see /pricing | Hosted, shareable web app |
How to pick
Real code you can export: Bolt online, Dyad locally for free. A polished MVP you'll maintain yourself: Lovable. Just the UI layer: v0. Hosting handled, variable bill accepted: Replit. And if what you actually need is an app you can use and share today, with no attachment to owning the source, try Yuan first: generation, hosting, and a shareable link in one step.