Bolt.new alternatives: 3 free & open-source picks
Curated, verified, and actually free. No trials, no crippled tiers. Star counts and last-activity dates checked by hand, not scraped and forgotten.
Same prompt-to-app loop in a cloud sandbox, powered by your own model keys.
licenseMIT
runsyour machine or their cloud
installClone the repo, install with pnpm, add service keys to .env and run the Next.js development server
enginesGemini, Anthropic, OpenAI or Groq; Firecrawl for extraction; Vercel or E2B sandboxes; optional Morph
dataGenerated React source lives in the selected cloud sandbox; local configuration is in .env, and prompts or site content go to the selected services
vs Bolt.newIt is a developer-run example requiring several service keys, without Bolt's managed account, persistent workspace and integrated deploy experience.
setupSeveral model, extraction and sandbox service keys are needed before the complete workflow works
facts verified 2026-08-10
Open source visual builder on a real React codebase; the grown-up sibling of the browser sandbox.
licenseApache-2.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installHosted signup, or self-host with Bun or Docker plus Supabase configuration
enginesOpenRouter plus configurable code-edit services such as Morph or Relace
dataProject code lives in the workspace or sandbox; application metadata and assets use the configured Supabase instance
vs Bolt.newIt is narrower and more design-first, with less mature prompt-to-full-stack generation and deployment than Bolt's browser workspace.
setupHosted access may be gated; self-hosting needs Bun or Docker, Supabase and several environment variables
facts verified 2026-08-10
Bolt on your laptop, minus the hosting fairy.
licenseApache-2.0
runson your machine
installDesktop installer
enginesOpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, OpenRouter-compatible providers and local Ollama
dataGenerated project source and app metadata stay on the computer; prompts and selected context go to the chosen provider unless a local model is used
vs Bolt.newIt has no managed browser sandbox, instant public hosting or one-click deployment comparable to Bolt, so you own the local environment and deployment.
setupA model-provider API key or a separately installed and configured local Ollama model
facts verified 2026-08-10
last updated 2026-08-10 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
bolt.diyMIT source, but its WebContainers runtime needs a commercial licence for production business use.
ContinueAcquired and read-only, and an editor agent was never a local prompt-to-app sandbox.
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| open-lovable | MIT | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 28,217 | 2025-11 |
| Onlook | Apache-2.0 | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 26,433 | 2026-07 |
| Dyad | Apache-2.0 | one-click install | macos, windows | 21,100 | 2026-08 |
People still pay for Bolt.new because the UI can be copied, but high-quality code models, context ranking, safe execution, and constant evaluation are the product. The recurring cost buys model changes, indexing, prompt injection, tool permissions, sandboxing, evaluation, telemetry choices, and IDE compatibility, not just the visible interface. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $300 a year.
Is there a free alternative to Bolt.new?
Yes: open-lovable, Onlook, Dyad. Every tool on this page is either open source or genuinely free to use long-term: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Should I just build my own Bolt.new?
Our verdict is NOT REALLY. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Bolt.new, generate and edit a small web project in a local sandbox from structured prompts. The hard boundary is browser sandbox, model orchestration, package execution, deployment, and hosted compute, plus frontier models, context infrastructure, and execution safety. If you'd rather build, the exact one-shot prompt is free at canivibecodeit.com/bolt-new.
