Happy Valley

Bolt.new vs Cursor

Bolt.new and Cursor are both developer tools tools. Bolt.new is aimed at developers and freelancers, while Cursor is aimed at developers and small businesses. Cursor costs less, from $8/mo versus $25/mo for Bolt.new. Both have a free plan.

Bolt.new

Browser-based AI builder that writes, runs and hosts full-stack apps

Cursor

AI-first code editor with agents, now owned by SpaceX

PricingFreemium · $25Freemium · $8
Starting price$25/mo$8/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forDevelopers, Freelancers, Small businesses, CreatorsDevelopers, Small businesses, Enterprise, Freelancers
Platformswebmacos, windows, linux, web
CountryUS · 2017US · 2022
Rating——

Choose Bolt.new if

Founders, designers and developers who want a working full-stack prototype or MVP with real, exportable code in hours.

  • From prompt to running, deployable app in minutes
  • Real code you can export, unlike closed visual builders
  • Generous free plan for trying ideas

Look elsewhere if: Teams maintaining large production codebases or needing pure visual no-code (Bubble, FlutterFlow, Adalo).

Choose Cursor if

Professional developers and engineering teams who want an AI agent built into the editor rather than bolted on.

  • Agent workflow is among the most mature in any code editor
  • Familiar VS Code interface with near-zero migration effort
  • Fast, accurate Tab completion that many developers rate above rivals

Look elsewhere if: Developers who want Tab completion inside JetBrains or Vim, or teams that need predictable flat pricing for Claude and GPT models (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code).

Bolt.new vs Cursor pricing

Bolt.new

  • Free$01M tokens/mo, 300K daily cap, Bolt branding, no custom domain
  • Pro$25/mo$18/mo billed annually; 10M tokens with rollover, custom domain
  • Teams$30/user/mo$27 billed annually; admin controls, private NPM registry
  • EnterpriseCustomAnnual contract, usage-based tokens, SSO and support

Cursor

  • Free$0Limited agent and chat requests
  • Plus$8/moShared Grok, Cursor and X pool; Grok models only
  • Premium$30/mo4x Plus usage, cloud agents, Bugbot code reviews
  • Super$100/mo15x Plus usage, priority model access at peak times
  • Ultra$200/mo50x Plus usage, earliest access to new models

Bolt.new · Key features

  • Chat-based generation of full-stack web apps, sites and slides
  • Code runs live in the browser on StackBlitz WebContainers
  • Bolt Cloud hosting with databases, auth and custom domains
  • Start from Figma designs, GitHub repositories or templates
  • Mobile app building through Expo integration
  • Stripe payments and Supabase backend integrations

Cons

  • Token consumption rises sharply as projects grow
  • AI fix loops can waste tokens on stubborn bugs
  • Still needs coding knowledge for production-grade apps

Cursor · Key features

  • Tab autocomplete that predicts multi-line edits and the next cursor jump
  • Agent mode that edits many files and runs terminal commands
  • Cloud agents that work on tasks in parallel in remote sandboxes
  • Bugbot automated code review on GitHub pull requests
  • Codebase indexing so chat and agents understand the whole repo
  • Project Rules, skills and MCP servers to shape agent behavior

Cons

  • Third-party models such as Claude and GPT cost extra at API prices
  • Plus plan only offers Grok models
  • Pricing has changed repeatedly, including a 2025 backlash over Pro limits

Bolt.new vs Cursor: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Bolt.new or Cursor?

Cursor starts at $8/mo and Bolt.new at $25/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Bolt.new and Cursor have a free plan?

Yes, both Bolt.new and Cursor have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?