TL;DR / Key Takeaways
- Fastest in our test: a full one-page site in about 2 minutes.
- Stored form data in a database without being asked.
- Admin page locked behind a per-account allowlist; sign-up stays open.
- Free plan warned 10K daily tokens remaining after three prompts.
- Pro is $25 a month for your own domain and no badge.
Verdict: Bolt.new was the fastest builder in our test and the one with the most production-like defaults: it stored form submissions in a real database without being asked and locked its admin page behind a per-account allowlist. The catch is the free plan: after three prompts it warned "10K daily tokens remaining". Tested October 30 and 31, 2026.
How we tested: on October 30 and 31, 2026 we used the free plan in Chrome (US). The builder got the same one-page coffee-roaster brief and edit request as in our six-builder test, then a harder brief: "Add a second page called Wholesale, linked from the navigation, with an inquiry form for cafes (name, business name, email, estimated pounds per month) that saves each submission. Then add staff sign-in with email and password, and a staff-only admin page that lists newsletter signups and wholesale inquiries. Visitors who are not signed in must not be able to see the admin page." We then checked the result ourselves: we submitted a test inquiry, looked for it in the builder's own database or admin page, and opened the admin page signed out. We did not create staff accounts or publish the site. Ember & Oak is a made-up business.
Bolt.new at a glance
| What we checked | Result |
|---|---|
| Time to a one-page site | About 2 minutes, no questions asked |
| Newsletter form | Saves to a database table visitors can add to but not read |
| Edit: new headline and real map | Done; it also fixed the address text elsewhere to match |
| Wholesale page, sign-in and admin | About 3 minutes, 8-step plan; our test inquiry was stored |
| Admin page signed out | Shows only a staff sign-in form |
| Free plan | 1M tokens a month, with a daily cap we hit after 3 prompts |
| Cheapest paid plan | Pro $25/month: own domain, no Bolt badge, 10M tokens |
The first build: fast, and the form actually works
From one paragraph, Bolt.new planned six steps, pulled stock photos from Pexels and had a complete page in about two minutes. Its summary listed which details were placeholders and said it had created a newsletter table "that visitors can add to but cannot read". It also said it "could not view it in a browser", so it asked us to check the preview, which is fair: it builds and type-checks the code but does not click through the page itself.
When we asked for a new headline and a real map, it changed both and, without being asked, updated the street address in two other places so the page stayed consistent. Wix, by contrast, left the old address next to the new map.
The harder build: database tables first, then pages
Bolt.new called the second brief "a larger change" and laid out eight steps that started with the database: a staff access table and check function, a wholesale inquiries table, and a rule letting staff read newsletter signups. Only then did it build the pages, the sign-in screen and the admin page. It finished in about three minutes.
We filled in the Wholesale form with test details. The page thanked us, and Bolt.new's database panel showed one row in wholesale_inquiries. The first time we opened the panel it listed only the newsletter table; after a reload all three tables appeared, so give it a refresh if something looks missing.
Signed out, the admin page showed only a staff sign-in form. Bolt.new's access model is worth understanding: "Anyone can create an account on the sign-in screen, but they only see the admin data after being granted access". You tell Bolt which email addresses are staff, and only those accounts see the data. That is safer than "any signed-in user is an admin", but it does leave an open sign-up form on your site.
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Publishing and the free plan
The publish dialog lets you choose visibility, and offers a "Run security audit" that is locked on the free plan. We stopped there rather than publish a fake business. The free plan's daily cap is the real limit: after the first build, one edit and the harder brief, Bolt.new showed "10K daily tokens remaining" and a prompt to switch to Pro. Pro is $25 a month for 10M tokens, your own domain and no badge.
Who Bolt.new is for
- Good fit: you want a site or small app with real data storage and sign-in, quickly, and you are happy to read what it built.
- Less good: you want to iterate all day on the free plan, or you want the builder to click through and test the page for you.
- Compare: Lovable tested its own security and has no public sign-up; Base44 produced the most polished design.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Is Bolt.new free?
Yes, Bolt.new has a free plan with 1M tokens a month, hosting and Bolt branding. In our test it also showed a daily limit: after three prompts it warned 10K daily tokens remaining. Pro is $25 a month for 10M tokens, your own domain and no branding.
Can Bolt.new build a site with a database and login?
Yes. In our test it created database tables, a staff sign-in screen and an admin page in about three minutes, and the test inquiry we submitted was stored. Signed-out visitors saw only the sign-in form.
Is Bolt.new or Lovable better?
Bolt.new was faster and stored data without being asked; Lovable was slower but tested its own security and has no public sign-up for staff. Both start at $25 a month.