Coding agents · AI agent
Bolt.new: review, pricing, security and alternatives
Bolt.new is a AI agent, in the coding agents family. Bolt plans application projects, writes their code and troubleshoots problems as users build and refine them. Paid access from $25 per month, with a free tier.
What Bolt.new does
Bolt.new belongs to the coding agents family: they read a repository, edit files, run the tests and fix things until everything passes, in a terminal or an editor. The directory lists 74 agents in this family.
You use it from: web app.
Who is Bolt.new for?
It is aimed at developers and technical teams who want to hand off part of the work on their codebase while keeping the final review. Typical tasks people give it:
- fix a bug from an issue or an error message
- write or extend tests
- migrate code to a new library version
- explain an unfamiliar codebase
It is a good candidate if you prefer doing everything in a browser, with no install and you want to try for free before paying.
Access and human control
According to its documentation, Bolt.new can:
- read and edit files
We could not establish whether it asks for human approval before sensitive actions: test it first on an unimportant account or folder.
Bolt.new pricing
The cheapest paid plan that gives access to Bolt.new costs $25 per month, according to the official pricing page checked on October 25, 2026.
Agent prices change often and frequently depend on usage (credits, tasks, steps): check the pricing page before committing, especially for a team.
Getting started with Bolt.new
- Create an account on the official website: the free tier is enough for a first try.
- Pick the platform: web.
- Give it a first playground with nothing at stake: a test folder, a secondary account or a throwaway project. Only open your real accounts once you have seen how it behaves.
- Give it a short, checkable task, review the result and its action log, then raise the difficulty step by step.
Security: risk level
A coding agent runs commands on your machine: work on a Git branch, review the changes and isolate it in a container for long tasks.
Three habits: least privilege (minimal rights, dedicated keys), human approval for irreversible actions, a sandbox for code execution. The AI agent security check reviews your setup in a few minutes.
Bolt.new's price vs other services
Of the 8 services in the family that publish a monthly price, 5 are cheaper than Bolt.new.
Note: at the same price, included quotas (credits, tasks, messages) vary a lot between services. The entry price tells you what access costs, not how much work it buys.
Bolt.new and other coding agents at a glance
The 7 best-ranked agents in the same family, 7 of them open source. The score out of 100 only applies to open-source projects; for proprietary services we show the published entry price. A dash marks information the documentation does not state.
| Agent | Model | Score | Stars or entry price | Self-hostable | Human approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt.new | proprietary | – | $25 per month | – | – |
| OpenCode | open source | 95 | 221K ★ | yes | – |
| Cline | open source | 94 | 70.8K ★ | yes | yes |
| OpenHands | open source | 91 | 91.7K ★ | yes | – |
| Codex | open source | 89 | 130.8K ★ | yes | yes |
| Open Interpreter | open source | 89 | 68.7K ★ | yes | – |
| Qwen Code | open source | 89 | 28.7K ★ | yes | yes |
| Kilo Code | open source | 89 | 27.7K ★ | yes | yes |
How we rated it
We do not give proprietary agents a score out of 100: there is no public adoption or activity data for them comparable to open-source repositories, and we will not make up a number. This page relies on the vendor's documentation and pricing page, checked on October 25, 2026.
The risk level follows the same rule as for open-source projects: access granted, default human approval and where data is processed. Details on the method page.
Verdict
Bolt.new is a commercial service: the verdict relies on its documentation and public pricing, not on usage data.
Strengths
- Free tier to try it
Alternatives
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Is Bolt.new free?
There is a limited free tier; the entry paid plan costs $25 per month.
Is Bolt.new safe?
Our risk level: low. Give it minimum rights and approve irreversible actions.
Which models does Bolt.new use?
Its documentation does not specify the supported models.
Can Bolt.new be installed on your own server?
This is not clearly documented: check with the vendor.
What are the alternatives to Bolt.new?
In the same family: OpenCode, Cline, OpenHands, and Codex.
Bolt.new or OpenCode: what is the difference?
Both belong to the coding agents family. Bolt.new is a proprietary service, OpenCode is open source. The right choice mostly depends on the access you are willing to give it.
Related articles
- Open source or proprietary AI agent: how to decideOctober 25, 2026
- AI agent vs. chatbot: what's the difference?October 24, 2026
- Autonomous AI agents: how much should you let them do?October 12, 2026
- AI agent memory: how agents remember (and forget)October 11, 2026
Neutrality. No affiliate links. No vendor pays to be reviewed, rated or ranked. Reviews are directed by François Chollet, neutral and factual, and every data point is dated and sourced. How we score