Not three versions of the same product
Lovable and Bolt.new offer browser workflows for building apps from prompts, with previews and managed services. Cursor is an editor for working directly on project files and repositories with AI assistance and agents. Your choice depends on where you want to develop, which dependencies you accept and how you intend to maintain the app.
There is no demonstrated winner for every scenario. This comparison describes features and commercial terms; it does not assign accuracy percentages, guaranteed completion times or results from tests we have not performed.
Lovable: conversational building and Cloud
Lovable combines chat, visual editing, collaboration and GitHub connections. It is a path to evaluate for a first web app when you want to focus on screens and user flows. Cloud and integrated services reduce some setup, but do not remove the need to design permissions and data.
Credits can cover building, running the app and in-app AI, with variable consumption per action. They should not be treated as a fixed number of identical messages. Before connecting real users, test access, data deletion and error handling.
Bolt.new: browser projects and token consumption
StackBlitz’s Bolt generates, runs and edits an app in the browser. It includes hosting and databases, with infrastructure limits distinct from AI tokens. Its free plan has monthly and daily allowances: it is not an unlimited environment.
Project size and the context needed for changes affect consumption. Long conversations or repeated fixes can cost more than the initial generation. Monitor token availability as well as traffic, resources and publishing settings.
Cursor: repository changes and agents
Cursor lets you explore a codebase, request multi-file changes and review differences in the editor. It is worth testing when you already own code, dependencies and a test suite. You still need a development environment and a separate hosting path.
The current price list distinguishes new X Subscription plans from legacy subscriptions. Allowances for Cursor/Grok models do not mean unlimited use of every provider: third-party models on eligible plans are billed separately. Check your subscription before estimating costs.
Reading prices correctly
| Tool | Plan | Price | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovable | Pro | US$25/month | 100 monthly credits at the base tier, custom domains |
| Bolt.new | Pro | From US$25/month | From 10M tokens/month, no daily limit and custom domain |
| Cursor | Premium | US$30/month | 4× Plus allowance; third-party models billed separately |
These plans do not use equivalent consumption units. A Lovable credit, a Bolt token and an editor allowance cannot be directly converted. Add hosting, databases, APIs, taxes and any collaborator costs.
A useful comparative trial
- Use the same requirement: a list with creation, editing, deletion and persistent data.
- Introduce the same change: add a required field without losing existing data.
- Test a failure: an unsuccessful request or unauthorized access.
- Compare passing checks, manual fixes, cost and export difficulty.
For a browser prototype, evaluate Lovable and Bolt; for a repository you need to maintain, try Cursor too. Do not choose solely on the first generated screen: examine what happens on the second change and the first real problem.
