Buildy vs Bolt.new
Buildy vs Bolt.new
Bolt.new, from StackBlitz, is an AI website-and-app builder that runs a full-stack dev environment inside your browser (its WebContainers tech). Prompt it and you get a working web app, React, Next.js or Vue, that you can preview, host and download. It has also more recently added Expo/React Native support, so you can prompt a mobile app too. Buildy is built the other way around: it is a native mobile app builder first. You describe an app, get a real Expo/React Native project (or native Android in Kotlin/Compose, or native iOS in SwiftUI), preview it live, install it on your phone, and ship a store-ready binary. Both tools hand you your source code, so this comes down to what you're actually building: a web app, or an installable mobile app you can get onto the App Store and Google Play.
| Buildy | Bolt.new | |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | Yours, standard Expo project.zip export or GitHub sync, no proprietary runtime | Yours too.zip download + GitHub export (open-source edition: bolt.diy, MIT) |
| Native targets | Expo/React Native (default) + native Android (Kotlin/Compose) + native iOS (SwiftUI) | Web-first (React/Next.js/Vue); mobile via Expo/React Native only, added more recently |
| Free tier | Build + live preview + install on your phone, no card | 1M tokens/month (300K/day), no card; oriented around in-browser web preview |
| Export | Zip + GitHub sync (paid); plain Expo project that runs anywhere | Zip download + GitHub export |
| Pricing | Free / Pro €25 / Max €50, Paddle merchant of record, EU VAT included | Free / Pro $25 / Teams $30 per member / Enterprise custom (USD, token-metered) |
| App Store 2.5.2 | Preview runs on Buildy's servers, never bundled into the binary → shipped app is self-contained | Generates standard Expo apps; self-contained if you build them yourself and avoid OTA feature-changes |
| Backend | Supabase integration (Pro) | Full-stack web backends; Supabase + Netlify integrations |
| Learning curve / store builds | Describe → preview → install; managed cloud store builds included (Pro: 3 Android + 1 iOS/mo) | In-browser IDE; mobile store builds require installing the EAS CLI and building on your own machine |
Where Buildy is the better pick
Native mobile is the product, not a bolt-on. Buildy targets Expo/React Native by default, plus true native Android (Kotlin/Compose) and native iOS (SwiftUI). Bolt.new has added Expo support, but it remains a web-first tool (React/Next.js/Vue) running in a browser sandbox.
Managed cloud store builds are included. Buildy Pro ships 3 Android + 1 iOS store build/month (Max: 15 Android + 5 iOS). Per Bolt's own Expo docs, Bolt does not run EAS for you, you download the code, install the EAS CLI, and run the build on your own machine.
The free tier gets you onto a real phone. Build + live preview + install, no card required. Bolt's free plan is token-metered (1M tokens/month, 300K/day) and oriented around its in-browser web preview.
2.5.2-safe shipping by design. Buildy's live preview runs on Buildy's servers and is never packaged inside the shipped binary, so the app you submit to Apple is self-contained under App Store Guideline 2.5.2.
EU-friendly billing. Paddle is the merchant of record, so EU VAT is handled for you and pricing is in euros (Pro €25 / Max €50).
Where Bolt.new may be the better pick
No tool wins everything. Here's where Bolt.new is genuinely the stronger choice.
If you actually want a web app or a full-stack web SaaS, Bolt.new is purpose-built for it: an instant in-browser IDE, mature React/Next.js/Vue support, and one-click web hosting. Buildy is mobile-first and is not the right tool for a pure web app.
Bolt also gives you your code.zip download plus GitHub export, and even has an open-source edition (bolt.diy, MIT). So 'you own your code' is not a reason to pick Buildy over Bolt specifically; it's true of both.
Bolt's Pro is nominally a touch cheaper ($25 vs €25), and its token rollover plus the broader StackBlitz framework/community ecosystem make it more battle-tested for general web development.
The verdict
Pick by target, not by hype. If you're building a web app or a full-stack web SaaS, Bolt.new is the stronger, more mature choice, that's what its in-browser environment is designed for, and it hands you the code. If you want an installable native mobile app that you can preview on your phone and ship to the App Store and Google Play without wiring up EAS and running builds on your own machine, Buildy is the more direct path, mobile is the product, native Android and iOS are first-class, managed store builds are included, and the shipped binary is self-contained by design. Both let you own and export your source, so the real question is simply: web, or native mobile?
Build your first app free →Bolt.new pricing and token amounts (Free 1M/mo + 300K/day, Pro $25, Teams $30/member, Enterprise custom) were read from bolt.new/pricing and its Expo integration docs in July 2026 and may change; check their site for current figures. The €25 vs $25 comparison depends on the EUR/USD rate at the time you read this. The App Store 2.5.2 point describes Buildy's architecture (preview kept off-device); it is not a claim that Bolt-generated apps fail review, a standard Expo app you build yourself is generally self-contained as long as it doesn't use over-the-air updates to change features. Mobile preview details in Bolt can vary; its docs describe testing via the Expo Go app (QR code) rather than a fully in-browser mobile runtime.