The short answer: pick Bolt for fast web apps and prototypes, with the most generous free allowance of the two. Pick Replit for projects you'll keep building, and for mobile apps you want on the App Store without running the builds yourself. Both cost $18 a month billed yearly.
Full disclosure: GenVibe, the third option at the end, is our product. Bolt and Replit facts below come from their own pricing pages and docs, checked on October 26, 2026.
Bolt vs Replit at a glance
| Bolt.new | Replit | |
|---|---|---|
| What it builds | Web apps and Expo mobile apps | Web apps, Expo mobile apps and other projects |
| Free plan | 1M tokens a month (300K a day), Bolt branding | Daily Agent allowance; 1 published app, offline after 30 days |
| Entry paid plan | Pro $25/mo ($18 yearly): 10M tokens | Core $20/mo ($18 yearly): $20 of credits |
| How work is charged | Tokens; bigger projects use more per message | Per finished request (checkpoint), by effort |
| Unused allowance | Rolls over one extra month on paid plans | Core: doesn't roll over. Pro: 2 months |
| App Store | You build and submit it yourself | Launch wizard submits it for you |
| Google Play | You build and upload it yourself | Not supported yet |
| Teams | $30 per member a month ($27 yearly) | Pro $100/mo: up to 15 collaborators |
Where Bolt wins
- A big free allowance. One million tokens a month is enough to try several small apps before paying, with hosting and databases included.
- Fast to start. Everything runs in your browser tab, so a new project is ready in seconds.
- Tokens carry over. Unused subscription tokens last an extra month, and bought reloads never expire.
- Pro removes the branding. Pro adds a custom domain and takes Bolt's branding off your site.
Where it falls short: each message costs more tokens as your project grows, because Bolt sends your files to the AI, so long projects burn through the allowance. Mobile apps preview in Expo Go, but getting them into the App Store or Google Play means downloading the code and running Expo's build tools yourself. See Bolt pricing explained.
Where Replit wins
- App Store publishing. A launch wizard builds your Expo app on Expo's servers and sends it to App Store Connect with your Apple developer account. You can keep building while it runs.
- Previews without a phone. Paid plans include a cloud iPhone simulator and Android emulator, as well as Expo Go on your own phone.
- A workspace that grows with you. Files, a terminal, packages and any language, plus backend services and scripts, not just web apps.
- No surprise charges. Replit asks you to confirm before paid Agent work starts, and you can cap pay-as-you-go spending.
Where it falls short: the cost of a request is only known once Agent has done the work, Core credits don't roll over, the free plan's app goes offline after 30 days, and Replit says publishing to Google Play isn't supported yet. See Replit pricing explained.
Which should you choose?
- A quick prototype or web app on a budget: Bolt.
- An iPhone app on the App Store without setting up build tools: Replit.
- An Android app on Google Play: Bolt if you're comfortable running Expo's build tools yourself; otherwise see the third option below.
- A long-running project you'll keep adding to: Replit, where cost doesn't grow with project size the way Bolt's tokens do.
A third option: GenVibe
GenVibe builds web apps and React Native (Expo) mobile apps from a prompt, a Figma design or a screenshot. You test the mobile app on your phone while it builds, and on paid plans GenVibe builds the Android app on your Expo account and sends it to Google Play from the chat, with no build tools to install. Publishing to a live link is free on every plan, and paid plans start at $12 a month for 100 credits ($9 for the first month).
Where it loses: Replit already publishes iPhone apps to the App Store, which GenVibe doesn't yet; Bolt's free plan refills every month, while GenVibe's free plan is 20 credits once; and Replit is a fuller development workspace.
Compare more tools in the best React Native app builders and how to publish an app on Google Play, or try GenVibe free →
Frequently asked questions
Bolt or Replit: which is better?
Bolt is better for quick web apps and prototypes, with a big free token allowance and a fast in-browser editor. Replit is better for projects you’ll keep growing, for mobile apps you want on the App Store, and for anything that isn’t a web app. Both build React Native (Expo) mobile apps.
Is Bolt cheaper than Replit?
Billed yearly, Bolt Pro is $18 a month and Replit Core is $18 a month. Billed monthly, Bolt Pro is $25 and Replit Core is $20. They count differently: Bolt uses tokens, and each message costs more as your project grows; Replit charges each finished request by how much work it took, and hosting also comes out of your credits.
Can Bolt and Replit publish mobile apps to the app stores?
Replit has a launch wizard that builds your Expo app and sends it to App Store Connect; it says Google Play is not yet supported. Bolt lets you preview Expo apps in Expo Go, but to publish you download the code, set up your own Expo account and run the builds and store submissions yourself.
Which has the better free plan, Bolt or Replit?
Bolt’s free plan gives 1 million tokens a month (300,000 a day) with hosting and databases, but sites carry Bolt branding and can’t use a custom domain. Replit’s free Starter plan has a daily Agent allowance and one published app, which goes offline after 30 days unless you publish it again.
Do unused tokens or credits roll over?
Bolt: paid subscription tokens roll over for one extra month while you stay subscribed, and bought reloads don’t expire. Replit: Core credits don’t roll over; Pro credits roll over for two months.
Is there an alternative that publishes to Google Play from the chat?
Yes. GenVibe builds web apps and React Native (Expo) mobile apps from a prompt, a Figma design or a screenshot, and on paid plans can build the Android app and send it to Google Play from the chat. It is free to start with 20 credits and no card; paid plans start at $12 a month for 100 credits ($9 for the first month).
Sources: Bolt pricing, Bolt and Expo, Replit pricing and Building mobile apps on Replit, checked October 26, 2026. Prices change; check each site for the latest.