Bolt, Lovable and v0 are AI app builders that turn plain-language prompts into working interfaces and apps. They look similar in a demo, but plans, metering and security features differ in ways that matter once you rely on them.
This guide explains what to compare and sets out the facts we could verify from each vendor’s pages. It does not pick a winner, and we did not build anything with these tools.
How we researched this: we did not run hands-on tests for this article. It is based on the vendor’s own documentation and public sources, checked on 11 November 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm details on the vendor’s site before you buy.
Key takeaways
- Bolt meters tokens, Lovable meters credits across building, hosting and in-app AI, and v0 converts input and output tokens into dollar-denominated credits.
- Bolt lists Pro at $25 a month and Teams at $30 per member; Lovable lists Pro from $25 and Business from $50; v0 lists Plus at $30 and Business at $100 per user.
- Lovable says building and in-app AI stop when credits run out, and v0 says generation pauses, so check what a limit does to a live app.
- Security features such as SSO, DPAs and data opt-out sit on higher plans in all three, so check before uploading sensitive data.
- Prices and limits change often. Confirm them on each vendor page and review any generated code before use.
Why compare Bolt, Lovable and v0
Bolt, Lovable and v0 all let you describe an app or interface in plain language and get working code back. For founders, marketers and product people, that can turn an idea into a clickable prototype quickly. The tools differ most where it is hardest to see from a demo: how usage is metered, what happens when you run out, whether you can take the code with you, and what the team and security plans include.
This article is a decision framework with documented facts from each vendor. It does not rank the three, because we have not built anything with them. For the general method, see comparing AI tools side by side fairly.
A caution on generated apps
An AI-built prototype is not the same as a production system. Anything that handles customer data, payments or logins needs review by someone who can read code. Treat the output as a draft and apply the habits in how to check AI output for mistakes.
Quick overview table
| Item | Bolt | Lovable | v0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage unit | Tokens | Credits | Dollar-denominated credits, based on input and output tokens |
| Free plan | Yes, with a daily and monthly token limit | Yes, with daily build credits | Yes, with a small allowance (see below) |
| Entry paid plan listed | Pro at $25 a month | Pro from $25 a month | Plus at $30 per user a month (Premium is closed to new users) |
| Team plan | Teams at $30 per member a month | Business from $50 a month | Plus at $30 and Business at $100 per user a month |
| Enterprise | Custom | Contact sales | Custom |
All figures were read from vendor pages on 11 November 2026. Confirm them before you buy.
Criteria that matter
- Usage metering. How you are charged, what is predictable and what is not.
- Free plan limits. Enough to judge the tool or not.
- Code access and hosting. Whether you can edit or download code, use your own domain, and what is hosted for you.
- Team features. Roles, shared credits, admin controls.
- Security and data. SSO, data opt-out, data processing agreements.
- Exit options. How easily you can move the project elsewhere.
Bolt: what the pricing page lists
Bolt’s pricing page lists Free at $0 a month with no card required. It has a 300K daily token limit, 1M tokens a month, 10MB uploads and hosting for up to 333K web requests. Sites show Bolt branding and free tokens do not roll over. Pro is $25 a month billed monthly, with no daily token limit, starting at 10M tokens a month with rollover, 100MB uploads, up to 1M web requests, custom domains, removal of Bolt branding and private site sharing. Teams is $30 per member a month, adding centralised billing, team access management, admin controls with user provisioning and organisation sharing. The page notes that tokens are not shared between members. Enterprise adds SSO, audit logs, compliance support and data governance and retention policies at custom pricing.
The page advertises yearly billing as saving up to 28% but does not list yearly prices per plan. It says that on paid plans, unused tokens stay in your balance for up to two months while the subscription remains active.
Lovable: what the docs list
Lovable’s documentation describes four plans. Free offers 5 daily build credits with a cap of 30 a month, plus monthly Cloud and AI grant credits and a daily chat allowance. Publishing on Free is limited to up to 10 invited people per project, and you cannot edit or download code or use custom domains. Pro lists prices from $25 to $2,250 a month depending on tier, with 100 to 10,000 credits a month, and adds code editing and download, custom domains, design systems, per-member credit limits and credit rollovers. Business lists $50 to $4,300 a month by tier, adding role-based access, SSO, a security centre, a DPA and the Lovable API. Enterprise adds SCIM, audit logs, EU inference and more, by contract. Annual billing gives two months free compared with monthly.
| Lovable plan | Monthly price range | Credits a month | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 5 daily build credits (30 a month cap) | Git sync, workspace-private projects |
| Pro | $25 to $2,250 | 100 to 10,000 | Code edit and download, custom domains |
| Business | $50 to $4,300 | 100 to 10,000 | SSO, DPA, roles, Lovable API |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Set by contract | SCIM, audit logs, EU inference |
Lovable’s credits page explains that one balance covers building, chatting, hosting and backend usage (Cloud), and AI features inside deployed apps. When credits run out, building stops, AI features in deployed apps stop and Cloud-backed apps pause. That matters if a live app depends on the same balance.
v0: what the docs list
v0’s pricing documentation lists Free at $0 with 7 daily messages and no team features, and says existing users keep a $5 monthly allowance while new users get a one-time $5. Premium at $20 a month is described as being sunset and not open to new users. Plus is $30 per user a month with $30 per user a month in included credits, a shared credit pool and centralised billing. Business is $100 per user a month with $30 a month in credits, and lists data opt-out. Enterprise is custom, with RBAC, SAML SSO and data opt-out.
The documentation says credits work as a prepaid balance and that generation pauses when they run out. Unused monthly credits roll over and expire after 65 days. Usage is measured in input and output tokens, and Vercel’s May 2025 announcement said longer prompts, larger outputs and context such as chat history all use more tokens. That post gave older allowances ($5 Free, $20 Premium, $30 Team), so the docs are the better guide to current plans.
Usage metering compared
| Question | Bolt | Lovable | v0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is metered | Tokens | Credits across building, chat, Cloud and in-app AI | Input and output tokens converted to credits |
| Rollover | Unused tokens stay for up to two months on paid plans | Monthly plan credits roll over while subscribed; top-ups last 12 months | Monthly credits roll over and expire after 65 days |
| When you run out | The page lists limits; check behaviour in your plan | Building and in-app AI stop; Cloud apps pause | Generation pauses |
| Extra usage | Check the pricing page | Top-ups and auto top-up on Pro and Business | Buy extra credits on paid plans |
None of these pages lets you predict your bill without trying your own project. Our guide to reading an AI tool’s pricing page shows how to estimate cost from a test run.
Code access, hosting and exit
On Lovable, code editing and download start on Pro, per its docs, and Git sync is listed on Free. Bolt lists custom domains and branding removal on Pro, and a choice of database provider. v0’s docs, as we read them, focus on credits and plans, and we did not find a clear statement of code export in the pages we opened, so check that directly. Whatever you pick, ask where your project and database live and how you would move them if you left.
Privacy and data
Security features sit higher up each ladder. Lovable lists a DPA and SSO on Business and EU inference on Enterprise. Bolt lists SSO, audit logs and data governance and retention policies on Enterprise. v0 lists data opt-out on Business and Enterprise, which suggests it may not be available on lower plans, so ask. If you will upload customer data or internal documents, read each vendor’s privacy terms and use our guide on protecting company data before you start.
Who each may suit
Bolt may suit you if
- You want token-based pricing with a clearly listed free plan and a $25 Pro tier with custom domains.
Lovable may suit you if
- You want a plan ladder with many credit tiers, and Git sync from the free plan.
- You value documented admin controls such as per-member credit limits.
v0 may suit you if
- You work in Vercel’s ecosystem and prefer dollar-denominated credits, or need a shared credit pool for a team.
Look elsewhere if
- You need a production app with sensitive data and no developer to review the code.
How to run your own test
- Choose one small real project, such as a booking form or a dashboard.
- Write the same brief for each tool and keep it unchanged.
- Record credits or tokens used to reach a working version.
- Ask each tool for the same three changes and note the cost of each.
- Try exporting or publishing, and note what is blocked on the free plan.
- Have a developer review the code for security basics.
See also how to test an AI tool before you pay for it.
Decision checklist
- Do I understand how my usage is metered, and what happens at zero?
- Can I download or edit the code on the plan I will use?
- Do I need SSO, a DPA or data opt-out, and which plan includes it?
- How will costs grow as the team grows?
- Have I confirmed prices on the vendor pages?
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest, Bolt, Lovable or v0?
The entry paid plans are listed at $25 (Bolt Pro), from $25 (Lovable Pro) and $30 per user (v0 Plus). Metering differs, so the real cost depends on how much you build. Run the same project in each.
Do they have free plans?
Yes. Bolt lists Free with a 1M token monthly limit. Lovable lists Free with daily build credits capped at 30 a month. v0 lists Free with 7 daily messages.
Can I download the code?
Lovable lists code editing and download on Pro. For Bolt and v0 we did not confirm code export from the pages we read, so check the vendor docs.
What happens when I run out of credits?
Lovable says building and AI features in deployed apps stop and Cloud-backed apps pause. v0 says generation pauses. Bolt lists token limits; check its behaviour on your plan.
Are these safe for company data?
Check each vendor’s privacy terms and plan features. Lovable lists a DPA on Business, Bolt lists data governance on Enterprise and v0 lists data opt-out on Business and Enterprise.
Has v0 pricing changed?
Yes. Vercel announced token-based pricing on 13 May 2025, and the current docs list Premium as being sunset and new Plus and Business plans.
Conclusion
Bolt, Lovable and v0 solve a similar problem with different pricing mechanics and plan ladders. Decide what you need from code access, team controls and data protection, then run one small project through all three and track what it costs. If you are not yet sure what you need, start with how to choose an AI tool.
Sources
- Lovable Docs, subscription plans, accessed 11 November 2026
- Lovable Docs, credits and usage, accessed 11 November 2026
- Bolt, pricing, accessed 11 November 2026
- v0 Docs, pricing, accessed 11 November 2026
- Vercel, updated v0 pricing (13 May 2025), accessed 11 November 2026
