Bolt.new vs Cursor: comparing two different AI coding tools
Comparing Bolt.new vs Cursor means comparing two different categories of tool. Bolt.new is a browser-based AI app generator: you prompt it and it builds, previews, and hosts the result. Cursor is an AI-assisted code editor built for developers who write and review code themselves.
Here’s what each tool actually does, what it costs, and where Sticklight fits as a third option for professional creators.
- Bolt.new generates, previews, and hosts websites and apps from prompts in the browser, using a token-based usage model.
- Cursor is an AI-assisted code editor for developers, with in-editor coding agents, code review, and access to multiple frontier language models. It doesn’t host or deploy the applications it helps build.
- Bolt.new’s Free plan includes 300K tokens/day and 1M tokens/month; its Pro plan is $25/month with no daily token cap.
- Cursor’s Hobby plan is free with limited Agent requests; Individual Pro is $20/user/month and Teams Standard is $40/user/month.
- Sticklight is a separate category: a vibe-coding platform, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, that turns a prompt into a production-ready website, app, dashboard, CMS, or internal tool and publishes it.
What Bolt.new and Cursor actually are.
Bolt.new is a browser-based AI tool. You type a prompt, and Bolt.new generates, previews, and hosts the resulting website or application, using a token-based usage model that scales with plan tier. Key capabilities include custom domain support on the Pro tier, removal of Bolt branding on paid tiers, file upload limits that scale by tier, and, on the Teams tier, centralized billing, team-level access management, and private NPM registry support. Enterprise adds SSO and audit logs. Bolt.new doesn’t disclose its default backend or data model on its pricing page.
Cursor is a different kind of product: an AI-assisted code editor, or IDE, built for software developers. It gives you in-editor coding agents (Composer/Agent mode), access to multiple frontier language models, cloud agents that can run tasks remotely, and a code-review feature called Bugbot, billed on a usage basis. It also supports MCP, skills, and hooks. On the Teams tier it adds a team marketplace and shared team context; Enterprise adds SCIM seat management and audit logs. Cursor is a code editor, not a hosted app-generation platform: it doesn’t host or deploy the applications you build inside it.
Bolt.new vs Cursor at a glance
| Dimension | Bolt.new | Cursor | Sticklight |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Browser-based AI tool that generates, previews, and hosts apps from prompts | AI-assisted code editor (IDE) for developers | Vibe-coding platform that turns a prompt into a production-ready site, app, dashboard, CMS, or tool |
| Output | Hosted websites and applications, generated from prompts | Code, written and edited with AI assistance inside the editor | Production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools |
| Backend / data | Not disclosed on the pricing page | Not applicable; Cursor edits code, it does not provision app infrastructure | Works with your existing WordPress/Elementor data and hosting |
| Publish / hosting | Hosting included; custom domains on Pro tier | Not included; Cursor does not host or deploy generated apps | Publish included |
| Best for | Prompt-to-app generation with built-in hosting | Developers who want AI assistance while writing and reviewing code themselves | Professional creators who want production-ready full-stack output from one prompt |
| Entry pricing | Free; Pro is $25/month | Free; Individual Pro is $20/user/month | Additive to your WordPress/Elementor stack |
Pricing details.
Bolt.new offers a Free plan at $0/month with 300K tokens/day and 1M tokens/month, with Bolt branding and a 10MB file upload limit. Its Pro plan is $25/month, starting at 10M tokens/month with no daily token limit and rollover of unused tokens. Teams pricing is $30 per member per month. Enterprise pricing is custom, available on request.
Cursor’s Hobby plan is free, with no credit card required and limited Agent requests. Individual Pro is $20 per user per month. Cursor also lists Individual Pro+ and Individual Ultra tiers priced above the Pro tier, but exact figures for those two tiers weren’t published on the fetched pricing page, so check their site for current pricing on Pro+ and Ultra. On the team side, Teams Standard is $40 per user per month; Teams Premium is priced above that, and again check their site for current pricing on that tier. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Where Sticklight fits in.
Bolt.new and Cursor sit at different points on the build spectrum: one generates and hosts an app from a prompt, the other assists a developer writing code by hand inside an editor. Sticklight is a third option worth considering alongside both. It’s a vibe-coding platform, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, with a flow of prompt, build, publish. Instead of stopping at a demo you still have to finish and wire together yourself, Sticklight turns a prompt into a production-ready output, whether that’s a website, app, dashboard, CMS, or internal tool, and publishes it as part of the same flow.
If you already work inside WordPress and Elementor, Sticklight is additive: it works alongside that existing stack rather than asking you to replace it. That combination, professional-creator focus plus production-ready full-stack output from a single prompt plus publishing included, is why Sticklight is worth weighing against a code-editor tool like Cursor or a browser app-generator like Bolt.new. AI agents are on Sticklight’s roadmap, coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bolt.new vs Cursor a fair comparison?
Only partly. Bolt.new generates and hosts apps from prompts, while Cursor is a code editor that assists you as you write code directly. They serve overlapping but distinct workflows, which is why the comparison depends on whether hosting and prompt-to-app generation matter to you, or whether in-editor AI assistance for hand-written code does.
Does Cursor host the applications it helps build?
No. Cursor is a code editor, not a hosted app-generation platform, and it doesn’t host or deploy generated apps itself.
What does Bolt.new cost?
Bolt.new’s Free plan is $0/month. Its Pro plan is $25/month, Teams is $30 per member per month, and Enterprise pricing is custom.
Is there a lower-cost option than Cursor’s team plans?
Cursor’s Hobby plan is free, and Individual Pro is $20 per user per month. Higher individual and team tiers exist above those prices; check their site for current pricing on Pro+, Ultra, and Teams Premium.
How does Sticklight compare to Bolt.new and Cursor?
Sticklight is a vibe-coding platform built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude. It turns a prompt into a production-ready website, app, dashboard, CMS, or tool and publishes it, and it works additively alongside an existing WordPress/Elementor stack.
Built by the Elementor team. Powered by Claude.
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