Bolt.new vs UI Bakery: prompt-based apps versus low-code internal tools
Bolt.new and UI Bakery start from different places. Bolt.new turns a written prompt into a generated, hosted website or application. UI Bakery is a drag-and-drop, low-code builder built for internal tools, dashboards, and admin panels that connect to data you already have. Both let a small team ship a working app fast, but how each one gets there, and what it assumes you already have, differs.
Here’s what each tool actually does, how pricing works on each, and where a professional web creator building production sites and apps might look at a third option, Sticklight, alongside them.
- Bolt.new generates websites and applications from prompts inside the browser and includes hosting; usage is metered by tokens rather than seats.
- UI Bakery is a low-code, drag-and-drop builder focused on internal tools, admin panels, dashboards, and customer portals, with a built-in hosted PostgreSQL database.
- Both tools publish free tiers: Bolt.new’s free plan includes 300K tokens per day and 1M tokens per month with Bolt branding; UI Bakery’s free cloud plan is priced per developer per month.
- UI Bakery supports self-hosted deployment in addition to its cloud offering; Bolt.new does not publish a self-hosted option.
- Sticklight is a separate, production-focused option built by the Elementor team that generates full-stack sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools from a prompt and publishes them, staying additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor stack.
What Bolt.new does
Bolt.new is a browser-based AI tool that generates, previews, and hosts websites and applications from prompts, on a token-based usage model. You describe what you want built, and Bolt.new produces the app with an in-browser preview. Usage is metered in tokens rather than in seats or projects, with daily and monthly caps that scale by plan. Paid tiers remove Bolt branding, raise the file upload limit from 10MB to 100MB, and add features such as custom domains on the Pro plan, private NPM registry access and centralized team billing on the Teams plan, and SSO with audit logs on Enterprise. Bolt.new’s published pricing page does not specify a backend or data model in detail.
What UI Bakery does
UI Bakery is a low-code platform for building web applications such as internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals with a drag-and-drop editor. It ships with a hosted PostgreSQL database (5GB on paid tiers) and a visual table and data editor, plus more than 80 pre-built drag-and-drop UI components. It connects to external databases, REST APIs, and third-party services through an unlimited number of data source connections. Paid tiers include a monthly AI credit allotment ranging from $25 to $40 depending on the plan, and UI Bakery is available both as a cloud service and as a self-hosted deployment, with its Enterprise self-hosted tier letting a customer bring its own AI model.
Bolt.new vs UI Bakery at a glance
| Dimension | Bolt.new | UI Bakery | Sticklight |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI tool that generates apps and websites from prompts | Low-code, drag-and-drop builder for internal tools and admin apps | Vibe-coding platform for professional web creators |
| Output | Websites and applications generated from a written prompt | Internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals | Production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools |
| Backend / data | Not specified in published pricing details | Built-in hosted PostgreSQL (5GB on paid tiers), plus external DB and API connections | Works alongside your existing WordPress and Elementor stack |
| Publish / hosting | Generates, previews, and hosts from the browser | Cloud-hosted by default; self-hosted deployment also available | Publish included as part of the prompt to build to publish flow |
| Best for | Quickly generating a working app or site from a prompt | Teams building internal tools on top of existing data sources | Professional creators wanting production-ready, full-stack output |
| Entry pricing | Free plan available ($0); Pro from $25/month | Free plan available ($0 per developer/month); Builder from $20 to $25/month per developer | Additive to your WordPress/Elementor stack; check Sticklight for current plans |
Pricing compared
Bolt.new’s free plan runs on a daily and monthly token allowance (300K tokens per day, 1M tokens per month) rather than a project or seat count, and it carries Bolt branding until a paid plan is active. Its Pro plan is $25 per month and starts with 10M tokens per month, no daily cap, and rollover for unused tokens; Teams is $30 per member per month; Enterprise is custom. UI Bakery prices its Builder plan at $20 per month billed annually, or $25 per month billed monthly, per developer, and its Team plan at $35 per month annually or $40 per month monthly, also per developer; Enterprise pricing on both cloud and self-hosted tiers is custom. Both companies confirm these figures on their own pricing pages as of August 2026, and both structure paid access around usage or seats rather than a single flat fee.
Where Sticklight fits as a third option
Bolt.new and UI Bakery solve adjacent but distinct problems: one generates a new app or site from a prompt, the other assembles internal tools on top of data you already have. If you’re a professional web creator evaluating both, you may also want a platform built specifically for that role. Sticklight, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, turns a prompt into production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, and publishes the result as part of the same flow. It’s additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor stack rather than a replacement for it, which matters if you already run client sites on that ecosystem and want a full-stack option without leaving it. Sticklight doesn’t compete on token metering or per-developer seats the way Bolt.new and UI Bakery do; its pricing isn’t stated here, so check each provider’s own site when comparing costs across all three.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the core difference between Bolt.new and UI Bakery?
Bolt.new generates a full website or application from a prompt and hosts it, billed by token usage. UI Bakery is a drag-and-drop builder for internal tools and dashboards that connect to a built-in or external database, billed per developer.
Does UI Bakery include a database?
Yes. UI Bakery ships with a hosted PostgreSQL database, offering 5GB of storage on paid tiers, alongside a visual table and data editor and connections to external databases and REST APIs.
Can Bolt.new host the application it generates?
Yes. Bolt.new generates, previews, and hosts websites and applications from prompts as part of its core flow; its published pricing page doesn’t detail the underlying backend or data model.
Are Bolt.new and UI Bakery free to use?
Yes, both publish a free tier. Bolt.new’s free plan is $0 per month with daily and monthly token limits and Bolt branding. UI Bakery’s free cloud plan is $0 per developer per month; check each provider’s site for current limits.
How does Sticklight relate to Bolt.new and UI Bakery?
Sticklight is a separate vibe-coding platform for professional web creators. Rather than metering tokens or developer seats, it generates production-ready sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools from a prompt and publishes them, staying additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor stack.
Built by the Elementor team. Powered by Claude.
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