Replit Agent vs Bolt.new
Replit Agent handles full-stack with real backends. Bolt.new is faster for demos but less portable. Both need significant work for production deployment.
Both let you build apps from prompts, but they target different workflows. Replit Agent works within Replit's cloud development environment — your code runs on their infrastructure from the start. Bolt.new runs in a browser WebContainer — incredibly fast for prototyping but the output needs to be exported and deployed separately.
Head-to-head comparison
Backend capability
Replit AgentReplit Agent
Full-stack with various backends (Python, Node.js). Uses Replit's database and auth. Real server-side logic.
Bolt.new
Often frontend-only or minimal backend. Backend capabilities are limited by the WebContainer environment.
Prototyping speed
Bolt.newReplit Agent
Fast, but Replit's environment can be slow with cold starts. Good for iterative development.
Bolt.new
Extremely fast. Near-instant previews in the browser. The fastest path from idea to visual demo.
Portability
Bolt.newReplit Agent
Tightly coupled to Replit's services (Replit DB, Replit Auth). Significant work to move to another platform.
Bolt.new
Standard web project output. Export and deploy anywhere. Some cleanup needed but fundamentally portable.
Security
TieReplit Agent
Development server often used in production. Replit-specific auth that doesn't transfer. Missing HTTPS enforcement and security headers.
Bolt.new
No security layer at all. No auth, no validation, hardcoded credentials. Clear that security needs to be added.
Production hosting
TieReplit Agent
Can host on Replit, but cold starts (5-15 seconds) make it unsuitable for production. Migration to other hosting required.
Bolt.new
No built-in hosting. Must export and deploy elsewhere. But the code deploys cleanly to standard platforms.
Language flexibility
Replit AgentReplit Agent
Supports Python, Node.js, and many other languages/frameworks. Good for backend-heavy apps.
Bolt.new
Primarily JavaScript/TypeScript with React or Next.js. Limited to web technologies.
Code quality
Replit Agent produces more complete full-stack apps with real backends. Bolt produces faster, cleaner frontend prototypes that are more portable. Replit's challenge is platform coupling — the code works on Replit but needs significant changes to deploy elsewhere. Bolt's challenge is completeness — the code exports cleanly but usually needs a backend built.
Security
Both have significant security gaps. Replit's issues are about platform coupling — Replit Auth doesn't transfer, development server in production, missing security configuration. Bolt's issues are about missing infrastructure — no auth at all, no validation, hardcoded credentials. Both need comprehensive security work before production.
Which should you choose?
Choose Replit Agent if...
Full-stack apps that need server-side logic, database operations, and backend processing. Best if you're comfortable with Replit's ecosystem.
Replit Agent servicesChoose Bolt.new if...
Fast UI prototyping and demos. Best when you need a quick visual prototype and plan to build the production backend separately.
Bolt.new servicesThe bottom line
Replit Agent for full-stack capability, Bolt for speed and portability. If you need a backend, Replit gets you there faster (but you'll need to migrate off Replit for production hosting). If you need a quick demo, Bolt is unmatched. For production: both need significant work.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I host my Replit app on Replit for production?
Technically yes, but cold starts of 5-15 seconds make it a poor experience for users. For production, migrate to Railway, Render, or Vercel. This requires replacing Replit-specific services (Replit DB, Replit Auth) with standard alternatives.
Other comparisons
Cursor vs Lovable
Cursor produces more production-ready code but requires coding knowledge.
Cursor vs Bolt.new
Cursor gets closer to production-ready code.
Cursor vs v0
Cursor builds full-stack apps while v0 generates UI components.
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
Cursor is more capable for building full features.
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