Lovable vs Bolt: Which AI vibe coding tool actually works for non-coders?
Two AI-powered coding tools, Lovable and Bolt, are pushing vibe coding — building apps by typing prompts, no traditional coding needed. I tested both to see which delivers for total beginners.
The launch follows a rising buzz around vibe coding, where AI reads your natural language commands and spits out functioning code. The catch? You don’t need coding skills, but beware: expert review is still needed. 
Lovable, from Stockholm, speeds you through app and website builds with a chat interface, Figma imports, live previews, and workspace sharing. But if you want to edit code directly, you need to pay.
Bolt, launched by StackBlitz in 2024, runs in-browser with a chat agent that builds apps based on your prompts. It supports editing code even in the free plan, plus Figma, Expo, GitHub, and Netlify integrations.
Here’s what I found:
- Portfolio website: Bolt was faster, more creative, and cleaner. Both generated functional sites, but Bolt let me edit the code live.
- Fitness app: Lovable was quicker and cleaner despite missing true mobile preview. Bolt offered a phone preview via QR but had some non-functional fields.
- E-commerce site: Bolt’s build was brighter, better organized, despite odd misplaced images. Lovable nailed the payment options.
- Event landing page: Both solid, but Bolt added extra event details and kept the layout neat.
- Templates: Lovable shines with a community remix feature, making it easy to fork projects. Bolt offers prewritten prompts and smooth code edit experience.
Free plans mean limits: Lovable locks code editing; Bolt stops generating after token limits.
Both tools excel at speeding up early-stage app creation but often produce buggy flows requiring developer tweaks.
“Both tools require you to give clear and specific prompts. The more detailed your instructions, the better the results.”
“Lovable makes a sound notification once it finishes creating. But you can’t edit the generated code on Lovable unless you’re on a paid plan. Bolt, on the other hand, lets you edit the code, even if you’re using the free version.”
“If you’re working on simple tasks, these vibe coding tools do a good job. Still, when using their solutions, make sure you double-check for compliance and avoid unintentionally duplicating an existing product.”
Final takeaway: Bolt leans more technical with detailed output and code access on free. Lovable stays user-friendly with a conversational UI and community projects but locks serious dev features behind paywalls.
Neither tool replaces developers yet but opens a new path for non-coders to build, tinker, and learn by doing.
The vibe coding future is here. Just don’t skip the expert code check.
