Atlas
Atlas vs Bolt

Atlas or Bolt? Two ways to build software without writing code.

Bolt builds websites, web apps and mobile apps from a chat, with the whole development environment running in your browser, paid for in tokens. Atlas is a Mac app that runs a team of AI engineers on your own Claude plan: they plan, build, test and review the work, and release it to hosting you own when you say so.

Bolt fits when
  • You want nothing to install, in any Chromium browser
  • You want a mobile app built through Expo
  • You would rather Bolt hosted the site for you
Atlas fits when
  • You already pay for Claude Pro or Max and want it doing the building, with no AI credits to buy
  • You want work planned, tested and reviewed before it is called done, with the evidence to check
  • You want the code and the live app in accounts you own
  • You work on a Mac with Apple silicon
Download for Mac
Side by side

What each one does, from its own pages.

Bolt’s column is from its own website, read on 6 November 2026, with the page beside each line. Atlas’s is from this site.

AtlasBolt
What it isA team of AI engineers built on Claude Code, in a Mac app. You talk to PA, your project assistant, in plain words; specialists design, build, test and security-check the work.An AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps (through Expo), made by StackBlitz. It runs a full development environment in your browser. support.bolt.new
Where you use itOn a Mac with Apple silicon. A team can move a project to its own server, in its own DigitalOcean account, and keep working with the laptop closed.In the browser, with nothing to install. Chrome and other Chromium browsers work best; in Safari the code view is read-only and there is no terminal. support.bolt.new
Where your app goes liveOn hosting you own, for as many users as you like; Atlas never charges for the software running live. Deploys to DigitalOcean sign in with your approval in the browser, with no keys pasted.Bolt Cloud hosts it on a free bolt.host address; custom domains on paid plans. Netlify is another option, without a database or back end. support.bolt.new
What it costsOne project in development on your Mac is free, for ever. Each more project in development at the same time is $50 a month, with 30 days free for one on your own server. You also need your own Claude Pro or Max plan, billed by Anthropic.Free: 1M tokens a month, 300K a day. Pro: from $25 a month, starting at 10M tokens. Teams: $30 a month per member. Larger token allowances cost more. bolt.new
How AI use is countedAgainst your Claude plan’s limits: no AI credits to buy and no per-token bill. Checks that repeat run as programs, with no AI at all.Tokens. Bolt says most of them go on reading and syncing your project’s files, so larger projects use more tokens per message. support.bolt.new
Which AI modelsClaude, through your Claude Code plan. Each kind of task starts on a model and effort chosen for it — the top model for design and architecture, Haiku for mechanical steps — and you can change any of them.You pick an agent, Standard or Max (Max on paid plans); Bolt chooses the models behind it. support.bolt.new
Your codeIn your project’s own git repository. Finished work lands on its main branch, and main’s history is never rewritten.Yours, for any legal use. Download a .zip, or sync with GitHub — including importing an existing repository. support.bolt.new
TestingBuilding waits for failing tests. Work is not “done” until a screen has its test cases and screenshots; the Tests screen shows every run, with a step-by-step replay.Bolt’s homepage says it “automatically tests, refactors, and iterates to reduce errors”. bolt.new
Review and securityEvery build is reviewed as it finishes and comes back releasable or with fix tasks. A change to sign-in, payments or stored secrets gets a security look at once; the Security screen tracks 162 attack classes.A project security audit of the code and database, from the Publish menu, on paid plans; a database security check on every plan. support.bolt.new
Going liveNever without your say. A release beyond the Mac follows eight steps, including a backup proven by restoring it and database changes rehearsed on that copy.Publish puts the site on bolt.host. On the Free plan, every published site is public. support.bolt.new
Working with othersAs many people as you like, each with their own free project on their Mac. Talk to PA in the app or in Slack.Share a project as viewer, editor or co-owner and build together in real time; each collaborator spends their own tokens. support.bolt.new

Plans and prices change: check bolt.new/pricing before you decide. Atlas is independent and not affiliated with Bolt, Anthropic or OpenAI.

How Atlas works

What a table can’t show.

A team, not one assistant

Each engineer is its own Claude Code session with a written role — architecture, design, front end, back end, testing, security and more — and its own copy of the code, so nobody edits the same files under someone else.

Done means proven

Building waits for an approved design and failing tests. Completion is refused until the work is on main or queued to land, a screen has its test cases and screenshots, and the product’s rules pass.

You decide what matters

Production go-lives, spending, deleting data, sending anything outside and dropping scope are never decided for you. An optional daily budget pauses the team at its limit.

Questions

Atlas or Bolt: common questions

Is Atlas a Bolt alternative?

For some people. Both build software from plain words, but they work differently: Bolt builds in your browser and hosts the result, paid in tokens; Atlas runs a team of AI engineers on your Mac, on your own Claude plan, and releases to hosting you own. If you already pay for Claude Pro or Max and want tested, reviewed work in your own accounts, Atlas fits. If you want nothing to install and quick hosting, Bolt does.

What does each cost for one person?

Atlas is free for one project in development on your Mac; you also need your own Claude Pro or Max plan, billed by Anthropic. Bolt’s Free plan has 1M tokens a month (300K a day), and Pro starts at $25 a month for 10M tokens (Bolt’s pricing page, 6 November 2026).

Do I need to write code?

No, with either. With Atlas you talk to PA in plain words; specialists design, build, test and security-check the work, and it is released when you say so.

Does Atlas run in the browser?

No. Atlas is a Mac app for Apple silicon, and a team can move a project to its own server in its own DigitalOcean account, where it keeps working with the laptop closed.

Also compared: Atlas vs Lovable · Atlas vs Replit · Atlas pricing

Start with one project on your Mac. It stays free.

Download for Mac

For Macs with Apple silicon · sign in with your email · questions: [email protected]