Code export · Bolt.new
Bolt.new code export, and the work that starts after it
Export policy checked on September 2026
What comes out
What Bolt.new actually exports.
Bolt.new is one of the builders that gives you everything without a fight. The files it generates are the files you take — a normal JavaScript project with normal tooling — so there's no lock-in at the format level. What comes out is the real thing, three different ways.
The full project files
Standard React + Vite single-page apps most often, sometimes Next.js or plain Node.js — with a real package.json and the source you'd expect.
Three ways out
Download as a ZIP (run it locally with `npm install && npm run dev`), connect and push to GitHub with multi-branch support, or open it in StackBlitz to keep editing in the WebContainer IDE.
Common integrations included
Supabase is the default backend and Netlify the usual deploy target, so the wiring you generated comes across with the code.
Export isn't gated
Getting the code out works on the Free plan — export is not plan- or token-gated. What's metered is AI generation, not the download.
How the export works: Open the project menu and either Export → Download for a ZIP, connect a GitHub repo and push (branch support was added in May 2025), or open the project in StackBlitz to carry on in the browser IDE. All three give you the same real project — pick the one that matches how you want to keep working.
The gap
What the export does not include.
Because the code itself is clean and portable, the gaps here aren't about the export format — they're about everything that surrounds a running product. Bolt gives you the app; it doesn't give you the operational scaffolding a real deployment needs.
Database data doesn't come with it
Duplicating or exporting a project carries the schema, not the rows. Your Supabase data is a separate migration, so "I exported the app" is not the same as "I have the app and its data" — plan the data move as its own step.
MajorSources: [2]No tests, no CI
The export ships no test suite and no deployment pipeline. Until those exist, every change is a manual, unverified deploy — acceptable for a prototype, risky the moment real users depend on it.
MajorGenerated code needs a review pass
It's idiomatic React/Vite/Node, but it's AI-generated, so it carries the usual inconsistencies — uneven structure, duplication, and auth or validation that looks right but hasn't been checked. The format is fine; the code still needs reading before you build on it.
MajorSecrets and hosting are on you
API and Supabase keys you re-supply rather than inherit, and production hosting is a separate Netlify (or your-own-infra) step. Free hosted apps also carry Bolt branding and no custom domain, so shipping for real means standing up your own deployment.
MinorSources: [3]
The real question
Is the exported code maintainable?
Bolt.new export:Maintainable
This is the strong part of Bolt's story: what you export is standard, framework-idiomatic React/Vite/Node with a normal package.json and normal npm tooling — no proprietary runtime, no special build, nothing an engineer has to reverse-engineer. Any JavaScript developer can clone it, run it locally, and start extending it the same day. The realistic caveat isn't the format, it's the origin: it's AI-generated, so expect the usual review work — tightening structure, removing duplication, and checking the auth and data paths — before you treat it as production code. That's a review pass on a genuinely portable codebase, not a rescue.
Your options
What to do with the export.
Three honest routes. The right one depends on how far the app has to go and who is going to own the code once it gets there.
- 01
Keep iterating in Bolt
Stay in Bolt for the fast loop and let the GitHub connection mirror your work, so you always have the repo as a fallback.
- Right when you're still prototyping and generation speed matters more than hardening.
- Wrong when real users and real data are already relying on unreviewed code.
- 02
Hand the repo to an engineer
Give the exported project to a developer who reviews the generated code, wires up secrets, adds tests and CI, and owns it going forward.
- Right when the app is roughly right and you want to keep it but make it safe and maintainable.
- 03
Reviewed rebuild-or-harden pass
Start from the export and do a structured hardening pass — or rebuild the parts that won't scale — so the result is engineered and tested, not just generated.
- Right when the product has to carry real users, payments and data and "it was generated" isn't a good enough answer.
"Export is free, generation is metered" — and what that actually means
The confusion worth clearing up about Bolt is the pricing, because it's the opposite shape from most builders. Getting your code out costs nothing — ZIP, GitHub and StackBlitz all work on the Free plan. What's metered is AI generation, billed in tokens (Free gives 300K a day; Pro starts around $25/mo for 10M+/mo; Teams is about $30 per member). So you never pay a ransom to leave; you pay to keep building. What the export does include: the full React/Vite/Node source and your integration wiring. What it doesn't: your database rows, your secrets, a test suite, CI, or production hosting. The code is genuinely yours — the operational work is what's left.
- Stack
- React/Vite/Node
- Export cost
- Free
- DB data copies
- No
- Tests / CI
- None
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
- How do I download my Bolt.new project as a ZIP?
- Open the project menu and choose Export → Download to get a ZIP of the full project. Unzip it and run it locally with `npm install && npm run dev` — it's a standard project, so it behaves like any other React/Vite/Node app on your machine. Downloading works on the Free plan.
- Does Bolt.new connect to GitHub?
- Yes. You can connect a GitHub repo and push your project to it, with multi-branch support added in May 2025. That's usually the better path than one-off ZIPs if you're going to keep working, because it gives you real version history and a repo an engineer can pick up.
- What stack does Bolt.new generate?
- Standard JavaScript/TypeScript — most often React + Vite single-page apps, sometimes Next.js or plain Node.js. It runs in StackBlitz WebContainers, and the common integrations are Supabase for the backend and Netlify for deployment. There's no proprietary framework, which is why the export is straightforward to take on.
- Is Bolt.new code export free, or does it cost tokens?
- Export is free — ZIP, GitHub and StackBlitz all work on the Free plan. Tokens meter AI generation, not the download (Free is 300K/day; Pro starts around $25/mo). So you're never charged to leave; the cost is in building. Free hosted apps do carry Bolt branding and no custom domain, so production hosting is a separate step.
Every builder, one table
Code export across the hub, at a glance.
The same status table on every export page. “Exports” means real, usable source comes out; “partial” means a major layer is missing; “none” means no source export at all. The nuance is on each page.
| Platform | Code export | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Lovable | Exports code | React repo via GitHub |
| Base44 | Partial export | Front end; backend locked |
| Webflow | Partial export | Front end only, no CMS |
| FlutterFlow | Exports code | Dart / Flutter source |
| Framer | No code export | Host-only, no export |
| Bolt.newThis page | Exports code | Project files / GitHub |
| Bubble | No code export | No source export |
| Replit | Exports code | Full code, you own it |
| Softr | No code export | No code (data only) |
| Glide | No code export | No code (data only) |
| Adalo | No code export | No source export |
| Retool | Partial export | Self-host, not source |
| Xano | Partial export | API portable, no export |
Sources
Every claim, traced to a primary source.
The numbered references in the body link here. We cite vendor docs, pricing pages, changelogs and named reporting — dated where the document is dated, so the page can be re-audited each quarter.
- [01]Manage your projects and files — ZIP, GitHub, Open in StackBlitz
Bolt Help Centersupport.bolt.new
- [02]Supabase for databases
Bolt Help Centersupport.bolt.new
- [03]
Own the Bolt.new app outright?
We’ll map the route to code you actually own.
Book a call with Jackson, our Growth Partner — he’ll walk your export or app, the gaps that matter, and a fixed-price plan to get it production-ready, live on your screen. Or get an instant estimate first.
Or see fixed-price migration packages and how we work.