v0 vs Bolt vs Lovable: AI App Builders Compared

AI app builders have matured rapidly. Three platforms now dominate: v0 by Vercel, Bolt, and Lovable (formerly GPT Engineer). But which one should you choose?

To find out, we built the same application with each: a simple task management app with authentication, a dashboard, and CRUD operations.

The Contenders

v0 by Vercel

v0 specializes in generating React components. It’s not a full-stack builder—instead, it excels at creating beautiful, accessible UI that you can drop into existing projects.

Best for: UI generation, component libraries, design systems

Bolt

Bolt is a full-stack platform that generates complete applications from prompts. It handles both frontend and backend, with real-time preview and one-click deployment.

Best for: Rapid prototyping, full applications, non-developers

Lovable

Lovable focuses on conversational development. You iterate through dialogue, with the AI generating and modifying code based on your feedback.

Best for: MVPs, startups, iterative development

The Test: Building a Task Manager

Prompt Given

“Create a task management app with user authentication, a dashboard showing tasks, and the ability to create, edit, and delete tasks. Use a modern design.”

v0 Results

v0 generated excellent individual components:

• Clean login form with validation
• Task card component with animations
• Dashboard layout with proper spacing

What worked:

• Beautiful, production-ready UI
• Accessible out of the box
• Uses shadcn/ui components

What didn’t:

• No backend logic
• Required manual assembly
• No authentication logic

Time to usable UI: 15 minutes (assembly required)

Bolt Results

Bolt created a complete application:

• Full Next.js project structure
• Supabase integration for auth and database
• Working CRUD operations

What worked:

• Complete, deployable app
• Real-time preview during development
• One-click Vercel deployment

What didn’t:

• Some overly complex code patterns
• Required refinement prompts for UX
• Credits consumed quickly

Time to deployed app: 45 minutes

Lovable Results

Lovable built iteratively through conversation:

• Started with basic structure
• Refined through 5 conversation turns
• Final result was clean and maintainable

What worked:

• Natural development flow
• Clean code structure
• Good at incorporating feedback

What didn’t:

• Slower than Bolt
• Occasional misunderstandings
• Limited framework options

Time to deployed app: 1 hour

Feature Comparison

Code Quality Comparison

v0 generates the cleanest code—it’s focused and purposeful:

// v0 output: Clean, minimal, uses shadcn
export function TaskCard({ task }: TaskCardProps) {
  return (
    <Card>
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>{task.title}</CardTitle>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <p className="text-muted-foreground">{task.description}</p>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  );
}

Bolt is functional but sometimes verbose:

// Bolt output: Works but more boilerplate
export const TaskCard = ({ task, onEdit, onDelete }: TaskCardProps) => {
  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);
  // ... lots of state management
  // ... error handling
  // ... sometimes unnecessary complexity
};

Lovable strikes a balance:

// Lovable output: Good structure, maintainable
export function TaskCard({ task, onUpdate, onDelete }: TaskCardProps) {
  const handleComplete = async () => {
    await onUpdate({ ...task, completed: !task.completed });
  };
  // Clean, intentional code
}

Pricing

The Verdict

Choose v0 if: You need beautiful UI components for an existing project. It’s the best at generating production-ready React components with excellent design.

Choose Bolt if: You want to go from idea to deployed app as fast as possible. It’s the most complete solution for full-stack applications.

Choose Lovable if: You prefer an iterative, conversational approach and want cleaner code structure. It’s best for MVPs you plan to maintain long-term.

My Recommendation

For most developers, start with v0 for UI, use Bolt for prototypes.

v0 is unmatched for generating components you’ll actually want to keep. Use it for your design system and UI elements.

Bolt is ideal when you need a working prototype quickly—for demos, MVPs, or validating ideas. Just plan to refactor if the project grows.

Lovable is the choice for solo developers building products they’ll maintain. Its conversational approach produces more maintainable code.

The future is using these tools together: v0 for components, Bolt for rapid prototyping, and your favorite AI coding assistant for refinement.