The AI app builder space is changing and developing quickly, with new features and platforms available seemingly every week. So how do you know which tool is right for you? We put them to the test to see how the most popular tools stack up. In this comparison, we tested out three popular platforms: v0, Bolt, and Bubble. 

Vercel’s v0 is built for developers and is focused on AI-assisted frontend development. It works best for experienced developers who know code and are looking for a workflow assistant, not a replacement. The main goal of v0 is to integrate AI seamlessly into existing tools and platforms (i.e., Vercel, GitHub) and provide a clean coding environment with AI to speed things up, rather than providing an “all-in-one” platform. It provides stronger security and collaboration features compared to Bolt, further reinforcing its status for enterprise development teams. 

Bolt offers a combination of AI-generated code alongside traditional coding. You get the benefit of an AI assistant paired with a traditional coding environment. It’s not geared toward beginners, but you can get started quickly if you’re willing to learn as you go. It’s designed to help people build full apps, faster — and it offers more support (e.g., more framework flexibility, mobile app development, and stronger resources) compared to v0. 

Bubble is a full-stack, AI visual development platform that combines the power of AI and no-code to give everyone the tools to build and launch fully-functional apps. Bubble combines AI app generation with drag-and-drop visual programming to give you speed, without sacrificing control. And since Bubble is a no-code platform, it’s equally accessible to both developers and non-developers. 

Plus, Bubble gives you an “all-in-one” place to build, launch, and scale a business — not just an app — with strong security, collaboration features, and built-in databases, hosting, integrations, and design tools. 

For a deep dive into these platforms one-on-one, check out our other comparisons: 

• Bubble vs. v0
• Bubble vs. Bolt

v0 vs. Bolt vs. Bubble: Key factors

Each of these platforms provides AI-powered app generation, but that AI output varies in quality and completeness. Even the best AI app generation right now can only get you about 80% of the way to a fully functional app that’s ready for launch and scale. 

How well a platform helps you handle that last 20% is particularly important to consider for users who don’t have a technical background. Currently, there are two main approaches to resolving that last 20%: 

• A code-first approach, taken by platforms like v0 and Bolt. Their AI agents focus primarily on generating code, which you can then edit and iterate on either manually or via the AI chat. 
• A visual approach, taken by a platform like Bubble, which allows builders to edit and iterate the AI output visually, drag-and-drop style. 

Even with an AI assistant at your side, a code-first approach can create major roadblocks for non-developers in that last 20%. If you’re a developer, you can just jump in and edit the code manually when you get stuck or find an error. But if you’re not, it’s easy to get stuck in “prompt loops,” where you end up endlessly prompting the AI without getting the results you want. 

Worse: you may often end up with buggy or bloated code, errors that you can’t find and the AI won’t fix, and run into other common LLM limitations. 

In our comparison, we considered how each platform supported both developers and non-developers in resolving the last 20% beyond the initial AI output, alongside a number of other key factors. Here’s a quick breakdown of how the platforms stack up:  

App output quality 

In most cases, the goal of using AI to spin up v1 of your app is to get you as close to the finish line — at least 80% of the way there — as quickly as possible. So our first point of comparison is: how well do each of these platforms do at getting you there? 

One key thing to consider: Neither Bolt nor v0 have built-in backends. You have to connect an external database (like Supabase or Firebase) for full functionality and data, which means their initial output is more incomplete compared to full-stack platforms like Bubble. 

Vercel’s v0 generated the least impressive AI-powered output compared to Bolt and Bubble. For one thing, it took several tries to get v0 to generate error-free code that would load in the visual preview. We had to go back and forth several times with the AI chat to get the same level of output that we got on the first try with Bubble (and sometimes with Bolt). 

Vercel’s v0 focuses primarily on frontend development, but the UI we eventually got was just OK. Even after several rounds of prompting, it seemed to struggle to understand our prompts, and many features and pages were still missing (i.e. the restaurant cards wouldn’t open to show details, there weren’t profile pages or list pages, etc.). 

By contrast, Bolt’s output was much stronger. It generated great UI and good functionality in the initial output. Unfortunately, Bolt had two downsides: The output was pretty inconsistent, and the token limits were very, well … limited. 

At its best, Bolt generated some of the best initial outputs we saw across all three platforms: solid UI, working features, and more complete functionality. The AI also interpreted our prompts (and follow up prompts) well and made changes accordingly without too much back and forth. 

However, on other tests, Bolt provided outputs with very limited functionality, or wouldn’t load the visual preview, or couldn’t find and fix obvious errors in the code. In one test, Bolt didn’t even finish generating the initial output of our app before we were blocked by the daily token rate limit for AI usage. 

Bolt’s Free plan includes up to 150,000 tokens per day, but it wasn’t clear how many tokens our prompt(s) were going to use or how quickly we’d hit those limits. This is a common problem mentioned in the Bolt forums as well and makes for a frustrating experience. 

Bubble provided the most complete and consistent output. What really stood out about Bubble was that it generated everything you need for a fully-functional app from the first output: design, data, and logic. Because Bubble has a built-in backend, Bubble’s AI could generate frontend UI and UX, as well as backend databases with placeholder data and functional workflows that connected everything so that our app was working from the first preview. Bubble’s output was also much more consistent on the first try. 

App development workflow 

From the initial prompt to iterating and editing your app, the app development workflow can vary a lot from platform to platform. Bolt and v0 both take a similar approach to app development — integrating AI with a traditional coding environment — while Bubble works with visual programming. 

On Bolt and v0, the editors look really similar. You’ll get started by prompting the AI, which then starts generating code right away. As the code is being generated, you’re taken to the editor: a split-screen view with the AI chat on the left-hand side, and on the right-hand side, a traditional coding environment and a visual preview. 

v0 spent less time generating the first iteration compared to Bolt, but its output was also less complete. With both Bolt and v0, the visual preview sometimes got stuck and wouldn’t update. 

Once your initial code is generated, you can make further iterations either by manually coding directly in the editor, or by prompting the AI to make changes to your app, find bugs, and fix errors. 

Keep in mind that both Bolt and v0 have rate limits for their AI: On Bolt, you’re limited to 150k tokens per day (it’s not clear how many tokens each prompt will use). v0 doesn’t specify how many messages are available per day on the free tier (online sources suggested 100 was the limit). 

On Bubble, the process was slightly different. First, you prompt the AI and review a project plan created by the AI with core features and functionality. Evaluating and confirming the plan before the AI started generating seemed to help us get better results on the first try, and it gave us the chance to refine what we wanted before everything was built. 

Once the plan is approved, Bubble’s AI creates v1 of your app, then drops you directly in the visual editor. The drag-and-drop style editor provides a completely different way to build and edit your app beyond the initial AI output. 

For example, if you want to change what a certain button does in Bolt or V0, you’d have to find that section of the code and edit it manually, or prompt the AI to fix it (which can be inconsistent). On Bubble, you’d simply click the button in the visual preview, then set up a workflow that follows a simple if/then structure.

As a result, Bubble’s development process is much easier for non-coders, as it doesn’t require you to understand, write, or interpret code to have full control. It’s much easier to iterate on specific features and their underlying workflows. And, because the database and logic is also edited visually, you can build a fully-functional app without having to code — compared to Bolt and v0, which both require you to manually set up and then integrate an external database.

If you are comfortable with code, building on Bubble makes you way faster and makes the long-term management of your app way easier. You don’t have to worry about managing servers, balancing loads, or all of other technical details that can slow down iteration. Build, ship, and grow with a drag-and-drop editor that gives you all the power of code, without the tedious work of writing every element line-by-line. Plus, you always have the option of adding custom code if and when you want to for the best of both worlds.

Customizability

With the “80%” covered, it’s time to consider the many factors that typically fall under the “20%” — things like customization. How much customization is available within a given platform and how easy that customization is are two major considerations. 

Bolt, v0, and Bubble all offer high levels of customization, but through different methods. There are three main ways you can customize your app: through traditional coding, AI iteration, or visual editing.  

Bolt and v0 both offer full customization through the option of manual coding, alongside some customization through the AI assistant. Prompt the chatbot with what changes you want to see and it will edit your code for you. 

In theory, this should give you full customization capabilities, but in practice, you don’t really have full control. You’re always limited to the AI’s interpretation of the prompt and you can’t fully control the output you get back. 

One benefit v0 adds is that you can select specific elements to customize or change. This way, you can concentrate the AI’s output on a specific area and reduce the likelihood that the AI will break something else in the process (a common LLM problem right now). 

Bolt generally did well at interpreting our prompts, but a major downside is their limited daily token rates. We hit rate limits fairly quickly, which means you’ll either need to default to traditional code or be willing to upgrade to more expensive plans. 

Bubble supports the same level of customization that custom code does, but through an editor that lets you make changes in a way you understand. You can customize your app’s look, feel, and functionality to be exactly how you imagine it without having to endlessly prompt the AI or knowing how to code to yourself. In short: You get limitless customizability with the flexibility to work at the level of your current technical knowledge. If you want to add custom code, you can. Or, you can use the drag-and-drop editor to create a pixel-perfect app visually, too. 

Bubble doesn’t require coding to debug your app, either. Bubble’s issue checker automatically finds potential errors in your app, such as missing data or incomplete actions, and tells you exactly what they are, so you can fix them through the drag-and-drop editor. This is much easier compared to using traditional code or going back-and-forth with AI prompting, as you’d have to do on Bolt and v0.

Bottom line: If you’re trying to speed up a traditional development process with AI but still want to code most things yourself, Bolt and v0 are good assistants that give you full customization power through manual coding. But if you’re trying to create your app without having to code — whether with AI or with a no-code builder — Bubble is the only AI-powered platform that gives you full customization without needing to write code.

Design functionality

Considering the design-specific tools each platform provides gives you an idea of how easily you’ll be able to build a beautiful, aesthetic app. 

Neither Bolt nor v0 have many design-specific features, but Bubble takes a very visual approach to design, making it easier to build a beautiful app. 

Bolt takes a code-first approach to design, meaning that most design changes have to be made manually via traditional coding or attempted via AI prompts. It does offer a direct Figma integration as well, which can really speed up the design process. As far as AI changes go, we found Bolt’s AI pretty good at integrating design-focused changes — one of our testers found that one or two prompts was generally enough to change the entire look and feel of the app. Of course, we reached AI rate limits on Bolt quickly, so that’s something to consider when thinking about design as well. 

v0 takes a similar approach. As with Bolt, all design and UI changes need to be made via AI chat or directly in the code. They have pretty standard design features, including responsive design and integrations with Figma. Our testers had mixed reviews of their Figma integration, though, saying, “v0 didn’t do a great job following my prompts. I gave it an image to use as guidance for the style and it sort of did it, but also used the image itself as the background.” 

Bubble takes a more design-focused approach, with a visual editor that gives you more flexibility and control over every pixel without having to code. Just drag and drop to add or edit UI elements, set manual breakpoints and layouts, develop responsive designs, and make customizations exactly how you want them. 

Even better: Bubble gives you the ability to create a complete design system with reusable UI components and styles that can be applied to multiple elements, pages, or across your whole app. Design once and apply those design choices across your entire app, rather than having to code each element from scratch. And of course, you can import Figma wireframes or other design tool mockups into Bubble and Bubble will convert them seamlessly into a functional app.

Although Bolt and v0 offer full design customization through traditional coding, Bubble’s visual approach is a much more manageable way to design your app, particularly for non-coders. 

Collaboration

If you’re looking to launch and scale an app for your business, collaboration tools within your platform are a must. After all, it’s pretty hard to move quickly and scale if you’re the only person who can work on your app. 

Thankfully, all three of these platforms offer good collaboration features. Some key differences: 

Cost. All of these platforms require you to be on a Team or Enterprise plan to access all of the collaborative features. 

• v0 team plans start at $30 per user per month. 
• Bolt team plans start at $60 per user per month, with additional costs for AI token rates. 
• Bubble team plans start at a flat rate of $119 per month, with no additional costs for AI use, hosting, or a built-in database. 

Access and features. v0 doesn’t have specific access permissions — on a Team plan, you can connect your code directly to a Git repository for seamless collaboration and forking via GitHub. Bolt also makes collaboration possible via GitHub and StackBlitz, but allows you to set some access permissions in Bolt for specific Bolt projects (view or edit roles). 

Bubble allows real-time collaboration directly within the Bubble editor. It also offers the most customizable access permissions, allowing you to control edit access for different spaces (like UI vs. databases). 

Commenting. v0 currently offers commenting, a feature that Bolt and Bubble don’t currently have. You can share preview deployments with team members, friends, shareholders, or anyone. Then, they can add comments, which you can view directly from the v0 editor. 

Security

If you’re looking to build and launch an app for end-users or enterprise use, security is a key factor to consider. It’s difficult to build a secure app on a platform without security. 

The main factors here to consider are: 

• How much platform-level security is offered (the security of the platform you’re building on) 
• How much app-level security is offered (the security of the app you’re building for your data and end-user data). 
• How much security is “built-in” vs. what you’ll be expected to implement yourself. 

Of these three, Bolt provides the least “built-in” security. This isn’t to say that Bolt isn’t a secure platform, but Bolt isn’t responsible for managing your databases or hosting your app. Since hosting and databases are managed by third-parties, Bolt is really just for writing the code and managing the frontend. As such, your platform-level security really depends on the hosting and database platforms you use. In terms of app-level security, that’s totally up to the builder. In short: on Bolt, the security of your app rests squarely on your shoulders to know what to set up, and how. 

v0 offers strong security features from its parent company, Vercel. Vercel’s platform-level security includes: 

• SOC 2 Type II compliance and GDPR compliance 
• Built-in DDoS mitigation for all apps 
• SSO and 2FA available for Enterprise users
• Encrypted storage on Vercel’s cloud servers

These platform-level standards mean your code and account is managed securely and encrypted on Vercel.

However, app-level security is still mostly up to the builder. v0 can’t guarantee that code generated will be secure by default, and v0 doesn’t offer any guides or tutorials to walk you through the process of building a secure app. As such, you’ll need to understand how to set up user authentication, database security, and other privacy rules that will keep your end-user data safe.  

Bubble offers the strongest security features of the three, at both the platform- and app-level. You get enterprise-grade security features like:

• SOC 2 Type II compliance
• GDPR compliance
• Enterprise-grade infrastructure and encryption 
• DDoS protection
• Built-in user authentication 

Basically, everything you need to be confident building and scaling an app for end-users. 

Bubble also provides the most guidance and support for building security for your app itself, guiding you through creating custom privacy rules and restrictions specific to your app and data types through the visual editor. As always, you don’t have to code. 

Plus, you can get additional security features and automated vulnerability testing through Flusk, making it easier to keep your users’ data secure even if you’re not an expert. 

Native mobile app creation

Even if you’re not looking to create a mobile app right away, being able to easily generate mobile code and convert your web app into a mobile app without essentially “starting from scratch” is a major benefit worth considering. 

Bolt and Bubble both support native mobile app development, while v0 doesn’t currently. 

v0 doesn’t support React Native frameworks, which means you won’t be able to create mobile features or functionality directly through v0. However, you can generate React or Next.js code, which can then be converted to mobile app frameworks if you have the technical expertise to do so.

Bolt supports mobile app development via the Expo framework. Add it as a template to your Bolt editor, then use the AI chat as usual to prompt for functionality and design. The AI will automatically create mobile functionality and features. Of course, if you get stuck with AI prompting, you can iterate with traditional coding as well. 

Bubble offers native mobile app functionality (coming June 2025!). As with web app development, Bubble offers a no-code approach — one of the only true no-code builders for mobile apps. You can use the visual editor to build, iterate on, and launch a React Native mobile app, which has a much lower learning curve, especially if you’ve already built a web app on Bubble. Plus, your mobile app can share a database with your Bubble web app — eliminating the need for duplicative work. 

Framework support

A “framework” is a kind of code library that provides pre-built bits of code in a certain programming language. For example, the Angular framework provides some reusable UI components and pre-built workflows for common tasks for the TypeScript/JavaScript language. 

If your team needs to use a certain language — due to internal knowledge, tech stacks, or other constraints — it’s important to consider which platforms will support that. 

Bolt provides the most varied framework and language support of these three platforms, supporting JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Astro, Tailwind CSS, and ShadCN. Notably, Bolt doesn’t support Python, C#, or C++. 

v0 also supports many popular frameworks, including Next.js, SvelteKit, Nuxt, Astro, Remix and a few others. However, not all functionality is available yet for every framework — so it’s worth checking Vercel’s framework and support matrix before beginning your project. 

Bubble works with a fully visual programming language that doesn’t require a specific framework. As a result, it offers the most flexibility for non-developers by being “framework agnostic.” For technical users who want to add custom code to their apps, the Bubble editor supports that as well. 

Integrations

Plugins and integrations connect a platform — and the app you’re building — with other technology and tools to create a fully-functional app that integrates with your entire tech stack seamlessly. It’s worth considering:

• How robust a platform’s integration library is
• How easy the integrations are to use 
• Who manages maintenance and updates for integrations 

Bolt offers a limited library of pre-built, expertly-maintained integrations. These include Supabase and Firebase for databases, Netlify for deployment, and GitHub, GrokAI, Gemini, and ElevenLabs API. If you want integrations beyond this, you’ll have to code your own — and you’ll be on the hook for maintaining it as well. 

v0 has a number of native integrations too, including OpenAI, Perplexity, Contentful, Shopify, Supabase, and a few others. 

Bubble offers the largest integration library by far, with thousands of pre-built and expertly-maintained integrations available to use. Bubble’s most popular integrations include:

• OpenAI and Chat-GPT 4
• Anthropic Claude AI
• DALL-E
• Github
• Figma
• Stripe
• Paypal
• Google Suite products
• and thousands more

If by chance you want to connect your app to something Bubble doesn’t already have a plugin for, you can use our API connector to easily build your own integrations without coding, or code your own manually.

Deployment and hosting

The last step before your app goes live is deployment and hosting. A simple process here makes it easier to get your app live for end-users, and makes future updates and iterations simple, too. 

All three of these builders offer fairly straightforward deployment and hosting. Here are the basics of how they stack up: 

Bolt’s deployment process is simple, but they don’t offer built-in hosting. Netlify is Bolt’s hosting provider, so you can use a “one-click” process to deploy your app to Netlify. Then, you’ll have to set up a Netlify account separately and claim that URL to add the project to your Netlify account. You have a bit more to manage, but the process should still be easy enough for non-developers to manage. 

v0 uses the parent Vercel platform for deployment and hosting, which makes things a bit more streamlined. However, the deployment is still more technical compared to Bubble. Since v0 is only really for frontends, you still have to set up a dedicated backend on your own to launch a fully-functional app and not just an MVP. 

Bubble offers the most streamlined process, with built-in hosting and deployment on Bubble servers. Deployment and hosting is truly “one-click” and you get to keep everything in one place. Even better: only one platform and account to juggle and pay for! 

Education

Whether you’re just learning a new platform or a whole new skill, good educational resources go a long way in making it easier to have success with an AI app builder. In the case of these three platforms, educational resources are a big differentiator. 

Bolt and v0 cater to a more technical audience, so their educational resources are sparse and assume technical expertise. Bubble’s resources are much more comprehensive and cater to a variety of skill levels and backgrounds. 

v0 has the least educational resources and technical documentation of the three platforms. The Vercel manual is more detailed, but the v0 documentation itself is very limited. What documentation does exist assumes a technical background, so it may not be super helpful to non-developers. 

Bolt offers more technical documentation than v0, but it’s still pretty sparse. Their educational materials focus on giving an overview of the platform, prompting techniques, and offering a few tutorials around integrations and specific use cases. They do have a YouTube channel, but it’s also fairly limited. 

Bubble, by contrast, has a wide educational library, and offers resources for all skill levels and learning styles — both high-level details on app building, programming, UI design, and so on, and step-by-step guides to using the platform and accomplishing specific tasks. 

The core of Bubble’s education is in the Bubble Manual, which provides detailed and comprehensive documentation of the entire platform for both beginners and experienced developers. But you’ll also find tutorials, how-to guides, courses, interactive lessons in the Bubble editor, YouTube videos, and more. 

If you get stuck on Bolt or v0, you’ll need to turn to third-party support or your own knowledge to fix the problem. With Bubble, you get a variety of support options, and you can also turn to the active Bubble forums for help from experienced builders. 

Required technical expertise

Finally, it’s important to consider how much technical expertise a platform requires to take your app all the way to launch and beyond. Most AI app builders make it super easy to get started — but what about that final 20%? 

Of these three, v0 required the most technical expertise, Bubble required the least, and Bolt was somewhere in the middle. 

Vercel’s v0 is designed for developers — it’s not designed as a fully-fledged “app builder” for beginners as much as it aims to serve as an AI assistant or pair programmer for experienced developers. 

While a non-coder could probably get started with v0 about as easily as you can with Bolt, v0 has a steeper learning curve that shows up faster, and provides less support to navigate it. Also, since it’s primarily designed for frontend development, you’ll need to bring the expertise to build out your backend and functionality on your own. You can use v0’s AI to help, but it still requires process knowledge and troubleshooting expertise. 

Bolt also targets developers, and the Bolt team recommends that builders learn the basics of coding first to get the most out of Bolt. However, we found Bolt’s interface and AI to be slightly easier to use for non-coders, and Bolt provides more documentation and support for non-developers as well. With that said, you still need some technical expertise for building anything beyond the basics. 

Bubble offers a true no-code experience, which makes it the most accessible for non-developers and developers alike. Instead of assuming that you’ll be able to fluently “speak” a programming language, the Bubble editor speaks your language instead. This makes the platform much more intuitive and never requires you to use or learn code, like you do on Bolt and v0. 

Bubble’s visual programming language and editor still take some time to learn upfront, but then you get full control and customizability — making the platform more approachable and easy to learn in the long run.

With v0 and Bolt, you have to code eventually if you want your app to look and function exactly how you imagined. With Bubble, you can stay codeless through launch and beyond, without sacrificing control or complexity.

Which AI builder is right for you?

All three of these platforms can provide a good AI-powered app builder — the key to deciding which one is right for you comes down to what you’re looking to build, your skill level, and how you prefer to work. 

Bolt and v0 both provide AI-powered code generation alongside code-based editors and visual previews that help you iterate on and view changes to your app in real time. They also seamlessly connect with other development tools like GitHub and Supabase. Both focus on frontend development, and require some technical expertise to build a fully functional app. 

However, Bolt provides a stronger AI-generated output and mobile app development, offering a more comprehensive code-based tool with solid AI support. It works well for experienced developers looking for a familiar, code-first development environment supported by AI, and who want to seamlessly integrate AI with existing projects and workflows for speed and scalability. In addition, Bolt’s limited Free plan makes it better suited to established teams who have a budget for higher-tier plans to support regular usage. 

v0 is best for experienced developers who are looking for an AI “co-pilot” to help speed up workflows and develop frontend code without interrupting their current processes. It offers a familiar coding environment, GitHub and backend integrations, and strong collaboration tools, but it would be challenging for a non-developer to build a fully functional app on v0. 

Bubble is the only AI-powered platform that offers true no-code, visual development built for you (and your business!) to grow. Bolt and v0 focus on speeding up traditional coding workflows; Bubble disrupts the old model altogether in favor of a fully visual approach that’s accessible to developers and non-developers alike. You generate an app you understand in an editor that speaks your language — not just complicated code.

This allows anyone to create production-grade apps and full-stack enterprise software to launch and grow with speed, scalability, and full control. And you never have to code or leverage a technical background.

Plus, Bubble’s platform gives you the strongest “out-of-the-box” experience for launching apps that can grow your business, with built-in databases, security, mobile app development, integrations, deployment and hosting, and more. Bubble helps you create an app you understand, all in one place, and gives you the tools and platform you need to build a business you can scale. 

Of course, the best way to see if Bubble will work for your project is to test it out for yourself. Try our AI app generator today for free and see how fast you can get your ideas into a real-life product.