Browser-based AI dev environment (WebContainer)

Moonshift vs. Bolt.new

Bolt runs your build in the browser via WebContainers. Moonshift runs the build on real infrastructure. Different bets on where the work should happen.

Try Moonshift free See the breakdown

Feature-by-feature

What you actually get from each

Each row names a real thing operators ask about. No category-coded badges, no `we win everything` rows. If Bolt.new is better at something we say so.

Capability

Bolt.new

Moonshift

Build runs on real infra

WebContainer sandboxes hit limits with native modules and long-running tasks.

In-browser

Server-side

Repo in your GitHub

Where the code lives long-term determines who owns the project.

GitHub sync

Pushed direct

Deploys to your Vercel

Production deploys should not be tied to the build environment.

Netlify or Bolt Cloud

Your team

Custom domain on free tier

Branded URL is often a launch requirement, not a paid upgrade.

*.moonshift.page

Native module support

Image processing, PDF parsing, anything binary requires real Node.

WebContainer limit

Launch kit drafted

Posts, images, and hero copy are usually the bottleneck after the build.

Cost predictability

Token billing makes long iteration sessions hard to budget.

Token system

Per-run cap

Database included

Real apps persist data; a sandbox without DB is a toy.

Bolt Cloud

Turso

Security audit per build

First deploys leak env vars and CORS more often than operators realise.

Visual preview while iterating

Seeing the change land immediately tightens the feedback loop.

Instant

Sandbox preview

Side-by-side

Where the two diverge

The WebContainer bet

Bolt's killer move is running your build inside the browser via StackBlitz WebContainers. No local setup, no devcontainer, no `docker compose up`. For learners and tinkerers this is genuinely magical. The flip side is the sandbox limit: native binaries, image processing, and anything that needs a real Linux runtime fail or run in a degraded mode. Moonshift runs builds server-side on real infrastructure, so anything that runs in Node runs in your build.

Tie: Bolt wins for zero-setup; Moonshift wins for real-runtime breadth

Token billing in practice

Bolt uses a token system priced from $25/month at the Pro tier (10M tokens, rollover for one extra month while the subscription stays active). Complex apps consume more tokens; for short prototypes the budget feels generous. For iterative work (you re-prompt, refactor, regenerate) operators report burning through a month of tokens in a week. Moonshift bills per run with a per-run moon ceiling; the cap is what you pay regardless of how many iterations the build needs.

Moonshift: Per-run pricing avoids the iteration tax

What ships after the deploy

Bolt added Bolt Cloud in 2026 with databases, auth, storage, edge functions, and hosting. That closes the `deployment gap` but stops there. After Bolt deploys, you still write the launch tweet, design the social card, and draft the LinkedIn post. Moonshift's marketer agent writes those in your voice during the build. The first paying user is the goal; nobody pays for a deploy URL alone.

Moonshift: Launch kit ships with the build

Ownership model

Bolt supports GitHub sync and primarily deploys to Netlify or Bolt Cloud, but the build environment lives at bolt.new. The mental model is `Bolt is the project'. Moonshift's mental model is `your Vercel, your GitHub, your Turso are the project; Moonshift is the agent that wired them together'. If Moonshift goes away tomorrow, your apps keep running because nothing was hosted on Moonshift.

Moonshift: Infrastructure is yours from the first deploy

Performance and limits

Bolt's WebContainer runtime has improved meaningfully over the past two years, but it still cannot run native modules, large npm trees, or background tasks. Moonshift's bottleneck is LLM latency on the agent calls, not the runtime; the build runs in real Node and the deploy targets Vercel's edge network.

Moonshift: Real runtime removes the sandbox ceiling

What lands in your hands

After the build finishes

Bolt.new output

In-browser WebContainer running your project
Optional Bolt Cloud database + auth + hosting
GitHub sync (separate step)
Netlify or Bolt Cloud deploy hook

Moonshift output

Deployed app on your Vercel account at your domain
GitHub repo pushed to your account, not ours
Turso database with schema, seeded, migrated
Auth, sessions, password reset wired in
Landing page copy and hero image, on-brand
X thread (5 tweets) and LinkedIn post drafted
Three image prompts rendered for social cards

Pricing, honestly

What you pay, and what it actually gets you

Public pricing as of 2026-05. Updated when either side changes.

Bolt.new pricing

Free$0

1M tokens/month, 300K daily cap, public + private projects, Bolt subdomain.

Pro$25

10M tokens/month, rollover (while sub active), custom domains.

Teams$30/member

Pro per seat with per-member token allotment, collab features.

EnterpriseCustom

Negotiated; SSO, admin, advanced controls.

TeamsCustom

Team collaboration + admin.

Moonshift pricing

Welcome trial$0

2,500 welcome moons on sign-up (~3 full launches). No card. One-time grant.

Hobby$19

5,000 moons/month (~7 launches). Every launch feature unlocked. Custom domains. Your Vercel + GitHub + Turso.

Starter$49

15,000 moons/month (~21 launches). Adds iterate-tab (chat-turn editing) + run scrub & replay.

Pro$99

35,000 moons/month (~50 launches). Adds full-mode (deeper reasoning) + cinematic landing agent included. Priority support.

Frequently asked

Bolt.new vs Moonshift, common questions

Why move from Bolt.new to Moonshift?

If you keep hitting WebContainer limits (native modules, image processing, long jobs) and you want a launch kit drafted with the build, Moonshift is the upgrade path. If you love the in-browser experience and your projects are simple, stay on Bolt.

Does Moonshift have an in-browser editor?

Not in the WebContainer sense. The build runs server-side and the dashboard surfaces a live preview, code view, file tree, and deploy view. You do not need a local environment to use Moonshift, but you also are not editing inside a browser sandbox.

Can I import a Bolt project to Moonshift?

Yes, use the Import Project flow. Moonshift indexes the repo, runs the auditor, and unlocks the launch kit without rebuilding the app.

Both deploy to Vercel. What's different?

Bolt's deploy publishes the project from its environment. Moonshift creates the Vercel project under your team, pushes the GitHub repo to your account, and writes env vars (including a per-project Turso database) directly into your Vercel project. Ownership is yours from the first deploy.

Is the launch kit really useful or is it filler?

It is the difference between `I shipped` and `I shipped and 200 people saw it'. The marketer agent writes a 5-tweet X thread and a long-form LinkedIn post in your founder voice, the image-gen agent renders three card sizes, and publisher stages everything behind a HITL approval gate. The posts go nowhere until you approve them.

The verdict

Pick Moonshift when

Pick Moonshift when you want a deployed app that ships to your Vercel + your GitHub + your Turso, with a launch kit drafted alongside. The pipeline assumes you want to ship, not to debug a sandbox in the browser.

Pick Bolt.new when

Pick Bolt.new when you value an instant in-browser environment with zero local setup. The WebContainer model lets you iterate without ever opening a terminal. For learning, prototyping, and small toys it is a magical experience.

Bottom line

Bolt is a brilliant browser-based dev environment with AI scaffolding. Moonshift is a launch pipeline that targets real infrastructure. If your bet is `the browser is the IDE`, choose Bolt. If your bet is `the deploy is the product`, choose Moonshift.

Stop at the deploy, or keep going until launch.

Moonshift builds the app and drafts the launch in one run. You approve. The first user sees a post you would actually publish.

Start with Moonshift See pricing

We do not pretend to win every comparison. Cursor is better for IDE work, v0 for components, Base44 for Play Store. Moonshift is the only one that ships your launch posts with the build.