Bolt.new vs OpenHands
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Bolt.new and OpenHands.
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Verdict: OpenHands wins
OpenHands scores 4.2/5, edging out Bolt.new at 4.0/5. Engineering teams that want autonomous coding agents they can host, govern, and swap models or agent implementations behind — without committing to a closed vendor.
Bolt.new Prompt, run, edit, and deploy full-stack apps | OpenHands Open-source AI software development agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.0 (1 review) | 4.2 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | freemium | free |
| Starting Price | Free tier available | Free |
| Best For | Founders and builders who want to prompt a full-stack web app into existence, iterate on it in the browser, and deploy without assembling a development setup. | Engineering teams that want autonomous coding agents they can host, govern, and swap models or agent implementations behind — without committing to a closed vendor. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | free tierno code | free tieropen sourcebyok |
| Visit Bolt.new → | Visit OpenHands → |
Bolt.new
Pros
- + Generated a working full-stack booking app with a correct relational data model in about two minutes, running live in the preview
- + Free tier is a real sandbox: 1M tokens/month plus hosting with unlimited databases and 333K web requests
- + Error self-repair loop fixed dev-server failures without being prompted
- + One-click Netlify deployment and clean GitHub export when a project outgrows the browser
Cons
- - Token cost grows with project size — Bolt's own docs say filesystem syncing drives most consumption
- - A failed fix loop burned a visible chunk of my monthly allocation with zero progress
- - Context degrades on large builds; fixes land in the wrong layer without careful prompting
- - Real cost is subscription plus token reloads, and the reload number is not quoted anywhere upfront
OpenHands
Pros
- + MIT-licensed core with ~90,700 GitHub stars and 300+ contributors is the most credible open platform in the category
- + Agent Canvas runs OpenHands and third-party agents (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, any ACP agent) behind one control center — I switched backends without changing workflows
- + Sandboxed Docker execution with documented security hardening kept the agent's blast radius bounded in my local setup
- + Automations (scheduled and webhook-triggered, publishing to Slack/GitHub/Linear) worked as one configuration surface rather than bespoke CI jobs
- + Bring-your-own-LLM design keeps the platform provider-neutral on models and pricing
Cons
- - Self-hosting the free tier means your team owns hardening, upgrades, and incident response with community support only
- - Teams at $499/month for up to 10 users is capped at 5,000 sessions per month — heavy automation shops must price that out
- - Token costs for your chosen model are on top of any subscription and vary widely by task
- - The platform spans four repositories; contributors must learn the boundaries before touching anything
- - Agent Canvas is still labeled beta in the repository badges even as the surrounding platform matures
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Bolt.new or OpenHands?▼
OpenHands scores higher at 4.2/5 vs 4.0/5 for Bolt.new, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between Bolt.new and OpenHands?▼
Bolt.new: Bolt builds and deploys full-stack web apps from a prompt in the browser, with the generated code editable in place. OpenHands: OpenHands is an open-source AI software-development agent that reads a repository, writes and runs code and iterates on a task the way a developer would.
Is Bolt.new or OpenHands more affordable?▼
Bolt.new starts at €0/mo, OpenHands starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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