Cursor vs Lovable vs Bolt: Which Vibe Coding Tool Should You Use?

Everyone’s talking about vibe coding. But which tool should you actually use?

I spent last week testing Cursor, Lovable, and Bolt.new on the same project: a simple landing page with email signup and a dashboard.

The results surprised me. Each tool is genuinely better for different situations.

Here’s the honest breakdown.

The Quick Answer

Use Cursor if: You’re a developer (or willing to learn) who wants AI to supercharge your existing workflow. You want control and flexibility.

Use Lovable if: You’re a non-coder who wants the most polished results with minimal technical knowledge. Design matters to you.

Use Bolt.new if: You want speed above all else. You need something working in minutes, not hours. You’re comfortable with a more raw output.

Now let’s dig in.

Cursor: The Developer’s Power Tool

Cursor is VS Code (the popular code editor) with AI built in. It’s not trying to hide the code from you. It’s trying to help you write better code faster.

What I loved:

• Full control over everything. I can see all the code, edit anything, and use any framework I want.
• The AI understands context incredibly well. It can read my entire codebase and make suggestions that actually fit.
• Multi-file editing. I can ask it to refactor something across 10 files and it handles it.
• Works with my existing tools. Git, npm, all my extensions - everything works.

What was frustrating:

• Learning curve is real. If you don’t know what a “component” or “API route” is, you’ll be confused.
• You still need to set up your development environment.
• Deployment is on you. Cursor helps you build, not deploy.

Best moment: I asked it to “add authentication with Google login” and it set up the entire auth flow across multiple files. What would have taken me 2 hours took 5 minutes.

Pricing: Free tier available. Pro is $20/month.

Verdict: Best tool if you want to actually learn and have maximum flexibility. Not for complete beginners.

Lovable: The Non-Coder’s Best Friend

Lovable takes a different approach. You describe what you want, it builds the whole thing, and you can make changes through conversation or visual editing.

What I loved:

• The design quality is noticeably better out of the box. It just looks more polished than the other tools.
• Visual editing is intuitive. Click on something, describe what you want changed.
• Integrated backend. It connects to Supabase for database stuff without you needing to understand databases.
• One-click deployment. Your app can be live in seconds.

What was frustrating:

• Credit system feels limiting. Complex projects can burn through credits fast.
• Less control. When something goes wrong, fixing it is harder because you can’t just dive into the code.
• Some integrations (like maps) require extra setup that isn’t obvious.

Best moment: I said “make this look like a premium SaaS landing page” and it completely transformed my basic layout into something that looked like a real product. Took 30 seconds.

Pricing: Free tier with 30 credits/month. Plus is $25/month.

Verdict: Best for non-coders who want beautiful results. Design-first approach really shows.

Bolt.new: The Speed Demon

Bolt.new is all about velocity. Open your browser, type what you want, watch it build in real-time. No setup, no installation, no waiting.

What I loved:

• Speed is unmatched. From prompt to working preview in under a minute.
• Everything happens in the browser. No downloads, no configuration, no “environment setup.”
• Supports modern frameworks. React, Next.js, Svelte - it knows them all.
• One-click Netlify deployment. Your app is live almost instantly.

What was frustrating:

• Output quality is more variable. Sometimes it nails it, sometimes it needs multiple iterations.
• Less hand-holding for beginners. It doesn’t explain as much as Lovable.
• Pricing can spike with heavy usage. The token-based system isn’t as predictable.

Best moment: I went from “idea” to “live URL I could share” in literally 12 minutes. For rapid prototyping, nothing beats it.

Pricing: Free tier with 1M tokens/month. Paid plans vary.

Verdict: Best for speed and prototyping. Great for testing ideas quickly. Less polished than Lovable.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Which Should You Start With?

If you’ve never coded before:

Start with Lovable. It’s the most forgiving, produces the best-looking results, and won’t overwhelm you with technical details. Build a few projects, get comfortable, then maybe explore Cursor later.

If you’re a developer:

Cursor is your new best friend. It integrates with your existing workflow and gives you AI superpowers without changing how you work. The learning curve is minimal because it’s just VS Code with extra features.

If you’re testing an idea:

Bolt.new. Don’t overthink it. Get something working in 15 minutes and see if the concept makes sense. You can always rebuild it properly later.

If you’re building a real product:

Probably Cursor, potentially with Lovable for rapid prototyping first. You want the control and flexibility that Cursor provides for anything that needs to scale or be maintained.

The Secret: Use Multiple Tools

Here’s what smart people are doing: they use different tools for different phases.

1. Ideation: Bolt.new to test if the concept works
2. Design: Lovable to get the UI looking right
3. Production: Cursor to build the real thing with full control

Tools aren’t mutually exclusive. Use whatever gets you to your goal fastest.

The Bigger Picture

All three of these tools would have seemed like magic two years ago. The fact that we’re debating which one is best shows how far AI coding has come.

25% of Y Combinator startups now have codebases that are 95% AI-generated. The market for AI coding tools could hit $27 billion by 2032.

This isn’t a trend. It’s a fundamental shift in how software gets built.

The question isn’t whether to use these tools. It’s which one fits your specific situation right now.

Pick one, build something, and iterate from there. The only mistake is not starting.