Prototyping Speed vs Production-Ready Apps
| Feature | Fabricate | Bolt.new | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
AI Code Generation Both generate code from prompts | Tie | ||
Generation Speed Bolt is optimized for speed | Bolt.new | ||
Database Included Fabricate has built-in DB | Fabricate | ||
User Authentication Auth included with Fabricate | Fabricate | ||
Payment Integration Stripe integration built-in | Fabricate | ||
One-Click Deploy Full hosting vs export only | Limited | Fabricate | |
Production Ready Full apps vs quick demos | Prototypes | Fabricate | |
Code Export Both export your code | Tie |
Bolt.new made a splash in the AI development space by prioritizing one thing above all else: speed. It generates working frontend code from prompts faster than almost any competitor, making it the go-to tool for developers who need to quickly visualize an idea or create a demo. This speed-first philosophy has earned it a loyal following, particularly among developers who use prototypes as communication tools -- showing clients or stakeholders what an application could look like.
Fabricate approaches code generation with a different priority: completeness. Rather than generating just the visible parts of an application quickly, Fabricate generates the entire application stack -- frontend, backend API, database schema, authentication system, and deployment configuration. This takes slightly longer than Bolt.new's instant frontend generation, but the output requires no additional development to become a working application.
The practical impact of this difference becomes clear when a prototype needs to become a real product. Bolt.new prototypes are excellent demonstrations, but transitioning them to production typically means rebuilding with a proper backend, integrating a database service, adding authentication, and configuring hosting. This transition can take days or weeks of additional development. Fabricate's output skips this phase entirely because the production infrastructure is generated alongside the UI.
For teams evaluating these tools, the decision often comes down to workflow. If your process involves showing prototypes to stakeholders for approval before building the real application, Bolt.new's rapid generation fits perfectly -- the prototype is disposable by design. If you want every generation to produce something that could go to production, Fabricate's approach eliminates the throwaway prototype step.
Pricing considerations add another dimension. Bolt.new's subscription covers the generation tool itself, but building a production application from a Bolt.new prototype requires additional services: a database (Supabase, PlanetScale, or similar at $25+/month), authentication (Auth0, Clerk, or similar), hosting (Vercel, Netlify), and potentially payment processing. Fabricate's pricing includes all of these services, making the total cost of shipping a product typically lower.
Which tool is best for your specific use case?
Bolt.new excels here. When you need to show a client what their application could look like in 30 minutes, Bolt.new's rapid frontend generation is unmatched. The prototype won't have real data or authentication, but for visual demonstrations, speed matters more than completeness.
Fabricate is significantly better for MVPs that need real users. An MVP requires user accounts, data persistence, and reliable hosting -- all things that Fabricate includes and Bolt.new doesn't. Building these features on top of a Bolt.new prototype often takes longer than generating the complete app in Fabricate from the start.
Fabricate is the clear choice for e-commerce because it includes database for product catalogs, authentication for customer accounts, Stripe integration for payments, and production hosting. An e-commerce app from Bolt.new would be a visual shell requiring extensive backend development before a single transaction could be processed.
Bolt.new's speed advantage makes it better for pure UI iteration -- quickly trying different layouts, color schemes, or component arrangements. Fabricate can also iterate on UI through conversation, but each generation includes the full stack, making pure design iteration slightly slower.
| Metric | Fabricate | Bolt.new |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Generation Speed | 30-90 seconds | 10-30 seconds |
| Time to Production App | Under 10 minutes | 1-2 weeks (with backend) |
| Backend Included | Yes (API + DB) | No |
| Auth System | Built-in (Clerk) | Not included |
| Deployment | One-click (Cloudflare) | Export + manual deploy |
| Database | Included (D1) | Not included |
While Bolt.new may seem cheaper initially, you'll need to add and pay for database, auth, and hosting separately. Fabricate includes everything in one price.
Bolt.new would quickly generate a beautiful kanban board UI with drag-and-drop, task cards, and a polished design -- perfect for a demo. But the tasks wouldn't persist after refresh, there would be no user accounts, no team workspaces, and no file storage. Fabricate generates the same kanban UI plus a D1 database for task persistence, Clerk authentication for user accounts and team management, R2 storage for file attachments, and production deployment -- a complete, working project management tool.
Build a project management tool with kanban boards, team assignments, due dates, file attachments, and activity logs. Include user authentication with team workspaces.
“I used Bolt.new for a demo and it looked great, but when the client said "ship it," I realized I needed to rebuild everything with a real backend. Fabricate would have saved me two weeks.”
Daniel Kim
Freelance Developer
For production apps, yes. Fabricate includes database, auth, and hosting. Bolt.new is faster for quick prototypes but lacks backend features.
Bolt.new is optimized for speed. However, Fabricate prototypes can go directly to production without rebuilding.
You'd need to add your own database, auth, and payments. Fabricate includes all of these, making SaaS development faster overall.
Both tools generate clean, well-structured code, but the scope differs significantly. Fabricate generates a complete application codebase including frontend components, backend API routes, database schemas with migrations, authentication flows, and deployment configuration -- all following consistent patterns. Bolt.new generates clean frontend code optimized for quick prototypes, but since it doesn't include backend logic, the code you receive is only part of what a production application requires. For code that's ready to deploy as-is, Fabricate's output is more complete.
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