Dyad vs bolt.diy
Both are alternatives to Bolt.new. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as bolt.diy vs Dyad — same comparison, one verdict.
Both are ai app builders tools with the same broad shape, but Dyad scores 93 against bolt.diy's 78 on data ownership and exit cost — the gap is in how easily you could leave.
Dyad
TOP PICKA free desktop app builder that runs on your machine, with any model and no token meter of its own.
Dyad is a local, open-source AI app builder that describes itself as an alternative to v0, Lovable and Bolt that runs on your own computer. The loop will feel familiar: you chat, it builds and previews the app, and you can roll back versions. The difference is where things live. Every project is a regular Git repository in a folder on your machine (~/dyad-apps by default), and you bring the model: Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, a ChatGPT subscription, or local models through Ollama or LM Studio, so there is no Bolt-style token allowance, only your provider's bill. It starts from React and Vite or Next.js templates, connects Supabase or Neon for a database and auth, can turn a web app into a hybrid mobile app with Capacitor, and deploys through GitHub to Vercel or any other host.
bolt.diy
The official open-source edition of Bolt.new: the same in-browser builder, run yourself, with any model.
bolt.diy is the official open-source version of Bolt.new, published under StackBlitz Labs and maintained as a community project, which makes it the closest match to Bolt's interface: chat, an editor, a terminal and a live preview of Node.js-based web apps in one browser tab. The difference is that you run it (Node.js and pnpm, or Docker) and choose the model for each prompt from more than 20 providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, and Ollama or LM Studio for local models. Projects download as a ZIP, connect to Git, link to Supabase, and deploy to Netlify, Vercel or GitHub Pages. Like Bolt, it runs apps inside StackBlitz's WebContainer API, and StackBlitz licenses that separately: production use in a for-profit setting needs a commercial licence.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Dyad | bolt.diy | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 93 | 78 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 (src/pro under FSL-1.1-ALv2) | MIT |
| Pricing | Free and open source; bring your own API key or a ChatGPT subscription, or run a local model. The free Basic Agent is listed at 20 messages a day. Optional Dyad Pro is $20/month with 200 AI credits, and Dyad Max $79/month with 900. Verified on dyad.sh/pro 2026-10-06. | Free and open source (MIT); you pay your model provider, or nothing beyond hardware with a local model. StackBlitz requires a separate commercial WebContainer API licence for production use in a for-profit setting; prototypes and proofs of concept do not need one. |
Dyad is Macrostack's recommended Bolt.new alternative, so it's our pick here.
Dyad
Strengths
- +Your project is a normal Git repository on your own disk, not a workspace on someone else's servers
- +Any model, including a free-tier Gemini key, a ChatGPT subscription or a local model, so cost is yours to control
- +Supabase and Neon integrations for database and auth, and hybrid mobile apps through Capacitor
- +Very active: v1.18.0 shipped on 5 October 2026, and the repository has about 21.7k GitHub stars
Trade-offs
- −You install a desktop app plus Node.js, where Bolt needs only a browser; macOS and Windows are supported, while Linux is experimental and does not auto-update
- −JavaScript apps only, per its FAQ; mobile means hybrid apps via Capacitor rather than Bolt's Expo route
- −The Pro features in the repository's src/pro folder are fair-source (FSL-1.1), not open source, and the free agent mode is limited to 20 messages a day
- −No hosting of its own; you deploy through GitHub to Vercel or another host and manage that account yourself
bolt.diy
Strengths
- +The closest thing to Bolt's own interface, from the same company's open-source organisation
- +Choose the model per prompt from more than 20 providers, including local Ollama and LM Studio
- +Download any project as a ZIP, connect Git and Supabase, and deploy to Netlify, Vercel or GitHub Pages
- +An active community project: about 19.9k GitHub stars, with commits landing this week
Trade-offs
- −Its runtime, the WebContainer API, is proprietary; StackBlitz requires a commercial licence for production use in a for-profit setting
- −No one-click install: you run it from source with Node.js 22.12+ and pnpm, or Docker; the last tagged release and desktop build (v1.0.0) date from May 2025
- −Its README lists the move from single model calls to an agent-based system as still in progress, so it is less autonomous than Bolt's own agents
- −No hosting, database or domains of its own; Bolt Cloud's conveniences become your setup work
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Dyad
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and your project is a normal Git repository on your own disk, not a workspace on someone else's servers.
Choose bolt.diy
if the closest thing to Bolt's own interface, from the same company's open-source organisation.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — you install a desktop app plus Node.js, where Bolt needs only a browser; macOS and Windows are supported, while Linux is experimental and does not auto-update, and its runtime, the WebContainer API, is proprietary; StackBlitz requires a commercial licence for production use in a for-profit setting. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Dyad vs bolt.diy — common questions
Is Dyad a better fit than bolt.diy for ai app builders?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Dyad scores 93 to bolt.diy's 78 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. bolt.diy earns its place on a different axis — the closest thing to Bolt's own interface, from the same company's open-source organisation. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Dyad keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. bolt.diy is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Dyad or bolt.diy?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Dyad and bolt.diy both alternatives to Bolt.new?
Yes — both appear in our Bolt.new comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Bolt.new and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-10-06. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.