Dyad vs Google AI Studio
Both are alternatives to Bolt.new. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Google AI Studio vs Dyad — same comparison, one verdict.
Dyad is open source (Apache-2.0 (src/pro under FSL-1.1-ALv2)) and Google AI Studio is not (Proprietary (hosted service)) — so the real question is whether you want to own the ai app builders stack or rent it.
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.
Google AI Studio
Google's free, hosted prompt-to-app builder, if a Gemini-only tool and Google's free-tier terms suit you.
For Bolt users who like that nothing needs installing, Build mode in Google AI Studio is the closest hosted equivalent at no cost. It turns a prompt into a full-stack web app (a React front end and a Node.js server by default) or a native Android app in Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, with a live preview in the browser, and it can provision Firebase Firestore and Firebase Authentication, sync two ways with GitHub, export a ZIP, and deploy to Cloud Run. Google's billing page says AI Studio usage is free of charge unless you link a paid API key. The trade-offs: it is built around Google's Gemini models, and on the free tier Google's terms say your prompts and outputs may be used to improve its products and may be read by human reviewers.
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 | Google AI Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 93 | 25 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Local-first data | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 (src/pro under FSL-1.1-ALv2) | Proprietary (hosted service) |
| 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 to use unless you link a paid API key; deploying to Cloud Run is billed by Google Cloud based on usage, and apps that call paid models can incur costs. Verified on ai.google.dev 2026-10-06. |
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
Google AI Studio
Strengths
- +Nothing to install and no subscription: free in the browser unless you link a paid key
- +Full-stack by default (React plus a Node.js server), and native Android apps rather than hybrid ones
- +Two-way GitHub sync and ZIP export; a downloaded app runs on any host once you set GEMINI_API_KEY
- +Firebase Firestore and Google sign-in can be provisioned for you
Trade-offs
- −Built around Gemini; Google's Build mode guide describes no other model provider
- −On the free tier Google may use your prompts and outputs to improve its products, human reviewers may read them, and its terms say not to submit sensitive or confidential information
- −A hosted Google service you cannot self-host; deploying from AI Studio means Cloud Run, billed by usage
- −When you share an app, its Gemini API calls count toward your own usage limits
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Dyad
if you want the source and the option to fork it, and you would rather run it on your own hardware, and your data should stay on machines you control.
Choose Google AI Studio
if nothing to install and no subscription: free in the browser unless you link a paid key.
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 built around Gemini; Google's Build mode guide describes no other model provider. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Dyad vs Google AI Studio — common questions
Is Dyad a better fit than Google AI Studio for ai app builders?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Dyad scores 93 to Google AI Studio's 25 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Google AI Studio earns its place on a different axis — nothing to install and no subscription: free in the browser unless you link a paid key. 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. Google AI Studio keeps your data on its own infrastructure, which is the part to plan for: confirm the export path before you commit, not when you are already trying to leave.
Can I self-host Dyad?
Dyad can be self-hosted; Google AI Studio cannot, so it stays on the vendor's infrastructure whatever you do.
Are Dyad and Google AI Studio 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.