Both use AI to help you build faster. The difference: Bolt builds web apps. Shippen ships native iOS and Android apps to the App Store.

At a glance

Feature	Bolt.new	Shippen
Output	Web app (browser)	Native iOS + Android app
App Store deployment	Not possible	Automated
Backend included	No	NestJS + Supabase
Pricing model	$25/month (token-based)	One-time $129\u2013$399
Code ownership	Export option	Full, from day one
Stack	Vite / React web	React Native + Expo
Mobile performance	Web wrapper at best	True native
AI integration	In-browser generation	11 agents + 13 skills

Breaking it down

1. Web app vs native mobile app

Bolt is excellent at generating web apps fast. You describe what you want, it scaffolds a React or Vite project, and you iterate in the browser. That works well for tools, dashboards, and landing pages.

If your goal is an app in the App Store or Play Store \u2014 the kind users download and expect to feel native \u2014 Bolt can't take you there. A PWA is not the same thing. Native apps have different performance characteristics, different distribution mechanics, and different user expectations. Shippen is built specifically for that end goal.

2. Token economics

Bolt's Pro plan is $25/month for 10M tokens. Sounds like a lot. In practice, users regularly report burning through 1\u20131.3M tokens in a single working session on a medium-sized app. A productive month of building can exhaust your quota in a week, forcing a plan upgrade or a pause.

Shippen is a one-time purchase. The AI agents (Claude Code) cost what you spend on Claude separately \u2014 but there's no platform token meter ticking.

3. Backend

Bolt generates front-end code. It can connect to external APIs you configure, but it doesn't provision or manage a backend for you. You're on your own for auth, database, file storage, and server logic.

Shippen includes a full NestJS backend pre-wired to Supabase. Auth, database schema, file uploads, push notifications \u2014 they're part of the boilerplate, not an afterthought.

4. App Store deployment

Getting an app approved and live on the App Store requires provisioning profiles, signing certificates, metadata, screenshots, and a submission process. It's not complicated once you know it, but it's a whole workflow Bolt doesn't touch.

Shippen includes automation scripts that handle the submission pipeline. The goal is running a command and having your app submitted, not spending a day on Apple's dashboard.

5. Where Bolt wins

If you want a web product fast \u2014 a SaaS tool, an internal dashboard, a landing page with dynamic logic \u2014 Bolt is genuinely impressive. The in-browser iteration loop is smooth. You can go from zero to something shareable in an hour.

It's also more accessible to non-developers. You don't need to understand React Native or run a local dev environment. If web is your target, Bolt is worth considering.

Pricing over time

Period	Bolt.new Pro	Shippen
Month 1	$25	$129 (one-time)
Month 6	$150	$129
Month 12	$300	$129
Month 24	$600	$129
Year 3+	$900+	$129

Bolt pricing based on $25/month Pro plan. Heavy usage may require higher tiers.

Verdict

Use Bolt.new if:

• You're building a web app, SaaS, or internal tool
• You want to prototype something quickly without a local setup
• Your users will access it through a browser, not the App Store

Use Shippen if:

• You want a native iOS and Android app in the App Store
• You need a full backend without configuring it yourself
• You prefer paying once over an ongoing subscription
• You want to own the code completely, forever