Bolt.new: The 2nd Fastest-Growing Product in History (Behind ChatGPT)

Before its launch in October last year, the company behind Bolt, StackBlitz, was facing severe challenges.

After 7 years of developing web-based tools, the company was struggling to create a scalable product. They aimed to add $100,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR) but were unsure if they could achieve it.

Then Bolt launched quietly, and within just 2 months, it grew from zero to $20 million ARR.

The growth didn't stop there. 4 months later, Bolt surpassed $30 million ARR and was on track to hit $40 million ARR.

Bolt is predicted to reach $100 million ARR by year-end. This explosive growth wasn't just about revenue—it reflected massive user adoption.

Bolt gained over 3 million registered users in a few months, with 1 million active users monthly. It became the leading web-based AI code app by traffic and revenue.

The driving force behind this success was WebContainer, a technology developed over 7 years. It launched at the perfect time when demand for AI-driven app development tools surged.

WebContainer: The Technology Behind Bolt

WebContainer is the foundation of Bolt's success. This technology allows a full operating system to run inside a web browser, using the device's CPU instead of cloud servers. This approach reduces costs and boosts performance significantly.

Simons and his co-founder Albert, who have been coding together since childhood, were inspired by Figma's browser-based tools. In 2012, they learned from Figma's founders about building complex applications directly in browsers using WebGL. Simons and Albert believed newer technologies like WebAssembly, shared memory, and service workers could enable fast and scalable development environments within browsers.

After years of development, WebContainer solved key problems faced by cloud-based tools like Cloud9—high costs, latency issues, and slow virtual machines. By running apps locally on user devices, WebContainer eliminated these challenges while delivering fast boot times and reliable performance.

WebContainer enables Bolt to scale efficiently while maintaining affordability for millions of users. Like tools such as Figma or Google Docs, it uses the device's computing power instead of resource-heavy cloud servers. This approach supports free tiers for users while ensuring sustainable growth.

Making App Building Simple with Bolt.new

Bolt revolutionized app creation with its text-to-app feature. Users can visit bolt.new, type a prompt like "Make a clone of Spotify," and get a fully functional web app in under 60 seconds—all within their browser using WebContainer technology. Apps can be deployed instantly through integrations with platforms like Netlify and Supabase.

Unlike platforms such as Wix or Squarespace that can be difficult for complex projects, Bolt delivers sleek apps quickly. Non-developers are using Bolt for everything from personal projects to professional-grade software.

For instance, one user created an AI-integrated CRM with Stripe billing in 3 weeks for $300—a task that would have cost $30,000 through an agency.

Simplifying Mobile App Development with Expo

Bolt extended its capabilities to mobile apps through a partnership with Expo, a leader in React Native tooling.

Users can now create native mobile apps by typing prompts like "Make a Spotify clone as a native mobile app." Bolt generates the app in minutes and provides a QR code for instant testing on phones.

Previously, building native apps required significant time and expertise. Now thousands of users are creating mobile apps daily—many without technical backgrounds.

Turning Tech Innovation Into Revenue

While WebContainer was technically impressive, monetizing it was challenging. Developers appreciated the technology but weren't willing to pay for it initially. StackBlitz struggled financially until last year when they integrated Anthropic's Sonnet model to enhance AI coding capabilities.

Claude Sonnet 3.5 was the first model that could solve hard coding problems in one-shot.

With this improvement, they rebuilt Bolt in 90 days and launched it via a single tweet—earning $60K ARR on day one and reaching $20 million ARR within two months.

Small Team, Big Impact

Bolt achieved its success with a small team of 15–20 people, including five to seven core members who had worked together for years. Daily all-hands Zoom calls kept everyone aligned on goals and challenges.

This small team handled nearly 100,000 customers with only 3 support staff. Engineers addressed issues directly and fixed them on the spot without waiting for approvals. This agile approach kept Bolt growing, even as servers struggled under the sudden demand.

Adapting Pricing Models Quickly

Bolt’s early pricing model—a $9 subscription—didn’t last long. Users burned through that plan in 48 hours. So, the team switched to usage-based pricing, where users paid for the computational power they needed.

This model allowed revenue growth while meeting user needs effectively—scaling from $60K on launch day to millions monthly.

Unlike Lovable, Bolt charges for silly errors that Bolt itself makes.

This makes its ARR grow in the short-term but hurts user retention as users don't want to pay more money if the computer makes unnecessary mistakes.

Expert Help Through Bolt Builders

Bolt’s AI is powerful, but it’s not perfect. To fill the gaps, Bolt introduced Bolt Builders, a network of certified experts users can hire when they hit a roadblock. For $50 per hour, users can get live help to keep their projects moving.

This human-AI collaboration makes Bolt even more accessible, especially for non-developers trying to build complex apps.

Empowering Non-Developers To Create Apps

About 67% of Bolt’s users are not developers. They’re PMs, designers, and entrepreneurs building apps independently. Users often replace expensive agency work or Upwork gigs with Bolt.

A $50 Bolt build can replace a $5,000 gig.

Many greenfield projects are now built directly on Bolt instead of traditional website builders—a significant shift in software creation.

Bolt is driving change in how software is built by enabling developers to focus on creative tasks while empowering non-developers with AI tools for app creation. Companies use Bolt for rapid prototyping.

Bolt’s Smart Integrations and Marketing Strategies

Bolt has teamed up with popular tools like Supabase, Anima, Figma, and Expo.

These partnerships help them reach designers, web developers, and mobile developers without building everything from scratch.

Supabase is a database tool loved by developers. Anima turns designs into code, making it a hit with designers and developers.

Figma is a design tool widely used by designers, and Anima is used to seamlessly convert design into code for their Figma integration.

Expo simplifies mobile app development using React Native, targeting mobile developers.

By integrating with these tools, Bolt taps into existing communities, saving time and effort.

Each new feature is promoted on Product Hunt, a platform where developers and non-developers, like product managers, hang out.

Bolt’s Genius Marketing on X

Bolt recently sponsored Pieter Levels, a well-known figure in the Indie Hacker and solopreneur community with over 641,000 followers on X.

Pieter has built a loyal following over 10 years, so his recommendations carry weight. Bolt smartly sponsored clouds which everyone sees while every sponsor wasted money.

Bolt didn’t just sponsor one of his flying games; they consistently supported his coding challenges, from day 2 to day 4 and beyond.

Every day a sponsor can change. But Bolt wants more tagging from the biggest influencer in Entrepreneur community.

Bolt also acted quickly on a tweet from KP suggesting they sponsor a hackathon.

They turned this idea into reality, sponsoring the world’s largest hackathon with a $1 million prize. Bolt’s CEO announced it, and the company’s post reached a wide audience, involving big names like:

• Greg Isenberg (Popular YouTuber and Tech influencer),

• Ben Tossell (Founder of AI newsletter Ben's Bites),

• Alex Albert (Head of Claude Relations at Anthropic),

• Pieter Levels (Most Popular Indiehacker),

• Theo (Tech Influencer and YouTuber),

• Logan Kilpatrick (Developer advocate at Gemini),

• Evan You (Creator of Vue)

The announcement by Bolt’s CEO reached over 682,100 impressions, and the company’s post garnered another 822,200 impressions.

The hackathon sparked discussions and established Bolt as a go-to platform for web developers. This viral reach delivered value far beyond the initial investment.

To sweeten the deal, Bolt offered $3,000 to anyone who built their website for the hackathon. This tweet got 100s of quote retweets and ~1.6 million views.

Bolt’s marketing moves are a masterclass in action. From a tweet to a million-dollar hackathon in 6 hours—it’s execution at Elon Musk speed.

Bolt’s success comes from its innovative tech, responsive leadership, and quick adaptation to market needs. By focusing on practical solutions, they’ve redefined software development and made a lasting impact.

Top Tweets of the day

1/

Use your skills. They get rusty once you stop using them.

2/

Accurate observation.

A viral video on Mr.Beast's channel will get 100 million views. A viral video on a <1000 subscribers channel will only get 1 million views.

Think of follower count as the thrust that is used by rockets to launch into space. The more thrust you have, the further you'll go into space.

I am shite at physics so forgive the analogy.

3/

My best hack for being good at search is focusing on the right keywords. There’s this thing called LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords—basically, these are related keywords that go hand-in-hand with the main one. For example, if running is the main keyword, then jogging, sprinting, cardio, and marathon are its buddies.

When I stumble upon a social media account in a specific niche, I dive into the top keywords for that field. Like, if I find a world-class marketer, I’ll search for terms like mindset, psychology, hack, secret, pro tip, or even company names like Nike, McDonald’s, Netflix, or Starbucks to uncover their best ideas.

I’ve tweeted 27,500 times over the last 7–8 years, and sometimes I use this trick on my own profile to dig up old ideas I’ve forgotten. Try searching for SaaS, grok, or psychology on my profile—you might find some hidden gems!

Rabbit Holes

1. How We Ship Fast at Replit by Replit

2. An Interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman About Building a Consumer Tech Company by Ben Thompson

3. The Longer It Takes Do, The Larger The Competitive Advantage In Doing It by Thomas Waschenfelder

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