Open CoDesign vs Bolt.new — Open-Source Bolt Alternative
Looking for an open-source alternative to Bolt.new? Open CoDesign is an MIT-licensed desktop app that takes prompts to interactive prototypes — running entirely on your laptop, with your own keys, against any model provider.
Download Open CoDesign → · 90-second Quickstart
At a glance
Bolt.new is a hosted in-browser full-stack IDE that scaffolds and runs web apps using WebContainers. Open CoDesign is a desktop app focused on design and prototype artifacts, with full BYOK model freedom and on-device storage.
Pick Bolt.new if you want a browser-based full-stack IDE with hot-reload execution and hosted deploy.
Pick Open CoDesign if you want a native desktop tool for design-grade prototypes, any model via BYOK, on-device privacy, and exports beyond web (PDF, PPTX, ZIP).
Feature matrix
| Open CoDesign (open-source) | Bolt.new (StackBlitz) | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | Closed (core hosted product) |
| Runs on | Your laptop (macOS / Windows / Linux) | Cloud (browser + WebContainers) |
| Scope | Design-grade prototypes + decks + PDFs | Full-stack web apps in-browser |
| Models | Any — Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, SiliconFlow, Ollama | Provider-bundled |
| Pricing | Free (BYOK token cost) | Paid subscription (token-metered) |
| BYOK | Yes — any provider | Limited |
| Data location | SQLite on your machine | Cloud (StackBlitz infra) |
| Local version history | Yes — snapshots + diff | In-app history (cloud) |
| Offline use | Yes (with local Ollama) | No (needs WebContainers runtime) |
| Output formats | HTML · React/JSX · PDF · PPTX · ZIP · Markdown | Runnable project + deploy target |
| Built-in design skills | 12 modules | General code scaffolding |
| Demo prompts | 15 ready-to-edit | Templates |
| Ecosystem | Framework-agnostic output | Node.js-in-browser centric |
Why someone would switch from Bolt.new to Open CoDesign
- Model freedom. Use any provider per generation. Polish on Claude Opus, iterate cheaply on DeepSeek/Kimi, go private with Ollama.
- No subscription, no token metering. BYOK — pay your provider directly at their rates.
- On-device history. Every iteration is a local SQLite snapshot you can diff and roll back without needing cloud.
- Export variety. PDF, PPTX, ZIP, Markdown — not just running web apps.
- Native desktop app. Faster iteration loop than an in-browser IDE; no tab-crash risk.
Why someone would stay on Bolt.new
- You want an in-browser full-stack IDE with live execution.
- You need to ship runnable Node.js / Vite projects end-to-end in one environment.
- You don't want to install anything locally.
Different product shapes. Both are fine picks.
Is Open CoDesign a clone of Bolt.new?
No. Open CoDesign is an independent MIT-licensed desktop project by OpenCoworkAI. It shares no code with Bolt.new and is not affiliated with StackBlitz.
Install Open CoDesign
FAQ
- Does Open CoDesign run a full web app like Bolt.new? No — it renders design-grade artifacts (HTML, React components, PDFs, slide decks) in a sandboxed iframe. If you need a runnable full Node.js project, Bolt.new is a better fit.
- Can I use local models? Yes — point at any OpenAI-compatible endpoint including Ollama.
- License? MIT.