What is Bolt Forge?

Bolt Forge is a special tool inside the Bolt.new platform that lets users build software using open-source AI models. It launched as a research preview on September 14, 2026. This tool is designed to help developers create projects without spending extra money on expensive AI services. It works by using powerful models that are available to the public instead of just the paid ones.

Benefits

The main advantage of Bolt Forge is that it gives Pro plan users up to 50 times more usage than usual. This offer is free through October 14, 2026. Users do not pay extra for this extra capacity. The tool also allows people to separate their brainstorming and testing from their final production work. This helps save premium credits for the most important tasks. Another key benefit is that it runs on reserved hardware and uses browser-based execution. This keeps costs low for everyone who uses it.

Use Cases

Developers can use Bolt Forge to experiment with new ideas and test out different code structures. It is perfect for the early stages of a project where many changes are made. Users simply select Forge from the agent picker and start building. The tool supports several models including GLM 5.3 Flash as the default option. It also offers experimental choices like Kimi K3 and DeepSeek v4 Pro for users who want to try different technologies. Because it runs in the browser, users do not need to set up complex servers to get started.

Pricing

Bolt Forge is included with the existing Pro plan. There is no extra monthly fee to access the tool. During the initial period until October 14, 2026, users get a massive boost in their usage limits. A single monthly bar covers all the extra usage. When this bar is full, the system automatically switches the user back to the Standard plan. There are no overage charges, so users never pay for extra usage beyond their limit.

Vibes

The tool has received positive attention for its performance. It scores 92.2 on the Bolt Build Index. This score is 91% of the top paid model's score. This shows that the open-source models are very close in quality to the expensive alternatives. The community aspect is also a highlight. Users who opt in share their build sessions in a de-identified way. This means personal secrets are stripped out before the data is used. The data helps train the next generation of open-source models. This creates a cycle where builders get more capacity and the community gets better tools.

Additional Information

Bolt Forge is part of a partnership with Arcee AI. This collaboration focuses on training open models using the data from user sessions. The data collection is completely optional. Users must give consent through a one-tap screen before their sessions are used. Certain groups are excluded from data collection to ensure privacy. These groups include teams, enterprise workspaces, and users located in the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland. The project aims to prove that high-quality AI development can happen without relying solely on proprietary models.