I’m Kayla. I write code in weird places—on the train, at my kid’s soccer practice, and in bed with tea. I like tools that start fast and don’t make me hunt for settings. bolt.new made me curious. For an extended breakdown of every bolt.new-style platform I tested, you can read the full review here. Could I build a real app in my browser with help from AI? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it depends on the job.
Here’s what I used, what I built, and where each one tripped me up a bit.
The quick hits (so you know where I landed)
- For “start a full-stack app right now”: bolt.new or StackBlitz
- For bigger repos and real dev workflows: GitHub Codespaces
- For teaching, tinkering, and sharing: Glitch or CodeSandbox
- For a landing page that looks pretty fast: Framer AI or v0.dev
- For bots and little API jobs: Pipedream
You know what? None of these tools are perfect. But a few felt special.
bolt.new — the fast starter that feels like magic (until it doesn’t)
What I built:
- A small Next.js habit tracker with a streak counter
- A “local” JSON store first; later I added a tiny SQLite setup
What I liked:
- The prompt-to-project flow felt smooth. I typed what I wanted, and it scaffolded files that made sense.
- Hot reload was quick. I didn’t stare at spinners much.
- The AI chat knew the code it made. I could say, “Make the button blue and add a toast,” and it did.
Where I stumbled:
- Long tasks got fussy. When I asked for auth plus a dashboard plus charts, it stalled and backtracked.
- Env secrets felt clunky the first time. I had to dance around where keys go.
- It’s great for a jump start, but I still had to tighten things by hand.
My vibe:
- I reach for bolt.new when I’ve got 30 minutes and a solid idea. It gives me momentum. Then I export or copy bits into my real repo.
Replit + Ghostwriter — cozy for quick hacks, a tad heavy sometimes
What I built:
- A Discord bot that posts match scores
- A small Flask API that returns dad jokes (don’t judge me)
What I liked:
- Ghostwriter’s code hints were clear, not pushy.
- The built-in hosting is handy. Click, and it’s live.
- Sharing with a friend is simple. I sent a link, they tweaked a route, done.
Where I stumbled:
- Cold starts felt slow on some nights. Might be me. Might be the project.
- The file tree got crowded fast. I had to keep things tidy.
- Packages were fine for common stuff, but some native builds were… moody.
My vibe:
- Great for bots, small APIs, and school demos. I wouldn’t ship a big client gig here, but I’d test ideas in a snap.
I also compared Replit with a handful of its closest competitors in a separate write-up—read the side-by-side here.
Curious how Ghostwriter came to be? The Replit team shared the full story in the original launch post, and later leveled it up with Ghostwriter Chat so you can reason about entire files in conversation.
CodeSandbox — friendly for front-end, steady for teams
What I built:
- A React form wizard with zod validation
- A Vue demo for a workshop
What I liked:
- Templates were clean. I clicked React + Vite and got rolling.
- GitHub import was smooth. I tested a PR branch in my browser during lunch.
- Their AI helped with small fixes and copy edits. Nothing wild, but helpful.
Where I stumbled:
- Full-stack with databases felt like extra work. Doable, just more setup.
- Browser tabs ate memory on my old laptop.
My vibe:
- If I’m teaching or doing a front-end talk, this is my go-to. It just behaves.
StackBlitz (WebContainers) — instant Node in the browser
What I built:
- An Astro blog starter with MDX
- A vanilla Node CLI toy that prints weather
What I liked:
- Starts fast. Like, blink-and-you’re-coding fast.
- Offline coding on a plane actually worked for me.
- Feels close to local dev for many packages.
Where I stumbled:
- Some native modules don’t run in the browser. That’s a hard limit.
- Heavy builds spun my fans and drank battery.
My vibe:
- When speed matters, it’s great. I’ll reach for it when I want a clean sandbox without cloud lag.
GitHub Codespaces + Copilot Chat — real tooling when things get serious
What I built:
- I revived a dusty Next.js monorepo for a client audit
- I ran tests and fixed flaky imports with Copilot Chat
What I liked:
- It felt like full VS Code, but in the browser.
- Devcontainers kept the setup stable across my machines.
- Copilot Chat understood the repo and helped me hunt dead code.
Where I stumbled:
- Startup times varied. Not slow, but not “instant oatmeal” either.
- You have to watch minutes/credits on heavier use.
- If your internet is shaky, it’s not fun.
My vibe:
- I use this when the codebase is big and the stakes are real. It’s less “toy,” more “shop.”
Glitch — social, simple, and weird in a good way
What I built:
- A Stripe webhook catcher for testing
- A tiny Node site that shows my plant watering schedule
What I liked:
- Remixing a project feels playful. I got ideas from browsing others.
- Live updates just… happen. No fuss.
- Good for kids or folks new to code. Feels safe to try stuff.
Where I stumbled:
- Apps nap if idle. That can break demos during talks.
- Not a fit for complex stacks.
My vibe:
- I open Glitch when I want joy. Fast, friendly, and perfect for little web toys.
Quick aside: if you’re hacking away in Marseille and want to swap the keyboard for some real-world company, Plancul Marseille can point you to low-friction, no-strings meet-ups in the city so you can close the laptop and actually touch grass (or a terrace café table) after your sprint. Stateside devs around the Dallas–Fort Worth sprawl aren't left out either—when you want to step away from the IDE for an impromptu human connection, the curated Backpage McKinney board rounds up nearby meet-ups and casual hangs so you can recharge without blowing your sprint schedule.
Vercel v0.dev and Framer AI — design first, code later
What I built:
- A landing page for a coffee pop-up
- A product grid with fake data for a pitch
What I liked:
- I described the vibe (warm, friendly, fall colors), and got layouts that felt right.
- Framer let me tweak spacing and type fast, then publish.
- Great for “we need a page by Friday” moments.
Where I stumbled:
- Code from these tools can feel heavy if you plan to extend it a lot.
- App logic still needs a true dev setup after the draft.
My vibe:
- When marketing needs a page, I start here. If it grows, I move to Next or Remix.
- If I just need a straightforward drag-and-drop site builder, ZyWeb gets a slick marketing page online even faster.
Pipedream — tiny automations and quick bots
What I built:
- A “new tweet” to Slack notifier with filters
- A cron job that hits a health check and logs to a sheet
What I liked:
- I wrote small Node steps without a whole repo.
- Triggers and sources saved me time.
- Logs were clean. I could see what broke.
Where I stumbled:
- Secrets and rate limits need care. Easy to forget.
- Not great for full apps, but that’s not the point.
My vibe:
- When I need glue between services, this is my tape.
So… which one should you try?
- I need a fast AI start on a web app: bolt.new
- I want instant Node in browser, no server: StackBlitz
- I’m teaching or making a shareable front-end demo: CodeSandbox
- I’m working on a real repo with tests and teams: GitHub Codespaces
- I want a cute page, like, now: Framer AI or v0.dev
- I’m wiring APIs and small jobs: Pipedream
- I want playful, social tinkering: Glitch
- I like bots and tiny APIs with simple hosting: Replit
Here’s the thing. I switch tools based on mood and task. If I’m racing the clock, I start in bolt.new or StackBlitz. If I’m shipping something that pays rent, I use Codespaces, then deploy to Vercel or Fly.
A tiny story to close
One rainy Sunday, I wrote that habit tracker in bolt.new while my kid built Lego towers beside me. I asked the