Key takeaways
v0 now scaffolds full Next.js frontend and backend code with database wiring, with Next.js as the default and Vercel as the one-click deployment path; other options require additional setup.
A component generator that hands back frontend fragments still leaves login, payment, and data logic for someone else to build and secure.
Where an AI builder executes code, in-browser or on a remote server, is one consideration in security review; the generated code still needs review either way.
The strongest signal for an agency's exit path is whether generated code hands off to a client's own engineering team without a rebuild.
Bolt.new combines browser-based development through WebContainers with integrated database, authentication, and hosting services through Bolt Cloud.
A v0 prototype looks finished in the client meeting. Then someone asks who owns the database, who hosts the app after launch, and what happens to the repo once the invoice clears. Those questions expose the difference between a polished frontend and a full client handoff that includes a deployable backend, real hosting, and a codebase someone else can actually maintain.
Five tools address that difference. Which one fits depends on how your team builds and who inherits the code after handoff.
What v0 builds today
v0 now scaffolds full Next.js applications with backend code and database wiring (not just frontend components) and deploys to Vercel in one click. The tool, now rebranded as v0.app, has moved well past its early reputation, so if you last evaluated it as a UI-snippet generator, you're working from an outdated picture.
v0 connects generated apps to Supabase, Neon, or Upstash, so a project can have working data persistence without you assembling that connection by hand.
The constraint is one layer down: v0's workflow defaults to Next.js and Vercel, so a client project built on another framework or headed for another host means extra configuration outside what v0 provides by default.
v0 is one of the tools driving vibe coding, the practice of building apps through natural-language prompts rather than hand-written code. For an agency, that model is useful only as far as the output travels, and v0's defaults set a boundary there.
Component generator vs. full-stack app builder
A component generator hands you frontend code fragments you still have to wire together. A full-stack app builder connects the frontend, backend, database, and deployment into one running project from the start. That difference determines how much work remains after the AI stops generating.
v0 now supports full-stack development, so the agency's question is how well its Next.js and Vercel defaults fit the client's requirements. Authentication, database configuration, and deployment still need validation before handoff, particularly when the client uses a different stack.
A component that looks finished and an app that works are two different deliverables. Before committing a client timeline to any AI builder, check whether the output is enough to launch a business, or if it's a starting point that still needs a backend attached.
How to evaluate v0 alternatives
Once a project pushes past v0's Next.js and Vercel defaults, the evaluation shifts from "does this generate good components?" to "can this handle the rest of the build?" Score each alternative against six criteria:
SEO and content handling: Can the tool produce indexable output without a separate CMS layer?
Design system capability: Can it build with a client's existing component library or generate its own?
Integrated infrastructure: Do backend, database, and hosting come connected or need to be wired separately?
Context management and reliability: Can the tool hold a large or complex project together across sessions without degrading?
Security and compliance: Is the output secure and compliant? (Veracode found 45% of AI-generated code samples introduced OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities across more than 100 tested models — generated code needs review regardless of which tool produced it.)
Portability: Can the output move into a client's existing stack without a rebuild?
A broader comparison of AI app builders puts more options in context if you're still narrowing the field.
1. Bolt.new
Bolt.new fits an agency that needs to build, publish, and hand off a full-stack client application from a single browser-based development environment. Agencies can generate and test application code in the browser, then configure backend services and publish through Bolt Cloud.
That environment runs on WebContainers (StackBlitz's browser VM), which means the build executes locally instead of on a remote dev server. Bolt Cloud handles the database, auth, and hosting once you're ready to launch. A security audit runs from the publish menu, fixes most issues on its own, and doesn't touch your token allowance.
For client work, Bolt.new reads the client's component library, NPM packages, Storybook, and brand assets, and builds with those approved components from the first prompt, so the agency isn't retrofitting brand compliance after the fact. GitHub integration, including organization-level app installs, gives engineering a repository to take over rather than an export to untangle.
Digital Virgo used Bolt.new to cut launch time from 12 months to three and a half, with one primary architect instead of a four- or five-person team. Bolt.new's Microsoft Marketplace distribution is part of that enterprise push.
2. Lovable
Lovable fits an agency that wants a live product fast, with managed backend and authentication through Lovable Cloud or a connected Supabase project, rather than a frontend it still has to wire up.
The build runs in a cloud-based build environment rather than in the reader's own browser tab. For security and compliance, your client's code and data pass through Lovable's cloud infrastructure during development, so any data handling or compliance question belongs in the scoping conversation with the client, not the handoff conversation.
Portability is where the agency's exit path is decided. Handing a Lovable Cloud project to an in-house engineering team means accounting for backend migration work if that team runs its own infrastructure rather than staying on Lovable Cloud or Supabase.
You can sync a Lovable project to GitHub and import that repository into Bolt.new to continue working with the existing code. Check what backend and service configuration needs to carry over. See this detailed comparison of Lovable and Bolt.new for the full breakdown.
3. Replit
Replit hosts a full-stack app on its own cloud infrastructure with a built-in database, running development in a cloud workspace rather than on your machine. Built-in PostgreSQL ships alongside Replit hosting, so an agency building a client project gets a production-grade database and a live deployment target.
Replit runs the build in a remote cloud environment, which means client code and prompts pass through Replit's infrastructure during development, not a local or browser-based process.
Portability is the bigger constraint for agency handoff. A project built inside Replit's workspace is easiest to keep running on Replit's own hosting, and moving it into a client's existing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline takes deliberate export and reconfiguration work.
4. Figma Make
Figma Make turns a prompt or an existing Figma design into an interactive prototype or a web app, which is the workflow a design team already knows how to feed it. A designer hands it a mockup, and Figma Make returns something a client can click through instead of a static screen.
Backend functionality is available through a Supabase integration. Figma Make guides you through connecting a Supabase project and can set up basic data storage and authentication flows. The agency still needs to validate those flows and access controls against the client's requirements.
For handoff, Figma Make can push project code directly to GitHub. Confirm who will own the repository, Supabase project, and deployment after delivery, and scope any work needed to fit the client's existing codebase. Teams that want to bring Figma designs into Bolt.new can use its Figma integration.
5. Builder.io
Builder Code connects to a team's existing GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket repository and turns prompts or design changes into pull requests, with Builder Content available separately for content management system (CMS)-driven marketing pages.
Anyone on the team can edit or generate code through Builder Code's visual editor. Builder Code reads a connected design-system repository to match a client's component patterns and coding standards, which covers the design system criterion, but doesn't stand up a backend or database on its own. Because Builder Code works in the client's repository, handoff stays inside the client's review process.
Which pick fits your handoff scenario?
The v0 alternatives above differ in how much of the stack they provide by default and where the resulting code runs. Use this breakdown to match the tool to the handoff you're planning rather than the one with the most features.
Bolt.new | Lovable | Replit | Figma Make | Builder.io | |
Primary output | Full-stack web app: frontend, backend, database, and deployment | Full-stack web app with Lovable Cloud or a connected Supabase backend | Full-stack app hosted on Replit's own cloud infrastructure | Interactive prototypes and web apps generated from prompts or Figma designs | Applicationcode through Builder Code; CMS-driven pages through Builder Content |
Backend and database | Built-in database included on every plan, including Free | Built-in database and authentication through Lovable Cloud, or a connected Supabase project | Built-in Replit database ships with hosting | Supabase integration for database, authentication, and storage | Works with the project's backend and data sources; setup depends on the application |
Development workflow | Development runs in-browser through WebContainers | Runs in a cloud-based build environment | Runs in a cloud development workspace | Prompt-to-code workflow with Figma design input, preview, and publishing | Visual code editing in connected repositories, or CMS-driven page editing |
Best-fit handoff scenario | Teams needing governed handoff to engineering with production code | Founders wanting a live app with managed backend services | Builders wanting one workspace for coding, hosting, and collaboration | Design-led teams turning mockups into interactive prototypes or web apps | Teams extending an existing codebase or delivering CMS-managed pages |
Before you decide, identify the handoff scenario you're in, compare where development and deployment happen, and confirm what code and infrastructure the client receives.
Managing several client builds is where Bolt.new's Teams shows its value: Team Templates standardize a starting stack across projects, and per-package design system prompts keep each client's build on its own components instead of converging toward the same generic look.
Find the fix for v0's ceiling
v0 now scaffolds backend code, connects a database, and deploys to Vercel in one click. For agencies, the remaining question is how well that workflow fits the client's framework and hosting requirements. Projects outside those defaults can require additional configuration that needs to be accounted for in the timeline.
The decision point for most client projects is whether the tool can match the client's existing stack. Bolt.new runs a full dev environment inside the browser through WebContainers, supports multiple JavaScript frameworks, and connects to GitHub so the handoff to a client's engineering team goes through a real repository rather than an export. Code View gives developers direct file access without leaving the build environment.
If you have a client project that needs something beyond Vercel defaults, build it in Bolt.new and see where the handoff lands.
