Zeltro › A Bolt.new alternative that runs on your own machine

Zeltro as a Bolt.new alternative

Bolt.new builds JavaScript apps in your browser with its own AI and tokens, and hosts them in Bolt Cloud. Zeltro builds on your own computer with the AI you already pay for, in PHP, Python or JavaScript. What differs, what taking a Bolt project local really involves, and when each fits.

Bolt.new, from StackBlitz, runs a whole development environment inside your browser. You describe an app, Bolt writes it, and you watch it run in a preview next to the chat. Nothing to install, and a public link at the end.

People look for an alternative when the tokens run out mid-fix, when the app needs a PHP or Python backend, when the preview and the exported code stop matching, or when they want the project on their own computer for good. This page is about those cases.

Bolt.new and Zeltro side by side#

As of September 2026:

Can you run a Bolt.new project on your own computer?#

Bolt's documentation answers this in one line: "You can download your project as a zip file to work on it outside of Bolt, using your own code editor." Install Node.js, unzip, run npm install && npm run dev, and the front end comes up.

What the docs do not cover is everything around it:

• The database. New projects use a Bolt database, which lives in Bolt Cloud. To take it with you, you "claim" it into your own Supabase account, which needs a Pro or Teams plan, or export it one table at a time as CSV or JSON.
• Secrets and environment variables. They are kept in Bolt's secrets panel, not in the download, so you recreate them locally.
• Hosting. The bolt.host address does not move with you, and custom domains need re-pointing by hand.
• The environment itself. Bolt runs your app on WebContainers in the browser, where Node versions and native modules can behave differently from your machine.

There is no desktop or local version of Bolt.new: "Bolt is a browser-based tool", and it has no public API or CLI. If you sync to GitHub, Bolt pulls changes back in every 30 seconds, so you can edit locally and keep using its AI in the browser.

What Zeltro does differently#

Zeltro is a do-it-yourself dev platform for your own machine, not a browser tab. Describe what you want and it suggests how to build it: a ready-made app if one already does the job, or a framework and a database if it needs building from scratch. Then your AI agent builds it in a real project on your disk.

• Real runtimes, not a browser sandbox. PHP, Python and Node run in proper containers, so native modules and server code behave the way they will in production.
• The database is local. MariaDB, Postgres, MongoDB and Redis run on your computer and are shared across all your projects.
• You choose the AI and who pays for it. A subscription you already have, a low-cost model through OpenRouter, a local model, or a client's key for client work. There are no Zeltro tokens to run out of.
• Your code stays yours. Your code, prompts and keys never go to Zeltro. No account. Free for personal use; businesses pay US$99.99 once. The command line tool is open source.

Bringing a Bolt project over#

If the project is on GitHub, clone it into Zeltro:

zeltro clone work-directly https://github.com/you/your-bolt-app

If you only have the zip, unzip it into your projects folder and run zeltro setup <name>. The front end runs as a normal Node project. For the database, claim it into Supabase or export its tables, then have your AI agent load them into a database Zeltro runs for you.

Where Bolt.new is the better choice#

• You want zero installation and a live link in minutes. Zeltro installs Docker and runs real containers on your machine, and it does not host your app. (If you want it live and handled, I do that as a service.)
• You are on a borrowed or locked-down computer where you cannot install anything. Bolt only needs a browser.
• The app is a small JavaScript front end and Bolt's free tokens cover it.

Where Zeltro fits#

• You want the app and its data on your own computer or your own server.
• You need PHP or Python, or anything that does not run in a browser sandbox.
• You already pay for Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini and do not want a second AI bill.
• You run many projects and want them managed in one place.

Sources#

Checked on 28 September 2026: Bolt's pricing, FAQ, supported technologies, projects and files, Git and Supabase pages, account settings (training), and the bolt.diy repository. Plans and terms change, so check them before you commit.

Questions

Checked 2026-09-28. Other products change often — if something here is out of date, tell us and it gets fixed.