How to Migrate From Bolt.new to Lovable
Bolt.new is excellent for getting a full-stack prototype working quickly. The point where developers outgrow it is usually when they need real auth and a real database. Bolt.new can scaffold an API route and SQLite setup, but wiring up production-grade authentication, Supabase row-level security, and a managed Postgres database requires fighting the in-browser environment's constraints. Lovable has Supabase built in as a first-class feature.
The other push factor is code portability. Bolt.new projects live primarily in the browser environment. Lovable's code export lets you pull the full project into a standard GitHub repository that you can clone, run locally, and deploy anywhere. For developers who want to go from "AI-generated prototype" to "production application I own and maintain," Lovable's export story is cleaner.
What's actually different
Both tools are AI-native full-stack builders in the browser. The differences are in backend integration depth and what you get when you want to leave the AI environment.
| Feature | Bolt.new | Lovable |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend scaffolding | Yes | Yes |
| Backend API routes | Yes | Yes |
| Database | SQLite / manual setup | Supabase (Postgres, managed) |
| Authentication | Manual setup | Supabase Auth (built-in) |
| Row-level security | Manual | Supabase RLS via AI |
| Code export | Zip download / GitHub | GitHub sync (two-way) |
| Deploy | Netlify / Vercel integration | Vercel / custom |
| Realtime features | Manual | Supabase Realtime |
| Pricing | Free (5 projects) / $20 Pro | Free (5 projects) / $25 Pro |
The Supabase integration is the headline difference. In Lovable, when you say "add user authentication," it creates Supabase Auth tables, generates the sign-in/sign-up flows, sets up the client-side session handling, and configures the RLS policies. In Bolt.new, you'd need to manually install Supabase SDK, set environment variables, and wire everything together. Lovable's AI does this as a first-class workflow.
The GitHub sync is also meaningfully different from Bolt.new's export. Lovable keeps your project linked to a GitHub repo and pushes changes on each iteration. You can pull locally, make changes, push back, and Lovable picks up the changes. Bolt.new's GitHub integration is more one-directional.
Mapping your existing workflow
Frontend components. Your React/Tailwind/shadcn components from Bolt.new transfer cleanly. Lovable uses the same React + Tailwind stack by default. Copy your component code into equivalent Lovable project files, or describe them to Lovable's AI for recreation.
API routes. Your Bolt.new Express or API routes need to be replicated. For CRUD operations against a database, you'll likely replace custom API routes with Supabase client calls directly. Lovable's AI can rewrite a GET /api/users Express route into supabase.from('users').select('*') client-side logic.
SQLite to Supabase Postgres. This is the main data migration. Export your Bolt.new SQLite data (if any), create the equivalent tables in Supabase, and import the data. For prototypes with no real data, just recreate the schema. Tell Lovable "create a users table with these columns: id, email, name, created_at" and it handles the Supabase migration.
Environment variables. Bolt.new managed environment variables in its interface. Lovable uses Supabase's environment for database credentials and your own .env for custom variables. When you export and run locally, you'll need NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL and NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY from your Supabase project settings.
Auth. If you had custom auth in Bolt.new, replace it with Lovable's Supabase Auth workflow. This is typically a net gain: Supabase Auth handles email/password, OAuth providers, and magic links with minimal configuration.
The actual migration steps
1. Export your Bolt.new project. In Bolt.new, connect your project to GitHub and push the latest version, or use the zip export. This gives you the source code to reference.
2. Create a Lovable project. Go to lovable.dev and start a new project. Choose "Start from description" rather than a template. Give Lovable your app description: what it does, what tech stack you want (React + Tailwind + Supabase is Lovable's strength).
3. Connect Supabase. In Lovable's project settings, connect your Supabase project or let Lovable create a new one. Your Supabase project URL and anon key go into Lovable's integration settings.
4. Recreate your schema. Tell Lovable's AI what tables you need, or paste in your SQLite schema and ask it to create the Supabase equivalent with appropriate types and RLS policies. Review the generated migrations before applying.
5. Migrate or recreate components. For each significant component in your Bolt.new project, either paste the code into Lovable's file editor or describe it to Lovable's AI with your Bolt.new code as context. Recreating from description often produces cleaner results because Lovable's AI knows the Supabase patterns.
6. Replace API routes with Supabase calls. For each Bolt.new API route, decide whether to keep it as a server function or replace it with a direct Supabase client call. Simple CRUD operations almost always become simpler as Supabase queries. Keep server functions for complex business logic that shouldn't run client-side.
7. Set up auth. Ask Lovable to "add Supabase auth with email/password sign in and sign up." It generates the auth pages, the session provider, and the route protection logic. Test sign-up and sign-in in the Lovable preview.
8. Export and run locally. Lovable's GitHub sync exports to a standard Next.js or Vite project. Clone it, run npm install, add your .env.local with Supabase credentials, and run npm run dev. Verify everything works locally before treating the migration as complete.
First-day checklist:
- Bolt.new project exported to GitHub
- New Lovable project created
- Supabase project connected
- Database schema migrated
- Auth flow working in preview
- GitHub sync configured
Gotchas you'll hit
Supabase RLS can be confusing at first. Lovable sets up row-level security policies, which is correct and important for production. But if your queries return empty results unexpectedly, the first thing to check is RLS policies. Lovable's AI can explain and modify them, but you need to understand what RLS does to debug issues.
Two-way GitHub sync has edge cases. If you make changes locally and in Lovable simultaneously, merge conflicts can occur. Establish a clear discipline: either you're iterating in Lovable or you're working locally, not both at once.
Lovable Pro costs more. Bolt.new Pro is $20/month; Lovable Pro is $25/month. Not a large difference, but worth noting if budget is tight.
Supabase has its own pricing. Lovable connects to your Supabase account. The Supabase free tier is generous (500MB database, 50k monthly active users for auth), but above-free usage bills separately through Supabase, not through Lovable.
Component recreation takes time. For a complex Bolt.new project with many components, the migration is not fast. Plan for a day or two to move a non-trivial project, not an hour.
Lovable's AI context limits on large projects. Like Bolt.new, Lovable's AI gets less reliable for large projects if you ask it to reason about the whole codebase at once. Scope tasks narrowly and specifically.
When NOT to switch
Stay with Bolt.new if:
- Your app doesn't need a database or auth. Bolt.new is simpler for pure frontend or very lightweight backend needs.
- You're already close to shipping and a full migration would be disruptive. Finish in Bolt.new and consider Lovable for the next project.
- You want to use a database other than Supabase/Postgres. Lovable is optimized for Supabase. If you need MySQL, MongoDB, or PlanetScale, Bolt.new's generic setup is more flexible.
- You prefer the Bolt.new / StackBlitz approach for technical reasons (WebContainers behavior, specific package support).
Lovable earns the switch when you want Supabase-native auth and database from the start, a cleaner code export workflow, and a tool designed for the path from AI prototype to owned, deployable production application.
The migration is a project rebuild more than a file transfer, and it's worth approaching it that way. Use your Bolt.new project as a specification: it shows you what works, what the UI looks like, and what the data model is. Feed that into Lovable as inputs, and let Lovable generate the Supabase-native version from scratch. You'll end up with cleaner code than a line-by-line port would produce.